Yield: 9″ dulce de leche strawberry shortcake // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //

dulce de leche strawberry shortcake

Today we’re taking strawberry shortcake to the ultimate next level. It starts with a moist dulce de leche vanilla cake. To that, we’re gonna layer on some more dulce de leche, then pile that delicious layer high with a very generous amount of dulce de leche flavored whipped cream, and a ton of fresh, juicy strawberries. The whipped cream is so light and pairs perfectly with all the sweet dulce de leche cake and fresh strawberries.

recipe tips

weigh your ingredients

Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. I do provide cup measurements but please note that I test all my recipes in grams and can not guarantee that your bake will turn out like mine. This kitchen scale is super cheap and a great starter scale!

room temperature ingredients

It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other and you don’t end up with a curdled, uneven batter. Take out the egg, butter, sour cream and milk at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. Here’s how to get room temperature ingredients FAST if you’re in a time crunch or forgot to take the ingredients out (like I often do):

• Egg: place the egg in a bowl and run hot water over it for 1 continuous minute, or let it sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Butter: slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5-second intervals until the butter is soft to the touch, but not melting.
• Sour cream and milk: microwave them in 5-second intervals until it is no longer cold, but is not warm (room temp!)

mix the dough carefully

When adding in the flour and milk, only fold until the last streak disappears. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which will make your cake tough and chewy rather than light and fluffy.

keep an eye on the cake while it bakes

Baked goods love to go from under-baked to over-baked it what seems like the blink of an eye. I’d recommend checking on it around 30 minutes into baking, then every 5 minutes or so depending on how done it was around that 30-minute mark. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

wait to assemble the cake until you’re ready to serve it

Because of the massive amount of dulce de leche and whipped cream, we’re piling onto this cake, it’s best to serve it close to the time that you assembled it. The whipped cream can safely be out at room temperature for about 2 hours, which is the max amount of time I’d recommend assembling it beforehand. Otherwise, you’ll have to store the cake in the fridge and it will get a little soggy.

ingredients and substitutions

For the dulce de leche cake:

All purpose flour: gives the cake structure.

Baking powder: helps the cake rise.

Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.

Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and adding flavor. You can substitute salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter. You can also use your favorite dairy-free butter stick in its place.

Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. You can substitute any neutral oil, such as canola, in place of vegetable oil.

Light brown sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake its rise. In a pinch, you can also use granulated sugar here, but I highly recommend brown sugar for it’s flavor and moisture!

Egg: for binding and for moisture.

Dulce de leche: we’ll use some dulce de leche directly in the cake for flavor.

Vanilla: for flavor.

Sour cream: adds moisture and makes the cake tender. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best texture.

Whole milk: adds moisture – like above I recommend whole for the best results. However, 2%, 1%, or your favorite non-dairy milk should work just fine.

For the whipped cream and topping:

Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream.

Dulce de leche: you’ll need a little bit for the whipped cream itself, and a lot for a layer of dulce de leche on top of the cake.

Salt: for balancing and bringing out the flavor and sweetness of the whipped cream.

Strawberries: I used about 1 pound of strawberries here. If you’re not a fan of strawberries, I can only assume bananas would be SO GOOD here too.

strawberry dulce de leche cake q&a

caramel vs dulce de leche

Dulce de leche and caramel look pretty similar but are quite different. Caramel is simply made by melting down and caramelizing sugar, and then that can be made into caramel sauce with the addition of butter and heavy cream. Dulce de leche, however, is much richer than caramel. That’s because it’s made through a slow process of simmering milk with sugar until both the regular sugar and the sugars in the milk caramelize, leaving you with this rich and creamy mixture. In a pinch you could definitely sub caramel sauce into this recipe, but I much prefer the richness of dulce de leche here!

can I double this recipe?

Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.

what size cake pan do I need?

I used a 9-inch cake pan for this strawberry dulce de leche cake. You can use a 10-inch cake pan instead, just note that the cake will be a little thinner and will probably require a little less baking time. If you wanted to make this in an 8-inch pan, I’d recommend filling the pan about a little more than half way and then making cupcakes with the rest of the batter.

can I use a different fruit on top?

Definitely! Really any soft fruit would be delicious on top of this cake: blueberries, bananas, apricots, etc.

how should I store this cake?

If possible, I would recommend waiting to top this cake until you are going to serve it. Otherwise, it will get a little soggy and you will have to store it in the fridge. Once you top the cake with the dulce de leche and whipped cream, it can stay out safely for up to 2 hours before needing to go in the fridge. If you’d like to make this cake ahead of time, you can wrap the cake in plastic wrap and keep it out on the counter, and make the whipped cream and store it in the fridge.

a note on oven temperature

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

tools and ingredients

You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!