Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Jars

These gluten free strawberry shortcake jars are one of my favorite summer desserts. Layers of soft vanilla cake, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream, all stacked up in a jar so you get a little bit of everything in each bite.

The cake is light, fluffy, and you would never guess it’s gluten free. It’s made with a simple gluten free all-purpose flour and comes together really fast.

The strawberry layer is just fresh berries tossed with a bit of sugar. Nothing fancy, but it makes all the difference once those juices start soaking into the cake.

And the whipped cream on top brings it all together. It’s homemade, lightly sweetened, and so much better than anything from a can.

Whether you’re serving these at a party or just making them for yourself on a weeknight, they’re easy to put together and always a hit. Let me show you how I make them.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple Ingredients You Can Actually Find – You do not need any weird or hard-to-find ingredients here. Just basic baking staples, fresh strawberries, and heavy cream, all of which you can grab at any regular grocery store.

Served in Cute Jars – These little jars make the prettiest individual desserts you have ever seen. They are perfect for showing off those gorgeous layers of cake, strawberries, and whipped cream.

No Sharing Required – Since each jar is its own personal dessert, everyone gets their own perfect portion. No awkward slicing, no uneven pieces, and no fighting over who got the bigger serving.

Fresh Strawberries Make It Special – The macerated strawberries in this recipe get all juicy and sweet after sitting with a little sugar. That strawberry syrup soaks into the cake layers and takes the whole dessert to another level.

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers

• 1.5 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Melted Butter
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Filling

• 3 cups Fresh Strawberries
• 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

Whisk together the gluten free all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder. Add the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.

Step 3

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool, then cut into bite-sized cubes.

Step 4

Wash and chop the fresh strawberries, toss them with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a bowl, and let them sit for 15 minutes to release their juices.

Step 5

In a separate cold bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Step 6

To assemble, grab 4 mason jars. Layer a handful of gluten free cake cubes at the bottom of each jar.

Step 7

Top with a spoonful of the juicy strawberries, then a layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers until the jars are full, finishing with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.

Helpful Tips

Check Your Gluten Free Flour Blend

Not all gluten free flour blends are the same. Some include xanthan gum and some don’t, and that matters a lot for how the cake holds together.

If your blend doesn’t have xanthan gum listed in the ingredients, add about 1 teaspoon to the dry ingredients. Without it, the cake can crumble apart when you cut it into cubes and the layers in your jars won’t look as clean.

Brands like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure already have it included, so you’d be good to go with those.

Let the Melted Butter Cool Down a Bit

After you melt the butter, give it about 5 minutes to cool before you mix it into the batter. You want it to be warm and pourable, not hot.

If the butter is too hot when it hits the eggs, it can start to cook them slightly and you’ll end up with little scrambled egg bits in your batter. That messes with the texture of the cake and nobody wants that.

Don’t Overmix the Batter

Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry, stir just until everything comes together and you don’t see any dry flour pockets. A few small lumps are totally fine.

Overmixing makes the cake dense and gummy, which is something gluten free bakes are already prone to. Keeping the mixing to a minimum gives you a lighter, softer cake that’s way more enjoyable in the jars.

You Might Also Like

• Gluten Free Banana Pudding Cups
• Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
• Gluten Free Strawberry Crunch Cake
• Gluten Free Tiramisu Cups
• Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake

Frequently Asked Questions

What size jars work best for these strawberry shortcake jars?

Half-pint (8 oz) mason jars are the perfect size for individual servings. They give you enough room to build nice visible layers of cake, strawberries, and whipped cream without everything getting squished together.

If you want bigger portions, you can use pint (16 oz) jars instead and just double up the layers. You will likely get fewer jars out of the recipe, but each one will be more generous.