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Treat yourself to this delicious mini strawberry shortcake in a jar. It’s super-easy to make and always tastes great. Whether you’re looking for portable mini desserts for Mother’s Day, summer picnics, showers, potlucks, summer BBQs, cookouts, and spring gatherings, or you just want a strawberry and whipped cream-based dessert, you can’t go wrong with these adorable and delicious desserts.
This mini dessert is a nice easy recipe to showcase fresh strawberries. Sweet, light and summery, this strawberry shortcake in a jar is great to pack for a picnic.
You might also like these mascarpone stuffed strawberries if you are a strawberry fan, playful funfetti cake or lemon ricotta amaretti budino.
Why You’ll Love It
Cute: If you’re looking for a dessert that looks gorgeous as well as tasting perfect, individual strawberry shortcake trifles served in individual cups are ideal. They look cute and are completely portable in a picnic hamper or similar.
Simple: There are only eleven different ingredients in this sweet strawberry shortcake dessert, and the directions are easy to follow. Even novice bakers will be able to make these with ease.
Tasty: There’s a reason strawberry shortcake in a mason jar is so popular every strawberry season, and even outside of it. And that’s the flavor. There’s just something so good about the combination of strawberries, cake and whipped cream. It’s not a complicated dessert at all but it is a delicious one!
Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
All-purpose flour: Forms the structure and base of the cake.
Cornstarch: Lightens the texture of the cake, making it soft and tender.
Baking soda: Helps the cake rise by reacting with the acidity in the sour cream.
Baking powder: Gives the cake additional lift and lightness.
Butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture to the cake.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens both the cake and the strawberries.
Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add structure and richness.
Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang, keeping the cake soft.
Strawberries: Bring fresh, juicy sweetness and vibrant color to the dessert.
Lemon juice: Brightens the flavor of the strawberries and balances their sweetness.
Whipping cream: Whipped to fluffy perfection, it adds a light and creamy topping to the dessert.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the cake: Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, cream the sugar and butter in another, and then mix with the other cake ingredients.
Bake the cake: Bake the cake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, before letting it cool on a wire rack and cutting it up with a biscuit cutter or similar.
Prep the strawberries: Toss the strawberries with sugar and let them sit in lemon juice for 20 minutes.
Assemble the dessert: Layer cake and strawberries in Weck jars (here) or mini mason jars (here), and add whipped cream on top. You can add a few strawberries, too.
Substitutions and Variations
Boxed cake mix: Use boxed cake instead of making your own. You can use any kind of cake, such as angel food cake or pound cake if you like.
Whipped cream: You can also squirty whipping cream or whipped topping instead of whipping up your own heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream.
Strawberries: You could use frozen strawberries, but fresh strawberries are much nicer, so I’d recommend sticking with those. And if you have some left over, there are plenty of other strawberry recipes to try.
Serving Suggestions
With a picnic: Because these are a “grab and go” type dessert, they’re ideal for picnics or other gatherings. You can have them as part of a picnic or buffet with picnic sandwiches, Hawaiian macaroni salad, rice salad, or panzanella salad.
For dessert: Otherwise, just prepare individual servings to enjoy after lunch or dinner, paired with an iced lavender matcha latte perhaps.
How to Store Strawberry Shortcake
Store: These should be served as soon as you’ve added the whipped cream on top. You can make strawberry shortcakes ahead without the cream though, if you keep them refrigerated and eat within 2 days.
Freeze: Freezing this strawberry dessert isn’t recommended because the cake will go soggy and the texture of the fresh strawberries will degrade.
Top Tips
Use ripe, juicy strawberries: The sweeter and more flavorful your strawberries are, the better the overall dessert will taste. Macerating them with sugar and lemon brings out their natural juices beautifully.
Don’t overmix the batter: Mix the cake batter just until combined to keep the texture light and tender. Overmixing can make the cake dense.
Chill the whipped cream: For the fluffiest results, use cold whipping cream and chill your mixing bowl and beaters beforehand—it helps the cream whip up faster and hold its shape longer.
Assemble just before serving: For the freshest texture, layer the dessert close to serving time to avoid soggy cake and keep everything looking and tasting its best.
Cut cake rounds cleanly: Use a sharp round cutter or the rim of a glass dipped in flour to cut out cake pieces without tearing or sticking.
Strawberry Shortcake in Mini Mason Jars FAQs
The reason behind soaking them (or “macerating” them which is the technical term) is the sugar helps draw out the juices from the berries, making them even more juicy and delicious. Feel free to add a splash of vanilla instead of, or as well as, the lemon juice.
Use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to whip heavy cream on a low speed until you get soft peaks. Remember you can add some sugar (and vanilla too, if you want) to the cream first. Stop mixing before you get stiff peaks. If you overmix the cream, you can pour in more heavy cream and mix again.
Jar Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Perfect Summer Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- ^^^ NOT GINGERBREAD MAN
- Weck Jars or Similar
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ Teaspoon baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon baking powder
- 12 Tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ Cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 Cup sour cream
For the Strawberries:
- 4 Cups strawberries, cut up
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced
For the Topping:
- 1 ½ Cups whipping cream
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder until mixed and set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer combine butter and sugar. Mix until fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Add in ½ of the sour cream and mix just until combined. Repeat with flour and sour cream once more then end by mixing in last ⅓ of the flour mixture and mixing just until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake about 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, cool completely and then cut into rounds using a cup or cookie cutter.
Prepare the Strawberries:
- In a bowl, mix together the strawberries and sugar.
- Add the lemon juice, mix well and let sit for about 20 minutes.
To Assemble:
- Make the whipping cream with a mixer. You can add 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of sugar if you like.
- Layer the cake rounds and strawberries into cups or jars. Layer until full to top.
- Pack whipped cream separate and top with whipped cream prior to serving.
Notes
Don’t overmix the batter: Mix the cake batter just until combined to keep the texture light and tender. Overmixing can make the cake dense.
Chill the whipped cream: For the fluffiest results, use cold whipping cream and chill your mixing bowl and beaters beforehand—it helps the cream whip up faster and hold its shape longer.
Assemble just before serving: For the freshest texture, layer the dessert close to serving time to avoid soggy cake and keep everything looking and tasting its best.
Cut cake rounds cleanly: Use a sharp round cutter or the rim of a glass dipped in flour to cut out cake pieces without tearing or sticking.
Nutrition
Strawberry shortcake parfait is a single serving dessert in a jar which combines a layer of strawberries with homemade cake and whipped cream. This delicious dessert is ideal for any time of year, although when strawberries are in season between April and June, it’s especially perfect. Make this strawberry shortcake picnic dessert and treat your taste buds to this fruity delight.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Strawberry shortcake is one of my fave desserts ever! Love the smaller serving sizes here, because I could eat an entire cake, LOL.
I’m going to make this with my white strawberries that are ready to pick in our backyard. I’m so excited for dessert tonight.
Looks delicious, and I love that it’s portable. My question is, does it get soggy? How long can it sit before eating?
I’ve kept these for 2 days in the refrigerator. If you do this, don’t add the cream until serving (or else they WILL get soggy!)
Where can I find those jars with lids for the strawberry shortcakes? They are so adorable.
They are called Weck Jars and I really love them, too. I have them in so many sizes. They have lasted forever.
This recipe is the bomb! So flavorful and easy to prepare! Absolutely my new fave. 🙂
i have a quick question. What size baking sheet? I have 3 different sized and dont know which one to use.
Thank you
Hi Jane, I used a 9 x 13-inch baking tray (with a rim of course) and it worked well.