Keto Strawberry Shortcake – A BBQ Must Have!

Strawberry season continues to be in full tilt, and we continue to bake up a storm in our test kitchen. We have all kinds of strawberry recipes here on Sugar-Free Sprinkles, but for some reason, we never did a keto strawberry shortcake. We rectified this situation with this delicious version that will be sure to please everyone.

A low carb strawberry shortcake you want to bring to your next Summer BBQ.

This recipe isn’t all that complicated; it just takes a bit of prep time. You need to slice and chop strawberries, make the stabilized whipped cream, and bake and cool your cakes.

You can save some time by pre-baking your cakes a day or two before, or up to a month if you decide to freeze them. The cakes (without the strawberries and whip cream toppings) freeze wonderfully!

This recipe is:

• Low Carb
• Keto-Friendly
• Gluten-Free
• Refined Sugar-Free
• Dairy-free adaptable* (see section labeled dairy-free option toward the bottom of the post)

The Best Sweeteners for this recipe

For the keto strawberry shortcake base, use your favorite granular or powdered sweetener.

I really like allulose or powdered erythritol for this recipe, but monk fruit, granular stevia, or even a combination of sweeteners will work.

Bocca sweet will also work very well.

For the whipped cream filling I like powdered allulose. Powdered makes the whip cream super smooth, and the powdered allulose has zero weird taste or texture.

You can use liquid sweeteners in the whipped cream filling too; they will not pose a problem.

The Low Carb Baking Tips you Need to Know for this Recipe

• Be sure to sift all your dry ingredients. Sifting adds air into the recipe to help lift and rise, but it also helps remove unsightly lumps.
• Whip the eggs until very light and fluffy. Again, this helps to add air.
• Don’t skip the apple cider vinegar. It helps the baking soda out and aids in the rise of the cake. You can replace the apple cider vinegar with lemon juice if you want. You cannot taste the vinegar in the keto strawberry shortcake once baked.
• Do not skip the xanthan gum. Without gluten, we need something to hold the cake together. Xanthan gum does an excellent job of replacing gluten in this recipe. No Xanthan gum? – we have a whole post dedicated to xanthan gum substitutes.
• When you mix the wet ingredients into the dry, only mix until combined. Do not over mix. The cake batter will be very thick. This is OK; that’s how the batter should be.
• Be sure to prepare your pan well. Grease it well, and add a piece of parchment to make sure it does not stick and lifts quickly out of the pan once cooled.
• To prevent over-browning around the sides and bottom, cover the outside of the pans (bottom and side) with tin foil.
• Let the cake cool completely before trying to cut it. If you leave them in the fridge overnight until they are cold, they slice very easily.

How To Make the Frosting

Here are some tips to make sure your whipped cream frosting comes out perfect every time. 

• In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip cold cream cheese until it becomes spreadable. 
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl, to make sure all cream cheese bits are well blended.
• Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and sweetener to the bowl and mix on low until whip cream starts to blend with cream cheese. Turn the mixer up and whip the mixture until soft and fluffy.

I like to use a 36% fat whipping cream for this recipe, but if you cannot get your hands on 36% whipping cream, any cream that you can whip will be perfectly fine.

Keep all the ingredients for your icing cold cold cold, you want your cream cheese to come out of a cold fridge and go directly into the bowl. Cube your cream cheese first to make it easier on your mixer. 

Be careful to not overbeat your mixture.  Overbeating will cause everything to liquify.

How To Make this Keto Strawberry Shortcake Recipe Dairy Free

Can you make this keto strawberry shortcake dairy-free? Yup!

All you need to do is replace the butter with coconut oil and the cream with canned coconut milk. You can also make the whipped cream filling by eliminating the cream cheese. Use coconut whipped cream with a bit of vanilla and your favorite sweetener.

If you make the recipe without the cream cheese, the frosting will be weak and will spread and melt. Non-stabilized whipped cream would reduce the freshness of the cake by a day and will require constant refrigeration.

Note: If you enjoy strawberries check out the newest strawberry donut recipe. If it’s shortcake you crave, try these low carb raspberry shortcakes. Or see our full list of top low carb and gluten-free strawberry desserts.

Storage & Serving Suggestions

This keto strawberry shortcake needs to be refrigerated. It will stay fresh for up to 2 days – 3 days will be pushing it. It’s a recipe you should put together the day you need it to taste the best.

But you can make the cakes in advance and either refrigerate for two days or wrap them well and store them in the freezer for up to a month. You can defrost them when you need them, make and fill the cakes with whip cream and fresh strawberries.

This is a perfect addition to a summer BBQ!

Looking For More Cake Recipes?

• The Best Low Carb Coconut Cake Ever!
• A Keto-Friendly Cherry Chip Cake
• Chocolate Bundt-Cake with Cheesecake Filling
• A Keto Red Velvet Cake
• Vanilla Cupcakes made Gluten-Free and Low Carb!
• Low Carb, Sugar Free Birthday Cake