These gluten-free strawberry shortcake bites are loaded with classic strawberry shortcake flavor. Moist, tender mini vanilla cakes are topped with sweet strawberry whipped cream and fresh strawberries for big flavor in a little package.
Strawberry desserts are always a good choice, in my opinion. Strawberries are the classic flavor for Valentine's Day and the quintessential summer fruit, so I find myself making recipes like these shortcakes and my chocolate strawberry cupcakes throughout the spring and summer.
These mini strawberry shortcake bites are a particular favorite because they're perfect for everything from baby showers to barbecues.
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Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Video
Why You'll Love These Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bites
- Limited Ingredients: It only takes a handful of ingredients to make both the cake and the whipped cream.
- Easy to Make: The cakes are ready in just about 30 minutes, and the whipped cream only takes about 2 minutes.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: These shortcake bites are perfect for Valentine's Day, baby showers, birthday parties, receptions, and backyard bashes.
- Moist and Tender: The vanilla cake for these bites is so moist and tender.
- Big Strawberry Flavor: The strawberry whipped cream is made with strawberry emulsion for tons of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour: Gluten-free flour functions exactly the same as regular flour in baked goods. I prefer Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour because it gives baked good the best texture.
- Almond Milk: Almond milk takes the place of regular milk and gives the cake the moisture it needs to bake up moist and tender.
- Singing Dog Vanilla: Vanilla adds a rich flavor to the cupcakes. I prefer Singing Dog Vanilla for its bold vanilla flavor and high quality.
- Cold Heavy Cream: Heavy cream and powdered sugar create the sweet whipped cream topping for these shortcakes.
- OliveNation Strawberry Emulsion: OliveNation strawberry emulsion gives the whipped cream a bright, bold strawberry flavor. Use code: NK15 for 15% off.
- Corn Starch: Corn starch stabilizes the whipped cream, keeping it from melting.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Plain Whipped Cream: Use plain whipped cream for simple cake bites for any occasion.
- Different Emulsions: You can find OliveNation emulsions in almond, lemon, blueberry, and even pumpkin spice. Try them all to create different whipped cream flavors.
- Plain Flour: If you don't have gluten issues, feel free to use regular all-purpose or cake flour.
How to Make Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bites
For the Cake:
1: Combine the dry ingredients.
2: Beat the butter until creamy. Then, add the sugar and mix again.
3: Add the eggs and mix. Then, add the vanilla and mix again.
4: Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Then, add the almond milk.
5: Bake in a 9x13 pan or a 12-cup bownie pan until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the Whipped Cream
1: Beat everything except the cornstarch in a bowl until soft peaks form.
2: Add the cornstarch and beat again, being careful not to overmix.
Assembly
1: Pipe or spread the whipped cream on the shortcake bites.
2: Clean and hull the berries. Then, cut them in half.
3: Garnish the cakes with a strawberry half and a fresh mint leaf.
Hint
It's important for your heavy cream to be as cold as possible. This helps create a light, fluffy whipped cream.
Storage
Store these gluten-free strawberry shortcake bites in an air-tight container without their strawberry garnish for up to 3 days. You can refrigerate them without garnish for up to a week.
What to Serve with Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Serve these strawberry shortcake bites as part of a fun bite-size dessert spread along with other favorites like simple vanilla cupcakes, salted caramel cookies sandwiches, and my copycat Starbucks oatmeal bars.
These bites are so pretty, you can make them part of a fancier dessert table, as well, with beautiful desserts like my white chocolate raspberry cake or vanilla bean cake.
Tips
- Fully soften your butter and bring all your cold ingredients to room temperature when making the cake batter. This helps the ingredients mix easily and gives the cake the best texture.
- When adding the cornstarch to the whipped cream, only mix it enough to incorporate the cornstarch. Overmixing will deflate the whipped cream.
- Be sure your cream is as cold as possible when making the whipped cream for the best texture.
- Be sure to thoroughly coat every part of the pan's interior so the cakes don't stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
1:1 baking flour is gluten-free flour with added sorghum, tapioca, xanthan gum, or a mix of the three to help bind the recipe. It can be measured and used exactly like regular flour without the need for extra ingredients or conversion.
Dry cake is usually the result of using too much flour or other dry ingredients. To prevent this, either weigh your flour or gently spoon it into your measuring cup to prevent packing.
Whipped cream gets its texture from the air that's incorporated into the cream and sugar mixture by beating. Over-beating will actually allow the air to escape, resulting in the loss of the light, fluffy whipped cream texture.
Cornstarch stabilizes whipped cream. This allows the whipped cream to retain its texture without melting or falling.
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bites
Equipment
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup almond milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Singing Dog Vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon OliveNation strawberry emulsion
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 12-cup brownie pan or a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
- Beat the butter for 2 minutes with an electric mixer until creamy. Then, add the sugar and mix again for another 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then, add the vanilla and mix again.
- Mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then, add the other half and mix again.
- Add the almond milk and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 brownie squares in the pan using a 2-inch cookie scoop, or pour the batter into a 9x13 baking pan.
- Bake the cakes in the brownie pan for 21 to 27 minutes or in the 9x13 baking pan for 25 to 33 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pan and place it on a wire baking rack. Let the cake(s) cool completely.
For the Strawberry Whipped Cream
- In a stand mixer, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and strawberry emulsion on high until it thickens and forms soft peaks.
- Add teh cornstarch and beat again for 20 seconds. Do not overmix.
Assemble
- Pipe or spread the whipped cream onto the mini cakes or frost the 9x13 cake evenly with the whipped cream.
- Rinse and hull the strawberries. Then, cut them in half lengthwise.
- Place half a strawberry on a toothpick with a fresh mint leaf and place it on top of the cake. Repeat for all the cakes. Add the strawberry halves evenly on top of the sheet cake version.
Adriana says
My family loved this!
Amy Liu Dong says
Wow! This shortcake bites looks incredibly delicious and very yummy! Kids will definitely gonna love and enjoy this. An awesome treat for any given occasion.
Claudia says
I tried making these Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bites, and they turned out amazing! So delicious and easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
Swathi says
Gluten free strawberry shortcake bites looks delicious my family loved it. I am going to make it again.
Oscar says
I made these gluten-free strawberry shortcake bites, and they were delicious! The mini vanilla cakes topped with strawberry whipped cream and fresh strawberries were a hit.