Gluten-Free, Vegan AND Refined Sugar Free Strawberry Shortcake

I know what you’re thinking… a dessert that doesn’t have gluten, dairy, eggs OR sugar? Does it even taste good? It is still a dessert? I’m here to answer all of your questions and put your mind at ease. The answer is YES, this Strawberry Shortcake recipe is light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. With homemade frosting and juicy strawberries to top it off, this dessert is not only one of a kind but also much easier to make than you would think. I’ll be the first to admit that making gluten-free desserts can be a challenge. So, when I decided to take on trying to make a cake that was also vegan and refined-sugar free, I was definitely a little worried. While it took some trial and error, I can say with complete confidence that this Strawberry Shortcake is AMAZING. And that’s coming from someone who’s favorite dessert growing up was strawberry shortcake (instead of birthday cake, I always wanted strawberry shortcake as a kid). So, clearly I’m well versed in my strawberry shortcake knowledge!

In my opinion, the biggest difference when baking vegan is the lack of eggs. I often use dairy-free alternatives like almond milk, coconut oil and coconut yogurt in my baking, so that wasn’t a big change. Can I tell you a secret, though? I had never worked with vegan eggs before and it was quite… an experience. If you’ve never had the pleasure of working with vegan eggs, allow me to describe it to you. Vegan eggs come in a powder form that you are supposed to combine with cold water, then mix together to create a beaten egg like consistency. All of that is fine and easy, but I was not expecting the smell of the powdered eggs. It basically smells like rotten eggs, so I would highly suggest breathing through your mouth when combining the powder and water.

Refined sugar is any sugar that has been processed that is not naturally found. So, this means anything from cane to coconut sugar qualifies as refined sugar. When baking refined sugar-free, the alternatives are natural sugar, such as honey and maple syrup. While I was a little apprehensive about how this would taste, I honestly couldn’t tell a difference! The sweetness of the honey and maple syrup together was the perfect amount of sweetness.

Before we jump into the recipe, allow me to share some tips that I learned along the way.

Preparing the Pans: Unless you want to use parchment paper, be sure to generously prepare your baking pans by pouring a teaspoon of melted coconut oil in each. Then, wipe away the excess oil and sprinkle with baking flour. Dusting the pans prevents the cakes from sticking to them which is a lifesaver when it comes to removing the cakes from the pans.

The Shortcakes: Trust me when I say, for this recipe alone it’s worth investing in four of the same sized cake pans. If you only have one or two cake pans, not only will this take much longer but you’ll also probably end up with different sized shortcakes.

The Frosting: Make the frosting the night before and allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight. Because this frosting is both vegan and refined sugar free, it doesn’t have the same consistency as store-bought frostings. While it tastes great and works well to spread between the cakes, it’s not thick enough to spread over the entirety of the cake.

Serving: Unless you’re serving this cake right away, be sure to refrigerate it before serving. This will allow the frosting to better set between the layers of shortcakes.