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My Almond Flour Strawberry Shortcake Is A Lighter Treat In Just Minutes
This strawberry shortcake in a jar is probably my favorite 5-minute dessert of all time. And I don’t use that label lightly. It feels like a treat, but it’s surprisingly light and balanced enough to start the day. Here’s why this recipe has it all:
- Classic shortcake layers – Think moist vanilla sponge cake, juicy strawberries, and fluffy sugar-free whipped cream in every bite. It’s the mix of textures in this almond flour strawberry shortcake that makes it so irresistible.
- Ready in just 5 minutes – Unlike a regular baked version, my mason jar strawberry shortcake takes just minutes to make from scratch, with no oven involved! And as the name implies, I make this whole thing in a jar (yes, even the cake part).
- Macro friendly enough for breakfast – This recipe has 6 grams of protein, a few grams of fiber, and no refined sugar, and it’s even gluten-free. So while I love it for an actual (healthier) dessert, I’ve enjoyed it as a summer breakfast, too. (If it’s not quite enough protein for you, just add some Greek yogurt layers.)
If you like strawberry treats and want a super fast way to enjoy one last-minute, it doesn’t get any easier than this strawberry shortcake in a jar. Make it with me!
“This was fabulous! I tripled it and microwaved it in a small rectangular glass pan to have enough for breakfast for me and 3 little kiddos. 🙂 It cooked in about 4 minutes. The cake was fantastic — perfect texture, flavorful, and a lovely base for strawberries and whipped cream!”
-Jaimie
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my strawberry shortcake in a jar recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Strawberries – They’re sweetest in the spring and summer (strawberry season!).
- Healthier Flours – I use a combination of my Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour to create the moist, fluffy pound cake without white flour. I recommend using both for the best texture — they work together in a way neither does alone, and I’ve tested it both ways. If you do want to use almond flour by itself, use 1/4 cup. Coconut flour is too difficult to swap in here, you’d really need a different recipe, such as the base of my coconut cake.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Use this natural sweetener for best results, because it makes the cake super moist, and other options won’t do that. You can reference my sweetener conversion guide if you need to swap, but be aware your cake might turn out more dry.
- Butter – If you need a dairy-free option, butter-flavored coconut oil is my favorite to get a similar buttery flavor. (You’d also need to replace the whipped cream below with a version without dairy.)
- Egg – For structure. You can swap in a flax egg if needed.
- Baking Powder (for lift), Vanilla Extract (for flavor), and Sea Salt (to bring out the sweetness)
- Whipped Cream – You can use store-bought, but I don’t like the artificial ingredients in them, so I make my own whipped cream without refined sugar.
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How To Make Strawberry Shortcake In Jar
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Melt the butter in a mason jar. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the almond flour, coconut flour, Besti, baking powder, sea salt, and egg until combined. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Cook the cake layer. Heat in the microwave or the oven until firm. Let it cool slightly before removing.
- Cut the cake. Run a knife along the edge first to release cleanly, then cut it into cubes.
- Whip the cream. Sometimes I use my (sweet) sugar-free whipped cream recipe (shown below), but the almond flour strawberry shortcake is actually pretty sweet on its own. So, oftentimes I like unsweetened, plain whipped heavy cream for contrast against the vanilla cake and juicy strawberries. For the unsweetened version, my easiest way to make it is using this cream whipper — and (bonus!) you can even store it for later. I love mine.
- Assemble the strawberry shortcake in a jar. Add half the cake cubes, half the strawberries, and half the whipped cream to a jar, then repeat. I like to finish these strawberry shortcake jars with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a fresh strawberry on top.
My Recipe Tips
- I highly recommend a wide-mouth jar this size. It’s the ideal size to fill to the top, and the wide mouth makes it easier to remove the cake cleanly. I also find it easier to assemble the layers in it compared to my narrower mouth jars.
- A mug or ramekin works too, but you likely won’t fit all the layers into those. So, you’d need a larger bowl or something to layer the actual almond flour strawberry shortcake.
- If the cake batter seems thin, let it sit for a couple of minutes to thicken. It gets thicker as it sits, and I don’t recommend adding more dry ingredients.
- The cake will expand a lot as it cooks, more than doubling in volume. Toward the end of cooking, it’ll settle and shrink to its final size. Make sure your jar or mug is large enough for all that expansion, so it doesn’t overflow!
- Let the cake cool slightly before cutting and assembling. The texture improves as it cools, plus it can melt the whipped cream if it’s too hot (warm is fine, though). I don’t usually have to actively wait, because by the time I cut the fruit and whip the cream, the cake is good to go and I can assemble the strawberry shortcake in a jar right away.
- For the most beautiful presentation, use a separate jar for the cake part and then the assembly. That’s what I did for my pictures in this post. You can use the same one, but some cake will be stuck to the sides.
- Variation: Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest to the cake batter. And if you really love lemon, layer in my homemade lemon curd!
- Want a more intense strawberry flavor? Toss the fresh strawberries in a tablespoon of my real fruit strawberry syrup before layering.
Strawberry Shortcake In A Jar
By
My almond flour strawberry shortcake in a jar takes just 5 minutes, with layers of fresh berries, whipped cream, and light vanilla cake.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Melt the butter in a mason jar, mug, or ramekin in the microwave (about 30 seconds). Stir in the vanilla extract.
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Add the almond flour, coconut flour, Besti, baking powder, sea salt, and egg. Stir until well combined. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
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Microwave for 90-120 seconds, until firm.
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Run a butter knife along the edge and flip over a plate or cutting board to release. Cut the cake into cubes.
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Place half of the cake cubes at the bottom of a mason jar (the same one or a new one). Top with half of the sliced strawberries, then half of the whipped cream. Repeat the layers of cake, strawberries, and whipped cream.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you assemble the strawberry shortcake in a jar more easily and get the best texture.
- Storage & meal prep: I’ve made the cake ahead plenty of times (it’s good in an airtight container for a day on the counter or 3-5 days in the fridge), but I recommend waiting to add the strawberries and whipped cream until right before eating.
- Freeze: The cake keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to make multiple batches for later. Just thaw and add the strawberries and whipped cream when you’re ready to serve.
- Note on nutrition info: Although this cake is lighter than most, it’s quite filling, so half the jar is plenty for serving. Perfect for sharing!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar
91 Comments
Christy Stillwell
0Hi, I love the simplicity of this recipe however, I do not have a microwave, could you please share how to make Strawberry Shortcake in a conventional oven?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Christy, You can bake the cake portion in the oven. Bake at 350 Degrees F for approximately 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Lou Ann
0Tried this tonight and we really enjoyed it. Easy and tasted great. Tried a chaffle recipe a few days ago for strawberry shortcake (not your recipe) and we weren’t a fan. Thanks for rescuing our strawberry shortcake! 🙂
David Keith
0Wow, this was fabulous! The shortbread is softer than normal shortbread but still delicious. I used erythritol gold which gave it a nice brown colour. Will be making this again! Fully recommended!
Linda Rider
0This came together so nice and quick. It was deicious! will make again. thank you
Claudia Lamascolo
0Wow what a great easy recipe we loved this and I will make it again soon !
Renee Goerger
0Thank you for this fun to eat low-carb recipe. I love the presentation!
Kathleen
0I use this recipe all the time. It is one of our favorites. I am not on a Keto diet but bake mostly gluten free and sugar free. I just made a pineapple upside down version of the basic mug cake recipe and it was a big hit. I just mixed the batter in a separate small dish. Then I melted butter in a mug, sprinkled in some Swerve brown sugar added some crushed pineapple (in unsweetened juice, well drained and patted dry). I topped it all off with the batter and baked it in the oven. (you could use the microwave instead). I let them cool for a few minutes, ran a knife around each one and turned them upside down on a small plate. Waited a minute or so and lifted off the mug and let cool. They were beautiful and delicious. I am thinking to try it with peaches and maybe even a maple bacon version using Lakanto Maple syrup since I often eat these cakes for breakfast.
Glenda Rinehart
0Looks absolutely delish. Just wondering why there is a star by the erythritol since there is no reference to it in the Notes???
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Glenda, Thank you for catching this! I will have it amended.
M
0It’s 2022 now and I still don’t see any note regarding the erythritol asterisk. ? Do love this recipe, but I only have swerve right now and wondering how that would translate.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, You can use my Sweetener Conversion Guide to get the calculation.
Susan Albrecht
0I’d love to try this but you use erythritol. I’m intolerant to erythritol sweeteners, they cause migraines. Is it possible to use cane sugar? What amount, if yes?
All artificial sweeteners give me migraines. Cane sugar gives me the usual digestive issues but no migraine (unless in large quantities)
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, I don’t use sugar in my recipes but you could certainly substitute it. Keep in mind it will no longer be low carb, though. You can find the conversion using my sweetener calculator.
Shirley
0Is there a formula for substituting almond flour or some other kind of flour for coconut flour in recipes?
Thanks.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shirley, almond flour and coconut flour work very differently in recipes and should never be used as aa 1:1 substitution. In this case, you might be able to add additional almond flour, but the texture will be different and the cake may be more moist.
K
0So delicious!! This came together in a flash and was so tasty. Couldn’t even tell it was low carb. Thanks for sharing!
Cristi
0I made this receipe and switched the flours up (3 Tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 Tbsp almond flour) because I favor coconut flour. It was the best shortcake I have ever had. I also used monk fruit as my sweetner. I can’t believe this was keto ! Thank you for the awesome receipe. 🙂
Rose
0This turned out better than I imagined. Perfect little microwave sponge cake. I used mixed berries and coconut cream sweetened with coconut sugar and vanilla for a deeper flavor. Thanks!
Al Hays
0I’m used to shortcake made from Bisquick and this is tasty and different. My daughter was trying to tell me what it tasted like and she said it was kind of like zucchini bread with a little spice to it. I used two tablespoons of Swerve confectioners sweetener and am wondering if that gave it the spicy kind of taste. We usually chop up the strawberries and add sugar but I added Swerve. Maybe too much Swerve being in the chopped berries and the cake; although, it didn’t taste too sweet just left a kind of hot taste. Also, the cake had a kind of chewy texture to it. Do you have any recipes more like Bisquick shortcake?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Al, you may have used too much Swerve here. Sweeteners with erythritol can cause a burning taste/sensation if the amount is large enough. I would recommend not adding additional sweetener to the berries next time.
Dino
0Unfortunately, sugar free jello contains aspartame which we all are aware is ridiculously unhealthy :/
I would highly recommend swamping the sugar free jello out for the home made jello.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dino, Are you thinking of a different site? I don’t use sugar-free jello in any of my recipes.
Batoul
0Hi Maya! This recipe sounds just perfect and I’m dying to try it, but would it work to bake in an oven not a microwave? If yes can you please let me know how long does it need and the temp ? I’d appreciate your reply.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Batoul, Yes, you can make it in the oven in an oven-safe ramekin. It would probably take about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Tarryn Conry
0Hi! Can I use better batter instead of using the coconut flour and almond flour?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tarryn, I haven’t tried that. You probably can but may need different amounts because different flours absorb liquids in different amounts. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
bakerbynature
0Perfect summer dessert!
megunprocessed
0This looks incredible! Mason jar desserts are perfect for a picnic!
Kelly
0I just made strawberry shortcake with angel food cake, per the hubby’s request. But I have leftover strawberries so I can try this recipe too. It looks delicious!