Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

I’ve got the ultimate spring treat for you– fresh strawberry cake! Imagine soft, fluffy cake packed with juicy strawberries and topped with creamy frosting. It’s the type of cake that makes you smile on a dreary day. Today I’m going to show you how to make this delicious dessert. 

After a long, dreary winter all I wanted was a fresh, fruity dessert.  As I racked my brain on what to make, cake came to mind.  I tend to lean to the side of chocolate for every dessert, but I felt that chocolate cake was better left for the colder months, not the spring time.  

And while I know it’s not quite strawberry season yet, at least where I live, strawberries were the perfect thing to add to this cake to give me a lot of hope that strawberry season is, in fact, coming. 

I love berry season! One of  my other favorite recipes with this berry is strawberry freezer jam.  Give me all the strawberries, please!

The thing I noticed about strawberry cakes on the blog-o-sphere is that they either used freeze-dried strawberries, strawberry gelatin, or they make a strawberry reduction or simple syrup.  

I believe both options work for people, but I wanted to do something different. 

Here’s why I didn’t want to do freeze-dried strawberries.  I live in a small, northern town.  The closest city is an hour away and is on the smaller side.  That means I don’t have access to as many things as someone in a bigger urban area has.  

You won’t find freeze-dried strawberries in my town, and I’m not sure you could even find them in the closest city here.

I’m sure I could order them on Amazon, but let’s be real.  When the craving of cake hits I don’t want to wait two weeks for my freeze-dried strawberries to come (small, northern towns also means no same day or two day Amazon shipping.)

As for a strawberry reduction, I could have done that, but….I like to avoid extra work.  If I can make it easier on myself, I’m absolutely going to do that.  

So instead of making a reduction this recipe just requires you to mash your strawberries with a potato masher. This allows for chunks of strawberry to be throughout the cake which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My husband, who isn’t really a cake person, practically ate 2 of these cakes (I promise, not in one sitting).  Because I wasn’t happy with the first one and needed to tweak it.  But he liked the strawberry layer cake enough to eat THAT MUCH OF IT.

I’m hoping you’ll like it just as much.

The strawberry cream cheese frosting makes this cake that much more delicious.  Of course, if you don’t like a cream cheese frosting, you can make a strawberry buttercream frosting recipe to cover this cake with.  I much prefer my cakes to have a thin layer of icing.  

Too thick and it’s just too sweet in my opinion (and trust me, I have a HUGE sweet tooth.)  This frosting recipe is more than enough for that.  However, if you really like to pile up the icing you may want to double the frosting recipe.  

Or, you know, if you just want extra frosting to eat by the spoon, I won’t judge.

CAKE BAKING TIPS FOR THE BEST STRAWBERRY CAKE EVER

Use Fresh Strawberries

Opt for fresh, ripe strawberries for the best flavor. I made one cake with a really great batch of strawberries, and the second cake I made with strawberries that weren’t as red and ripe and I definitely noticed the difference in the finished product.  Fresh berries are the way to go.

I wouldn’t use frozen as their water content may be too high and change the texture of the cake and cause it to be more dense than you want.

Room Temperature Ingredients

​Allow your butter, eggs, and sour cream to come to room temperature before using them. Room temperature butter mixes more easily with sugar, creating a smoother batter, while room temperature eggs incorporate more evenly into the mixture, resulting in a lighter, fluffier texture.

Creaming Method

​Cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (as opposed to dense and gritty). This incorporates air into the batter, resulting in a softer, more tender cake.  

I’m not going to lie, creaming the butter is a little anxiety-inducing.  Creaming it properly can make the difference between a fluffy, lighter cake, or a dense cake.  

Don’t Overmix

​Overmixing can lead to a tough cake. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. It’s okay if there are a few small lumps remaining.

Avoid Overbaking

​Keep an eye on your cake while it’s in the oven and test for doneness using a toothpick or cake tester. Overbaking can result in a dry cake. The toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but not wet batter.

Proper Cooling

​Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling it in the pan allows it to set and prevents it from falling apart when removed.

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients you’ll need

For the cake:

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 5 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups strawberries, green tops removed and sliced in half

For the Frosting:

• 1 block cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mashed strawberries, taken from the 1 3/4 cups you’ll mash for the cake

​Cake Instructions

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two 9 round cake pans.  I used 9 inch pans but 8 inch pans should work too.

Step 2:

In a bowl, mash strawberries with a potato masher.  You’ll want to mash it to the point that most of it is liquid-y, but there are still strawberry chunks left.  Set aside.

Step 3:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together.  Set aside.

Step 4:

Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes.  You want it light and fluffy.

Step 5:  

Add the egg whites and mix again.

Step 6:  

Add the sour cream and mix until fully incorporated.

Step 7:  

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just till all mixed.  Do not overmix the cake batter.

Step 8:  

Add the milk.  Mix again (and don’t overmix.)

Step 9:  

Add the other half of the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.  (And, remember, no overmixing – have I said it enough yet?)

Step 10:  

Take 1/4 cup of mashed strawberries out of the strawberries you mashed earlier.  Set that aside for the frosting.  Add the rest of the strawberries to the cake batter and mix JUST until completely incorporated into the batter.

Step 11:  

Pour half of the batter into one cake pan, and half into the other.  If you want them the same size you can weigh them on a kitchen scale.

Step 12:  

Pop them in the oven and cook for 33-35 minutes (33 minutes seemed to be the perfect number for my oven.)  They are done when you can stick a toothpick in them and it comes out with just a few crumbs, but no wet batter.

Step 13:  

Allow them to cool for about 15 minutes before popping them out of the their pans to finish completely cooling.  Make sure they are COMPLETELY cool before frosting them or it’ll be a big mess.  Trust me on this.

Frosting Instructions

Step 1:  

Use a handheld electric mixer on medium speed to beat the cream cheese.

Step 2:  

Add the butter and cream together until fully mixed together.

Step 3:  

Add the icing sugar.  Beat  on low until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Step 4:  

Add the vanilla and strawberries.  Beat again just until the strawberries are fully mixed in.

Step 5:  

Frost your cake!

CONSTRUCTING YOUR CAKE

Once your cake layers are baked and cooled, place one layer on a serving plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on top. Carefully position the second layer on top and frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

For Flat Cake Tops

Bake-Even Strips Method:

Wrap damp kitchen towels or bake-even strips around cake pans before baking to promote even heating and reduce doming. Bake as usual for level cake layers without the need for trimming.

Cutting Method: 

After cooling, use a serrated knife to gently trim any domed tops from the cakes, ensuring a flat surface for easy stacking and decorating.

​I’m hoping this is the best strawberry cake recipe you’ll ever make.  The real strawberry flavor is fresh and perfect for the warmer months (but hey, I’d eat it in the dead of winter as well!)  

If you want a deeper pink color in the icing or the cake, you could try adding a few drops of food coloring.

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