Homemade Strawberry Cake

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This soft and fluffy homemade strawberry cake is made with fresh strawberries and topped with a creamy strawberry buttercream. With more than 150 five-star reviews since its publication in 2017, this cake is sure to be a favorite in your kitchen, too! If you really love this cake, check it out as cupcakes and a Bundt cake.

This cake is so darn good. There is just no other way to describe it.

After years of being incredibly disappointed with strawberry cakes that tasted too artificial because they were made with strawberry gelatin or ones that were too wet because they didn’t take care to prepare the fresh strawberries properly, I settled on the perfect combination and ratio of ingredients as well as the perfect strawberry buttercream. 

This is hands down the most popular cake recipe that exists on my site, and if you give it a shot, I know you’ll be doing a happy-strawberry-cake dance like I do every time I make it.

Have you ever tried to search for a fresh strawberry cake recipe from scratch? Or a strawberry cake recipe without gelatin? I found a lot of recipes were made with strawberry jelly, strawberry jam, or even strawberry Jell-O, but that’s not at all what I was looking for.

“This is just the most fantastic recipe. Not only is the cake absolutely delicious, the recipe works! I’ve spent years trying recipes from the internet and a lot of them are wrong in so many ways, but this is one I’ll be using for many years ahead.“ — Jan

I wanted soft, fluffy cake dotted with actual bits of real strawberries, and a strawberry cake without gelatin. I found strawberry cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker that I figured I could turn into a cake, and after a few tries, I settled on this lovely little number that has been gracing people’s kitchens since I published the recipe in 2017.

For this strawberry cake, you will need:
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• eggs + egg white
• milk
• fresh strawberries

For the strawberry buttercream, you will need:
• freeze-dried strawberries
• butter
• powdered sugar
• milk or cream
• vanilla extract
• salt

Make sure you are buying freeze-dried strawberries and not just dried strawberries. Dried strawberries are more of a gummy texture. You are making strawberry powder, so you’ll want to buy the ones with zero moisture in them.

Prepare the strawberries: be sure they’re chopped into small pieces. For my strawberry cupcakes, pureeing them works best because of the smaller nature of cupcakes vs a big cake. While you can do that here, too, I like the larger chunks of strawberries in my bites. No need to flour them to keep them suspended! If they’re small enough, they’ll stay put.

Cream the butter + sugar + vanilla: unlike my white layer cake that uses the reverse creaming method, this cake gets mega lift from the air incorporated into the butter and sugar. Be sure you’re using room temperature butter and no warmer.

Add the eggs/egg white one at a time: adding eggs one at a time ensures they incorporate evenly and smoothly into the batter. You’ll want these at room temperature, too.

Add the flour mixture + milk in two parts: why in two parts? Because adding all of the flour mixture or all of the milk at one time can “overload the system” and encourage clumping and/or separating. This doesn’t need to be exact! Aim for about half of the flour mixture and milk each addition.

Fold in the strawberries: gently! And just until combined.

Bake + cool: the cakes need a pretty significant amount of time in the oven but keep an eye on your layers as overbaking them can lead to a dry crumb since this cake is made entirely with butter and no oil.

Trim + stack: I have kept this 2 layers and I’ve also cut each layer in half to make 4 layers. Either works just fine as this cake is sturdy enough to handle being split.

“The best scratch cake I have ever made. Huge hit with the whole family! Moist and delicious!! The freeze dried strawberries were a great addition to the buttercream.” — Nancy

I even tried using strawberry puree, but still didn’t love the result. And it wasn’t until I had a lightbulb moment and wondered if freeze-dried strawberries might do the trick. Spoiler alert: they were perfect.

We can get freeze-dried strawberries in the dried fruit section of our grocery store, so if you aren’t sure yours carries them, check that section carefully! I was surprised to find them there.

You’ll need to blend up approximately 1 cup of the freeze dried strawberries, winding up with about ½ cup of strawberry powder.

That will go directly into your basic buttercream (which is my classic vanilla buttercream recipe) and it will lend the most wonderful strawberry flavor while also keeping the integrity of your sturdy buttercream intact. Win win!

The second you have a taste of this homemade strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream, you’ll wonder where this cake has been all of your life so far. It is, hands down, the best strawberry cake recipe I have ever had. Ever.

You can also turn this layer cake into a Bundt cake or cupcakes!

4.96 from 162 votes

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Strawberry Cake from Scratch

This soft and fluffy homemade strawberry cake is made with fresh strawberries and topped with a creamy strawberry buttercream. With more than 150 five-star reviews since its publication in 2017, this cake is sure to be a favorite in your kitchen, too!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Bake Time44 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 4 minutes mins

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

STRAWBERRY CAKE

• ▢ 3 and ¼ cups (390g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 large egg white room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup (240g) milk any though I prefer whole cow; room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups finely chopped strawberries¹ approximately 16 large strawberries

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

• ▢ 1 cup (20g) freeze-dried strawberries²
• ▢ 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 4 to 5 cups (480-600g) powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ to ⅓ cup (60-80mL) milk or cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

STRAWBERRY CAKE

• Place oven rack on the middle setting and preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and flour (or use homemade cake release) two 8" or 9" round cake pans.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3 and ¼ cups (390g) all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until the color is light and the texture is fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes). Add the vanilla then beat again to incorporate.
  1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar, 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Add the eggs and egg white one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next one and scraping the. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
  3 large eggs, 1 large egg white
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk.
  1 cup (240g) milk
• Blot the strawberries dry (you don't need to wring them out, just blot them), then gently fold in the strawberries by hand.
  2 cups finely chopped strawberries1
• Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake cakes for about 40-44 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pans on a wire rack before removing and assembling.

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

• Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Set aside.
  1 cup (20g) freeze-dried strawberries2
• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
  1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
• With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream. Add the strawberry powder and salt, increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. If frosting is too stiff, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
  4 to 5 cups (480-600g) powdered sugar, ¼ to ⅓ cup (60-80mL) milk or cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

• Trim cooled cake layers to create a flat surface. You can do this with a large serrated knife or a cake leveler. Place one layer on a plate or cake stand and cover the top with strawberry buttercream frosting. Spread evenly with an offset spatula.
• Place second layer on top, cut surface down. For a sturdier cake, refrigerate at this point for about 10 minutes. When cake is slightly chilled, remove from refrigerator and spread more frosting on the top and around the sides. Serve. Leftovers stay fresh, covered tightly, at room temperature up to 5 days and in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
• Make ahead: prepare cakes and frosting up to 1 day in advance. Cover cakes tightly and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Unfrosted cake layers may be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling. Frosted cake can be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

1. Strawberries: you can use frozen strawberries, too. Thaw them first then blot or squeeze some of the liquid out of them before using.
2. Freeze-dried strawberries: freeze-dried strawberries are typically found in the dried fruit section of your grocery store. If you can’t find them there, check the aisle with bulk candy, if your grocery store has one.
3. Bundt cake: make this cake into a strawberry Bundt cake! The recipe differs only slightly. I paired that one with a white chocolate strawberry ganache, but you can use any frosting you like.
4. Cupcakes: while baking this recipe as is will give you 24 delicious cupcakes, see my post for fresh strawberry cupcakes for a recipe specifically developed to make 16 fluffy cupcakes.
5. To turn this into a sheet cake: as written, this recipe will make one 9″ x 13″ sheet cake. Bake time will be about 40-42 minutes.
    

 

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

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Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 799kcal | Carbohydrates: 120g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 406mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 88g | Vitamin A: 1050IU | Vitamin C: 255mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 6mg