Fresh Strawberry Cake
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Jam-packed with fresh strawberries, this strawberry cake is one of the simplest, most delicious cakes you’ll ever make.
This strawberry cake recipe was sent to me by Karen Tannenbaum, a longtime reader, avid baker, and all-around lovely lady. In her email to me, Karen described a dinner she made that ended with this dessert as “just like a night in heaven.” I was sold. A few days later, I had the cake in the oven, and sure enough – it turned out to be one of the simplest, prettiest, and most delicious cakes I’ve ever made.The beauty of this cake is that it’s made with very few ingredients, and you can whip up the batter in under 15 minutes. What’s more, it’s a great way to use up extra strawberries or salvage berries that are less than perfect, and it keeps well for days. This recipe originally appeared in Martha Stewart Living back in June 2005, but I’ve made a few tweaks to make it even better.
If you have an abundance of strawberries on hand, or find them on sale during the season, try my strawberry shortcake and strawberry muffins as well. You’ll be glad you did.
What You’ll Need To Make Strawberry Cake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla.
Beat to combine.
Add some of the flour.
Mix to combine, then add some of the milk.
Alternately add the remaining flour and milk, beating until smooth. The batter will be quite thick.
Transfer the batter to a buttered 9-inch deep dish pie pan (or 9-inch round cake pan) and smooth with a spatula.
Arrange the strawberry halves on top of the batter.
The sprinkle with the remaining sugar. (Don’t be tempted to omit the sugar here; it balances the tartness of the berries and forms a deliciously crisp crust on top the cake.)
Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325° and bake for about an hour more.
Cool the strawberry cake on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature, either plain or topped with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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Fresh Strawberry Cake
Jam-packed with fresh strawberries, this strawberry cake is one of the simplest, most delicious cakes you’ll ever make.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (low-fat is fine)
- About ¾ pound strawberries, hulled and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9-inch deep dish pie pan (or 9-inch round cake pan).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: the batter will be thick.)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the strawberries on top, cut side down, so that they completely cover the batter (the recipe calls for approximately ¾ pound of strawberries; use more or less if necessary). Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.
- Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and bake until the cake is lightly golden and a tester comes out clean, about an hour. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
- Cake can be stored at room temperature for several days, loosely covered.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, cover it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 241
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 185 mg
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious way to use those extra berries. I followed the recipe and the timing for a 9” pan. The cake was dense but not dry and the top did get a nice caramelization of the sugar. It is not an overly sweet cake and goes well with coffee. I will definitely put it in my rotation.
Excellent cake! I *may* have slipped in an extra tablespoon of butter, otherwise just as written. Thickness of batter is needed to support juicy fruit, a lighter batter would be soup in the bottom. Took about 55 minutes in a 9″ pan. Have made many of your recipes, always good!!
Just made this as had to use some strawberries up. Smells and looks good as yet to taste it
I made this exactly as is and it was delicious! Almost like a banana cake but with strawberries. Topped it with real whipped cream. I don’t know if I added too many strawberries but my cake took an extra 25 mins to bake so a total 1hr 40 mins . I loved it so much I made the same cake but with blueberries and it was almost over cooked at 1hr15 mins. So I think it depends on how juicy your fruits are. Anyways, thank you, I wrote this recipe down and I am adding it to the rotation. I love how easy it is!
I first made this cake with strawberries and it was wonderful. I love that the batter is so easy to put together. I then made it with peaches and found that the high level sweetness of the cake overwhelmed the subtle taste of the peaches. I will make this again and again but will reduce the sugar in the cake by 2 to 4 tbsp. Thank you Jenn for another great recipe.
can i use frozen berries?
Hi Ellen, frozen strawberries will work fine (the batter will be colder as a result of the frozen berries so it may take a touch longer in the oven). Enjoy!
What do you think about subbing in blackberries?
I think it would work – I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
I made this tonight (fresh strawberry cake), it’s the type of dessert I like, easy to make and not too sweet. When it was done, all the strawberries had fallen in & the batter surrounding the strawberry was mushy & uncooked. What did I do wrong? I’m so sad!
Hi Rae, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! If the strawberries sunk, it may have been that they were a bit too big, and if the batter around them was mushy, it sounds like the cake was Little underbaked. If you try this again, I’d suggest dicing the strawberries smaller and letting the cake bake for a few more minutes.
Made this strawberry cake & it was good. Not too sweet. Just right.
I followed this recipe exactly.
I find it too dry. Disappointed.
The taste, texture, ease of recipe, overall this is indescribably delicious and highly recommended to make! I only had 3 tablespoons of butter so the other 3 I used softened coconut oil and it came out perfectly. This will be my go to from now!