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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I made this cake for the 4th of July and it was so delicious!! Love this recipe! My family loved it too. From one foodie to another, thank you for all the great recipes you put out!
I have this cake in the oven right now for a 4th of July party. All of my strawberries are now covered in batter with some even sinking to the bottom of the pan. The batter was very thick as you described it would be. Any idea what I did wrong? It does smell delicious though.
Hi Jackie, the strawberries do sink a bit – some to the bottom. The batter rises up over them so they kind of fall into pockets. Should be just fine 🙂
Ok. Thank you. It smells delish and I can’t wait to cut it. I have tried dozens of your recipes and there isn’t one that I haven’t loved and made repeatedly!
Excellent not too sweet and I used not too ripe strawberries so I sprinkled them with the 2 tablespoons of sugar before hand and let them sit while I was making the batter, came out just perfect. So easy and quick. Thank you for this wonderful summer recipe.
Baked this tonight for myself and two grown sons. Served with lightly sweetened whipped cream and it was stellar. I made no alterations to the recipe and it turned out very light and the contrast between the tart berries and the sweet, but not too sweet cake was perfect. Definite winner. Thanks!
I had a leftover strawberries I needed to use and this was a perfect match. I used some vanilla sugar I had on hand to sprinkle on top. Served with whipped cream. My 9″ cake pan is the dark metal so the cake was done in 45 mins after turning the temp down to 325. I love all things strawberry.
This sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it out.
I love every single recipe that I have tried so far. If I’m ever in need of inspiration I always know where to look.
Thank you for all your hard work. Its very much appreciated
Jenn….we don’t have fresh local strawberries right now. Past season and I don’t like the ones shipped in from California . Do you think a substitution of peaches would work? We are in Georgia and fresh blueberries and peaches are in season and are wonderful.
Hi Janet, I do think peaches would work, but a combination of peaches and blueberries might be better. The cake is quite sweet, so using tart fruit balances it all out.
Yummy and easy!
Can I make this without margarine or butter?
Hi Beth, Unfortunately, I think it needs one or the other. Sorry!
How do you think the cake would turn out with cherries instead of strawberries? Drowning in cherries right now.
Hi Shayna, I think that cherries would be delicious. I’ve been imagining all the possibilities with this cake…peaches, blueberries, blackberries, etc. 🙂