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’ve already made this three times this summer and it comes out fantastic every time.
I made your summer strawberry cake the other night for a small dinner party. I served it with your strawberry and orange salad with citrus syrup (no mint) and fresh whipped cream. Like all your recipes, it was delicious and I was proud to serve it. I rave about you to friends because you offer terrific recipes, plus you are an educator. I sectioned an orange for the first time based on your instruction and now I’m hooked. Thank you for all you do. Now I have two questions for you: My strawberries sunk into the cake rather than staying on top when the cake was baked, like your photo. And I had to work at getting the cake out of the pan (9″ round coated metal) even though I buttered the pan. It came out perfectly, but it took a little effort. Any suggestions? Thank again for your help! Karen
Hi Karen, I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! Regarding the strawberries sinking to the bottom, two questions– are you using really large strawberries? If so, try cutting them smaller. Also, are the strawberries fresh or frozen? And, if the cake was sticking despite you buttering the pan, you may want to try a baking spray with flour.
Perfect. Will try both of your suggestions, Jenn! Thank you …
Made this today and it was absolutely delicious. Super easy to make too. I thought it tasted a bit like pound cake so that helped make it a winner. Will try it with blueberries sometime and I am sure it will be just as great. Thanks for another winning recipe.
I have put in a handful of blueberries twice when I made it (fourth of july cake) and that worked just fine 🙂
I have made this cake 3 or 4 times last summer and it was delicious and a BIG hit with guests. The question I have is- I have some buttermilk to use up- can i use that here instead of regular milk? I
Love, love this cake.
This is a keeper. I’ve made this several times for the family and it’s gone by the end of the night. I will try to change it up and use cranberries.
Hello Jennifer, The strawberry cake using cake flour turned out to be really good and was very pretty. I will however try this same recipe with all purpose flour and see if there is a significant difference in taste.
Can I use cake flour, rather than all purpose for this strawberry cake recipe?
Hi Brenda, Based on the weight of the strawberries, I think all purpose flour is better suited for this recipe. If you only have cake flour at home and feel strongly about using it, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. If you do make it with cake flour, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Can you make this ahead then freeze it?
Yes Sabrina, this should freeze nicely.
This cake is fantastic, so simple to prepare in no time at all. I made it twice over the memorial day weekend with no leftovers, my husband declared that I must make this cake all summer. The first time I made with no changes. The second time I added a little almond extract because that’s what’s you put in your outstanding strawberry muffins, added some chocolate chips and sprinkled the top with Sugar in the Raw instead of the white sugar. This is a keeper and have no choice but to make it often.