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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So easy and so good, a new family favorite! Really liked it as is topped with whip cream.. but next time, just because it reminded me of strawberry shortcake, I want to skip sprinkling with sugar so that I can top with additional sliced strawberries mixed with a little sugar (like for strawberry shortcake), and then top with whip cream!
Yum 🙂
This is by far my favorite go-to summer dessert recipe! The only changes I’ve made is to add as many strawberries as will fit and to sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the top before serving–makes for a lovely presentation. We love it just as it is and don’t add either whipped cream or ice cream.
Great recipe! the first time i made it, it was a touch dry, so I baked it for a little shorter than recommended (~50 minutes) the second time. I also have made it with half strawberries and half peaches and it was a hit. Very easy and straightforward instructions, but my friends and family were VERY impressed 🙂 This recipe is a keeper!
I got a coupon for a free pound of strawberries and wanted something new to do with them. Since finding this blog, it’s always my first stop when looking for new recipes and this sounded simple and I had all the ingredients on hand. The batter gave my thirty something year old hand mixer a real workout but it got the job done.
I ended up baking the cake longer than instructed because the toothpick test kept coming up wet. After the cooling period we cut a slice and found it to be tasty but a bit dry which was my fault for over baking it. I put the rest in the refrigerator, then the next day I cut a slice and it had improved. The day after that it was even better.
Thanks Jenn, this recipe is a keeper!
Hi Jenn
This looks amazing but just need to check, is it Caster sugar or thick granulated sugar? And the over temp 175 is this fan assisted
Hi Leena, you need regular granulated sugar here, not caster sugar, and the baking temp is without the fan. Hope you enjoy!
Totally loved this delicious strawberry cake. Fun to make and tastes utterly delicious. This will be going on my favourite cake list to be made again and again….and will make it for special occasions too. It’s a fantastic recipe! Love it!!
Hello, Jenn, My cake was too crumbly. What did I do wrong? Also it took only 50 min to bake in my oven. Thank you in advance.
Hi Elina, I’m sorry to hear that the cake didn’t turn out quite right. Did you cut back on the butter or make any substitutions? Also, it sounds like your oven might run a bit hot.
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for your answer. I used 6 tablespoons of butter as in recipe, but instead of baking powder I used baking soda. Could it be the issue?
Thank you.
Hi Elina, Yes, that’s likely the cause. Unfortunately, baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable in recipes.
Super easy, and delicious. Don’t wait for
a special occasion to make it. Any soft fruit or berry works well.
This is a very lovely cake. It is simple to make, with few ingredients, and it has a comforting kind of homey feel to it. I made it yesterday for the first time and because there’s only one piece left, I will make it again today so we can all have another piece!
Hi Jenn,
Just got some local peaches and would love to try your yummy strawberry cake with them. I do not have a scale, so would one cup of sliced peaches be the right amount to use?
Thank you, Marion
Hi Marion, I think you’ll need more than one cup; I would just place them over the batter until the cake is mostly covered (like in the photo), and that should be the right amount. This plum cake recipe is almost identical and might be helpful.