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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While looking for a strawberry cake recipe for a birthday, this one popped up in my search. Although not a birthday cake in the traditional sense it caught my attention being so pretty and easy to make. So I jumped right in and made it about an hour ago! It came out exactly as described and pictured. Delicious! I look forward to making it with peaches and other berries! Thank you!
My cake texture and taste were “not right”. I used soy milk. light butter and turbino sugar. Has anyone else substituted ingredients and had an issue with the taste? Is this one is those recipes you can not skimp on fat?
Btw I’m sure I made many errors in this recipe and when followed it’s fabulous but I am lactose intolerant and on weight watchers. I was hopping to have a bit and share the rest but it doesn’t appear I can do that this time 🙂
Made exactly as written … turned out awesome.
Even though it is only 22 degrees here today & this is said to be a summer dessert I could not pass up the fresh strawberries on sale this week at our local grocery store. I followed directions to a tee adjusting my baking to second from the bottom rack in the oven, 350 for 10 minutes, 325 for 25 minutes in a 9″ round cake pan. It came out perfectly moist & delicious. Thank you for a wonderfully easy recipe!
Do you think I could use a spring form pan instead?
Sure, I think that would work. Enjoy!
I have made it now in a 9 inch spring form pan and a 9 inch square pan and both worked fine!
My two year old daughter wanted to make a strawberry cake for her dad’s birthday, so we made this one together. It was really easy to make and delicious!! She had so much fun helping! We will definitely be making it again, and I’m eager to try it with other fruits.
I’ve made this recipe at least 4 times. Great every time. I need to try this with different fruits. I bet it would be great with cranberries since it wont be as soggy. Dusted with cinnamon and sugar. thanks
Dear Jenn, I’ve been dying to make this recipe for some time. Now I just have some frozen strawberries I’d like to use. Is it possible to adapt the recipe? Also, can I use a square 8″ silicone mold?? Thanks for your marvelous recipes!!
Hi Dianka, You can use frozen recipes with no changes necessary. And I haven’t tried this in a silicone mold, but I think that should work. Just keep your eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
so good and SO easy for a quick dessert
Delicious and so easy to make. I made it a few times this summer with fresh strawberries and again recently with frozen strawberries and both turned out great.