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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Comments
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Made this so many times. After dinner parties – people love it. Great way to use up berries.
When strawberries are not in season, could I use frozen berries? Thanks!
Yep – that’s fine – hope you enjoy!
Should the frozen strawberries be thawed or can I just throw them in still frozen?
Hi Sophie, they don’t need to be thawed prior to being used. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen, how can I prevent my strawberries from sinking? Sometimes they are just missing from the top! 😂
Hi Shannon, Sorry to hear you had a problem with the strawberries sinking. Did you use really large strawberries? If so, try cutting them smaller. Also, keep in mind that you will get a little sinking– the batter rises up a bit over the strawberries so they may kind of fall into pockets.
Could buttermilk be used in place of regular milk?
I don’t recommend replacing the milk with buttermilk, Cheryl – the acidity in the buttermilk may affect the leavening. Sorry!
The strawberries sank for me too. Not a strawberry in sight. The strawberries were small, so not too heavy. Could this be because I used margarine instead of butter?
Hi Joy, Yes, I think that could have an impact.
Baked the cake last night, it turned out nicely but a little dry. I bake it at 350 for 10 min and 325 for 35 min. More milk maybe?
Hi TS, sorry to hear this turned out a bit dry. Did you cut back on the butter or make any substitutions? When you measured the flour, did you spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge?
Hi Jen. No cut back in butter, but I did cut back in the sugar a little bit. I used a little more than 3/4 c. Spoon flour and level off like i always do. So I’m not sure what it is.
That’s a bit of a head-scratcher – While you didn’t cut it back drastically, using less sugar than a recipe calls for can impact the texture (as sugar does add some moisture). The only other thing that I can think of, although you baked it according to the recipe, is that perhaps it was a bit overbaked.
What do you suggest to add in place of the sugar that I wanted to cut back to keep the cake tender and moist? I will try again and cut back the baking time to see if that help as well. Thank you for helping me trouble shooting 🙂
Unfortunately, there’s really no good substitute for sugar here. I’d just cut back on the baking time and see if that does the trick. 🙂
I need for this cake to serve 12. Could I double the recipe and bake in a 13 x 9 pan?
Yes, that should work. The baking time may be a minute or two longer; just keep an eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
I made this cake for a potluck, it was a bit hit! Absolutely delicious, everyone wanted the recipe. Have you tried this using any different kinds of fruit such as blueberries or peaches?
Hi Sandra, Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve made it with both peaches and blueberries and they were both delicious.
I made this dessert last night, with a couple of mistakes: 1) I used a spring form pan instead of a pie plate, 2) I think I used the wrong size…. 3) Since my spring form pan was too big, the batter was too thin and so I had to make a second batter in a rush!! 4) I forgot to sprinkle the sugar on top 🙂
Was this a disaster in the making?
No! It was delicious and everyone loved it. I served it with vanilla ice cream, but it was just delicious on its own.
Thank you Jenn for all your recipes, I will make this one again for sure!
Tried this recipe twice. It was a hit with friends and family. Trying it out again today
I love this cake. I often make it during the summer when I want to include fresh fruit in a light (but substantional) dessert. This cake is simple to put together and the results are always delicious – not too sweet and just right with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top before baking. I can whip this up in no time which is always what I’m looking for when I have company. Dairy doesn’t agree with me so I sub orange juice for the milk and I find the results wonderful.
Hi Jenn! How deep does the pan have to be for this cake? Do you think a 9-inch ceramic tart/quiche pan would work? Thank you!
Hi Flo, it should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep, so if your quiche pan is that deep, it should fit the bill!