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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Hi Jenn. I will have a house full of guests (15, yikes!) next weekend and want to prepare and freeze some things in advance. Would this strawberry cake do well after freezing or do you think the strawberries would be mushy? I’ve made this many times but it was devoured before I had a chance to put a slice in the freezer!
Thanks in advance and, btw, many of the items I am making next weekend are from your website. So, thank you!!!
I do think you could freeze this cake, Debbie – the berries might not look quite as pretty once defrosted but nothing a little powdered sugar can’t fix. 🙂
Easy to make and too easy to eat!
Can I ask if the measures are 1 & 1/2? (1-1/2) I don’t want to get it wrong. In the UK we use tablespoons and teaspoons!
That is correct, Hanna, it is 1 and 1/2 cups. Hope you enjoy!
Because I love this cake so much, I doubled the quantity as a trial run (no fruit or sugar on top) using a 21cm round cake tin. Beautiful! Sliced it into 2 layers – one with jam while the cake was still warm, then later put icing on the 2nd layer. Then iced the cake with a butter icing. Fabulous!
Wonderful cake, so easy to make and absolutely delicious. One of my all-time favorite recipes!
Can I make this into cupcakes? If so, how should I adjust the bake time and temperature?
Hi Serena, Instead of converting these to cupcakes, I’d recommend you use this recipe for strawberry muffins.
Ohh yes, I’ve made those before, they were amazing!
Fabulously moist cake. I also did the topping with drained morello cherries and added a little almond essence to the cake batter – delicious!
Wonderful strawberry cake! I decided to cut the strawberries in slices because they tend to fall to the bottom when baking and make holes in the cake.
I have been baking this elegantly simple strawberry cake once a week for several months now, at my mother’s request. She says she wakes many mornings dreaming of its fragrance wafting from the oven. It has become a fixture in our kitchen. I make exactly as written, only with the small addition of a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice in the batter and micro-planed lemon peel stirred in at the end. Wonderful with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Delicious cake! It looks great, too. I served with fresh whipped cream.
Just like the description – easy and delicious. I made it as written and it was moist and had a wonderful strawberry flavor. Next time, peaches! So, so good!