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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The title of this recipe says it all – it’s an easy and simple way to make use of the strawberries of the season, that just can’t go wrong! I’ve made this cake twice now and both times it’s turned out beautiful and delicious. My family really enjoy the berries, so I like to push them down into the batter as well as decorate on top, so that each piece is packed with fruit. This cake never lasts more than a couple of days!
I’ve made this cake so many times since I first found it last summer. It always comes out perfectly delicious and it’s such a nice alternative to strawberry shortcake.
Great results, especially considering how easy it is to make this cake. I cut the smaller strawberries in half and the larger ones in thirds. Some of them still sank, but the cake was still pretty. I wonder if tossing the berries in a little flour might help keep them afloat. I’ll definitely be making this again, and soon, as I don’t think anything will be left after 24 hours and there are only two of us! We didn’t have any any ice cream or whipped cream around, but I look forward to that addition next time. Thanks for an easy, delicious dessert recipe.
I’ve made this twice in the past week- once exactly as written and once doubled in a 9X13 glass dish as I saw others had done for a class party. Huge hit each time and many recipe requests. I made it with my four year old and she loved putting in the strawberries. This is very simply and easy but tastes much more complicated! Thanks so much Jenn for another winner!
I made this again last week for a family dinner. Delicious! I served it with a dollop of whipping cream and scattered some blueberries around the cake. It was an early spring treat and it looks so pretty!
I can hardly wait for strawberry season here in June/July because I’m going to make two at a time each time I make this cake and freeze one to enjoy later. I did this last year and it’s a wonderful dessert to have ready in the freezer for unexpected or expected company! Since my oven bakes on the hotter side, I find the cake is ready after 54 -55 minutes instead of an hour at the lower temp. This is one of my favourites – thanks!
I’ve made this recipe twice within the past month, it is sheer perfection! Such a perfect treat on a warm day, served with some homemade whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, delicious!! I love this recipe!
Hi,. Just made this with my kid’s. Delish. Would it work with apple chunks?
Hi Lorraine, Glad you enjoyed this! I actually have a very similar recipe that uses apples – you can find it here. 🙂
Made this for my husband’s birthday last week and it came out AMAZING!! Plus, it’s SO pretty!! The strawberries didn’t sink to the bottom even though they were pretty big.
This is the 3rd recipe I’ve made from your site and they’ve ALL been INCREDIBLE. Thank you, Jenn! I’m going to try your Chocolate Banana Bread today.
My family is ecstatic. Can’t say the same about my waistline 😉
LOL – glad you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂
I just made this cake today as dessert for our Australia Day BBQ 🙂 I used a mix of raspberries and blueberries on top and it smells divine! My only question was around the cooking times – I only needed to cook this for 40 mins and it was perfect – are the instructions for a fan forced oven? I am looking forward to serving this with freshly whipped cream tonight!
Hi Michaela, Wow, that’s surprising that it only took 40 minutes to bake! Did you reduce the temperature after the first 10 minutes of baking?
Hi Jenn, yes I sure did – I even used my new oven thermometer to make sure the temperatures were spot on. That’s why I thought maybe the fan force was the difference? Regardless, it was so yummy and I was complimented on it by all. I am currently making the plum version as we speak because my partner requested it!
Hi Jenn. I tried this cake and my kids and I loved it. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
My husband is vegan so can I substitute butter with vegetable oil? What can I use instead of egg and milk?
Glad your kids enjoyed this, Roula! I wouldn’t recommend oil here, but a few vegan readers have mentioned that they’ve used margarine, almond milk, and flax eggs, so you could certainly give it a try. (Please keep in mind that I’ve never tried it with these substitutions so I can’t guarantee the results.) Please let me know how it turns out if you try it! 🙂
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Thanks for your note. I’d suggest starting by using half whole wheat and half all-purpose to make sure you like the texture. If you do like it, the next time you make this, you can up the ratio of whole wheat to white a bit more. I’d love to hear how it turns out! Also, you may want to consider white whole wheat as it’s lighter and milder tasting than regular whole wheat flour (yet just as nutritious). Hope that helps!