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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I had made this before but having no strawberries, I made this with frozen cherry berry mix. It was excellent – what a great versatile recipe! Thanks, Jen.
What is “the cup” converted into weight? The internet gives lots of variations.
Hi Rick, the weight of a cup of something varies based on the ingredient (like flour versus sugar), but this recipe has conversions to weight to reduce any ambiguity. To view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
WOW! I’m not considered a great baker, but thanks to Jenn’s pics and instructions I made this cake and it turned out just like the picture Jenn posted. I made it for mother-in-laws Birthday, and she was really impressed (and she is a great cook/baker). I served this with Jenns Baby spinach salad, and Roast Beef tenderloin (all 5 stars for this Birthday meal). When I make Jenn’s recipes, my husband says “this is better than restaurant food”. Thanks Jenn!
I’m trying this today for my husbands 82nd birthday. He wanted fresh strawberry cake and he was happy to find your recipe we’re calling a pie cake.
I just made this wonderful cake. It is a lovely cake to start the spring/summer. I made some home-made whipped cream as suggested and it complemented the cake so well. Thank you so much!
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
This strawberry cake was very delicious! The sugar on top of the cake was really good and I love this recipe so much I would want to try making this again. The strawberries got baked perfectly and my whole family enjoyed this cake.
Very nice cake! I’ve cut the berries to different sizes & I liked how they sank to different depth in the cake! 🙂 Will definitely make it again with other type of fruits as well! It tasted great the same day. Next 2 days it got more dense. It was still very yummy, but fresh is the best!
Would this work with coconut milk? Trying to do it dairy and nut free….
Hi Emily, I think coconut milk would work nicely here. Please let me know how it turns out!
Can we use frozen strawberries for this cake? If yes, should I thaw them first ? Thank you! Looking forward to making this!
Yes (and no need to thaw them first) Hope you enjoy!
I made this with strawberries and it was very good and then I made it with plums and it was just superb – one of my new all time favorites. I’ve made it 6 or so times in the past 2 months and every time there is not a crumb left and rave reviews. I’ve brought it to afternoon teas where there were 15 other cakes on the table and the plum version was finished first. Just love it! Very happy find. And I’m no great baker – it’s easy and consistent.