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’ve made five of these in the last three weeks, all to rave reviews. My pie plate is yellow with scalloped edges, so the presentation is really nice. I can’t believe how moist the leftovers stay, even after two days. Yours is my favorite recipe site, and I appreciate all the comments you make as you go, since it answers the questions that arise as I follow your directions. Kudos!
Yours is my favorite recipe website.
❤️
I love this cake❤️
made this last night. absolutely totally wonderfully delicious. easy to make. I didn’t use a specific amount of strawberries; I just put enough to cover the top in a pretty pattern. I used a springform pan and it worked perfectly. i can see this doing equally well with blueberries, raspberries, even peaches, etc. will serve this to any guest proudly! keeper recipe!
Hi Jenn,
How many days in advance can the cake be prepared? I love all of your recipes and look forward to enjoying this one!
Hi Leslie, It keeps nicely for several days. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Thanks so much for your quick reply!! I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as much as I do all of your other recipes!
I have been wanting to make this cake for ages. Now that strawberries are in season I made it today. I used a square 8×8 pan. It turned out wonderfully. This is definitely in my personal cookbook now and I will be making it again.
Easy, delicious, and came out just like the picture!! I love this recipe, just went strawberry picking and wanted a new recipe to use up some of the berries. The crust that forms on the top with the sprinkled sugar is amazing. I will definitely be making this one again.
This was really easy to make, and it was perfect for the remainder of the strawberries from strawberry picking! I added in a few blueberries for color and to make up for a slightly smaller amount of strawberries. There were no leftovers!
I don’t have any unsalted butter. Can I use salted butter and omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt?
Hi Pam, If using salted butter, I’d cut the salt to 1/4 teaspoon instead of omitting it. Hope you enjoy!
I had a bumper crop of strawberries and was looking for some new ways to use them. This is simple and really delicious. Family loves it!
I made this cake today after reading several of the comments from people who had difficulty with the strawberries “sinking” so I cut the strawberries into quarters and arranged them in a lovely pattern that way. My cake turned out beautifully however I think I will try it with large fruit next time as it seemed as if there was too little fruit for the amount of cake. We do have extra strawberries so I will serve those with the cake when we have it next time. This is a very nice recipe; I did add about a half teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla just because I love almond and a bit of sparkling sugar on top along with the regular sugar. My husband loved it ~ he is a dessert lover!
Hi Jen-This cake is so awesome as is – I’ve made it many, many times!!However, I was wondering if I can use buttermilk instead of the regular milk? If so, are there any other adjustments to the recipe?? Thanks so much:)
ps-My apologies if you’ve already answered this type of question- There were too many reviews to comb through!!
Hi Ellen, Glad you like it! For the best results, I’d stick with regular milk here.