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 Jen,
I love your recipes. Always successful and delicious!!
In your Strawberry Cake is it possible to use frozen strawberries (that I picked and froze) or would they be too watery? If not in this recipe which recipe would you recommend for these wonderful flavourful strawberries?
Thank you so much for your inspiration and advice.
Hi Gayle, It’s perfectly fine to use frozen strawberries for this cake. Hope you enjoy (and glad you like the recipes)!
This cake is terrific! I’ve wanted to try it for a long time… once I finally did, I’ve made one every week since;) I’ve made it with just strawberries and a strawberry/blueberry combination, we loooved them both! Tastes so good warm with vanilla ice cream… Next time I’d like to try it with your no churn cheesecake ice cream from your book! Thanks for another winner!
This cake was just ok – kind of boring and bland really. Topping it with ice cream made it a decent dessert, but wouldn’t make again. There are much better desserts out there.
you neglect to say how much of the sugar you set aside for the topping – is it part of the 1/12 cups sugar or is there additional sugar. want to bake this tomorrow but need help
Hi Pat, the recipe calls for 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar. One cup goes into the batter and the remaining 2 tablespoons are sprinkled on top. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
Hey Jenn,
I used this with fresh strawberries a month ago and it was fantastic! If I decide to use frozen strawberries do I need to let them thaw out first or not? Please advise when you have a chance.
Glad you liked it! No need to thaw frozen strawberries.
Hi Jenn,
I tried this cake today and it came out delish! My son is celiac so I made it gluten-free with 1 cup gf four and 1/4 +1/4 cup of coconut flour and almond meal. I am so happy I found this quick, yummy and very forgiving recipe. Thanks for sharing it!!
I’ve made this cake quite a few times now, and it is delicious!
Yesterday I picked some rhubarb from the garden. As there wasn’t quite enough for a crumble I decided to make this cake using the rhubarb instead of strawberries.
It was absolutely beautiful!
I think my next experiment might involve strawberries AND rhubarb 😋😋😋
Just as you said: This is so simple, so easy, and SO delicious!! I frequently bake different things for my family and this one has been hands down among their favourites.
This is a wonderful treat–simply delicious–loved the texture and the flavor! I suggest placing a little foil or a pan under your pie dish to keep your oven clean 🙂 It gets juicy while it cooks, but it settles perfectly as it cools.
Today I’m trying this recipe with beautiful Michigan cherries and blueberries, and I’m sure it will be huge hit! Thank you for the great recipe, Jenn!
It’s good, but 1 hour is not enough, last time I baked it 80 min, and it was still wet near strawberries. Any advice?
Hi Marta, because of the juice that the fruit releases, it’s normal for the cake to be a little wetter near the berries (so it sounds like you didn’t do anything wrong).
Thank You for this fantastic recipe – I used soft dark brown sugar and egg replacer – such a simple recipe but what a success! Totally delicious, moist and the strawberries are almost jam-like. Definitely one to try with different fruits as well. 😊
Super yummy. I added some strawberry chunks in the batter. still nice in texture👍👍👍