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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Absolutely delicious. The cake was super tender and soft, the flavor of strawberry was unreal! I will make this again. Very easy. Served with ice cream. Don’t change a thing!
Super delicious
What other types of pans/sizes would this recipe do well in? I do not have a pie dish.
Thank you
Hi Gail, you can use a 9-inch square or round cake pan. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jennifer,
Does the cake need to be refrigerated or can it stay out? I made the cake for Monday night family dinner, 2 days away and wanted to check to see if I should refrigerate.
I will send review after I get feedback from family.
Thank you.
Donna
Hi Donna, you can store it on the counter. It keeps nicely for several days. Hope everyone enjoyed!
Absolutely delicious! I like it warm with some cream. I reduced the sugar in the sponge to 150g and it still seemed a bit on the sweet side to me. The texture at 150g seemed to be unaffected, it was like a light sponge cake/ pudding. The strawberries did sink right in to the sponge actually so visually maybe not as appealing, but as I say still really very good!
I really enjoyed this cake! Very simple to make. Required about 15 min less time than the recipe called for. Just kept checking on the level of brownness on the top, and for a toothpick to come out clean. I appreciate the step-by-step pictures included in the recipes — very helpful!
I followed this recipe exactly as it is written. It was absolutely perfect. My family devoured it hot out of the oven. The flavor was perfect – a sweet but mild vanilla cake with juicy, fruity berries. I would recommend checking the cake a few times as mine needed ~15 minutes less cooking time than it called for. This will remain in my rotation of perfect recipes. Thank you Jennifer!
I made this cake with great anticipation, using some lovely organic strawberries, and brought it with a flourish to a safely-distant, outside gathering. The strawberries were still good but the cake was so stodgy. And dense and heavy. I thought I’d followed the recipe exactly. What did I do wrong?
Hi Beverley, Sorry you had a problem with this! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
This strawberry cake is simply amazing! My family is absolutely in love with it.
Hello Jen,
Thank you for this recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am sure it will be delicious (the somewhat similar plum cake certainly is). However, I think the metric equivalent of 450g for 3/4 lb. strawberries is incorrect. I occasionally go to metric equivalents because I have a hard time measuring butter in tablespoons. It is very helpful. As far as I can tell the measurements are usually correct, which is why I was surprised. I hope you don’t mind me questioning it.
You’re right, Anne — thanks so much for pointing that out — it takes a village!! I’ve just updated it; hope you enjoy the cake if you make it! 🙂
I was so pleasantly surprised by this cake!!! It is delish!! I might try a little less sugar the next time but I mean if you’re going to eat cake, eat cake! 🙂