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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This is the first recipe I’ve tried from this site, and it is probably my favorite home baked cake of all time. Followed the instructions exactly and ended up with a perfect summery cake. Worked fine with King Arthur flour. I think it may have been benefitted by the quality of limited edition strawberries I picked up from Central Market. The 2 tbls of sugar seems like a lot when you’re pouring it onto the strawberries, but they really do need that much. This is one I’ll make several times this summer. Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
I have been using many of your recipes for my son and husband and all have been a success. I tried the strawberry cake for my nieces and it tasted good; however aside from the strawberries getting overlapped by the batter, does the type of pan make a difference in the sinking of the strawberries? I used a square pan. I did have a cake pan but since a deep dish pie pan was used in the recipe, I was a bit unsure.
Thanks!
Hi Nabeela, It would only make a difference if you used a different size pan than what was called for (the shape though does not matter). Hope that helps!
My question: I am really excited to try this recipe! I have a family member who does not eat eggs -any suggestions for a substitution for the egg in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Kathy, I don’t have any experience with egg substitutes but here’s a good link with options: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-vegan-substitutes-for-eggs-in-baking-tips-from-the-kitchn-136591. Please let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve used vinegar and baking soda in other recipes with great success. Looking forward to trying it with this recipe!
Hi Jenn,
Do you think I could substitute the strawberries with mango? Thanks, I am not sure if that would be wierd.
Hi Leah, Yes, I think that would work.
Will the cake’s consistency be affected if I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cups instead? Because I’m baking for a friend whose son has ADHD. And I’m using a regular round 9″ cake tin, how should I adjust time temperature and bake time?
Hi Camellia, You can reduce the sugar but the cake might taste a bit too tart. Cook time and temp will be about the same.
Hi! I tried with reduced sugar and the cake tasted just as great! I am wondering if I can adjust the recipe to 1 1/2 portion. Just to make the cake thicker? How should I adjust the time and temp?
Hi Camellia, Cook time and temp will be about the same. Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi Jenn! I just tried baking 1.5 portion for this lovely cake! I used only 1 cup of sugar for this attempt and baked an additional 10 mins at 160°C. The cake is pretty well done, a bit too soft/moist in the middle. But overall, the feedback was great!
Love this cake, I’ve made it a few times. I’d like to bring to a picnic in a few weeks. I need to double it, and would like to cut into squares to serve. What are your suggestions for pan size and cooking time?
Thanks, love your recipes!
Hi Bronwyn, Glad you are enjoying the recipes! I would use a 9×13-inch pan; cook time should be about the same, maybe a touch longer.
This cake is so easy and a WOW at parties. Great for Brunches. Very refreshing and lite…perfect summer cake. I buy strawberries at Costco and when I notice we are not eating them fast enough I always make this cake!
very good and very delicious recipe and easy to make I use brown rice flour instead white flour it turn out very good.
Hi Jenn – I’ve made the Simple Summer Strawberry Cake twice now. It’s so easy and delicious. However, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong as both times, the strawberries sank to the bottom and doesn’t look like the one you have on the picture? Any suggestions on how I could make it look like yours? Thank you!
Hi Shirley, Are you by chance using really large strawberries? If so, try cutting them smaller.
so easy and so super yummy! Thank you!