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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Absolutely delicious! Followed recipe exactly and everyone loved it. How should I store leftovers? Not sure if I refrigerate and cover. Also I baked the cake in glass Pyrex following your temperature settings but some mentioned reducing temperature. Is it necessary? Thanks Chris
Hi Chris, you can store it covered on the counter. And it’s not necessary to reduce the oven temp if you’re using glass unless you notice the edges start to brown. If so, you can reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. Glad you enjoyed it!
This cake was amazing. We are gluten free and it worked perfectly using Bob Red Mills 1:1 GF flour. We also always decrease sugar in recipes and halving the sugar (both in the cake and on top) still tasted fabulous. I did 1/4c white sugar and 1/4c coconut for the cake mix plus 1T white sugar on top. Will definitely make this again!
Can half and half be used if you don’t have milk on hand?
Sure, Chris, that should work. Enjoy!
LOVE this simple cake! I don’t always have milk on hand however. Do you think a non-dairy milk, eg, almond milk, would work?
Yep, that’s perfectly fine (and so glad you like the cake)! 🙂
Loved this recipe, along with all of the others I have tried! This cake is moist, delicious and fresh with the berries. A real winner!!
Do NOT bake this in a pie tin! I tried it and the batter overflowed when baking. The cake is delicious though.
Yes, the same happened to me. I use a springform now when I make it.
I saw that this recipe had 970 reviews for an overall full five star rating and I honestly wondered if bots were involved. They are not. This is the absolute best cake I’ve ever baked, and I bake a LOT. I used a 9.5″ pie dish and I dropped the oven temperature by 25 degrees, but that’s simply something you do when baking in Pyrex. I used Kerrygold butter and 2% milk and followed the recipe to the letter. This cake is light, fluffy, and incredibly moist, and its sweetness perfectly compliments the slight tang of the strawberries. The two tablespoons of sugar on top seems like a lot, but it makes a wonderful light “crust” on the top so I recommend using the full amount.
I have nothing to add. I usually have tweaks or corrections, but this recipe results in a cake that’s pure perfection exactly as written. My daughter thinks it is “the best cake ever” – even without chocolate. The reviews are deserved.
The only advice I can offer is to cut larger strawberries into quarters instead of halves so they don’t sink to the bottom. Local or hothouse smaller strawberries should be fine for cutting in half.
Hi Kat,
I also have glass Pyrex pie dish. You mentioned dropping temperature 25 degrees. Did you bake 325 for 20 minutes than 300 degrees for 1 hour?
Thanks,
Chris
This strawberry cake is delicious on it’s own. But, it’s super as a replacement base for strawberry shortcake when shortcake isn’t available. Great recipe!
Needed to use up some strawberries, made this for our weekly family brunch. It didn’t even make it to dessert – looked just like the photo and people wanted a slice to eat with their brunch food. Definitely will make it again. Possibly the highest compliment is from my 11 year old grandson who enjoys cooking but usually not a baker – he asked for the recipe to be printed to add to his personal cookbook of recipes he likes!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made the cake with fresh picked strawberries and my family is enjoying it.