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 most recent recipe I’ve made from this site and of course, it did not fail and was delicious. I used up the remaining strawberries from the quart to make a conserve with tawny port. Servied that and whipped cream with the cake. Everyone loved it.
Just now marinading salmon in Thai Sweet Chili from this site, to have for dinner. I’ll let you know how it turned out. I’m confident it will be good as every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been good. Thanks Jenn!
Absolutely LOVED this cake! The tastiest ever! I have an abundance of freshly picked raspberries and I’m wondering if they would work in this cake??
Glad you liked it! Yes, this should work with raspberries. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I made this cake in a 9″ springform pan, and it actually took less time (about 54 mins.) to bake beautifully. I don’t go by time, but by look and feel. I also decreased the sugar topping to 1TB.
I will dust with a little powdered sugar before serving with whipped cream. Thank you for a nice summer recipe.
Truly a delicious cake and I’ve now made it and gifted it for a third time in less than a week. A perfect recipe for strawberries in season. Thanks!
Can you make this recipe as cupcakes?
Sure, Debbie – that will work. Please LMK how they turn out.
Made it and LOVED it. I added a bit of lemon zest to the dough. I like a little lemon flavor with my strawberries. Super easy and came out great!
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious! Worth baking in the oven even though it is almost 100 degrees heat in the kitchen!
Can you freeze this cake?
Yes, it freezes nicely!
My family LOVES this recipe. It has been easy to adapt to make it healthier so we can eat more of it, and it’s been amazing every time. I’ve halved the sugar, substituted almond flour and/or cornmeal for much of the white flour, substituted Greek yogurt for the milk, 1.5x or doubled it, doubled the strawberries, added lemon zest, baked it in a Bundt pan…and it’s always devoured within 24 hours. It is our favourite use of this season’s strawberry bounty and I bet I’ll next be trying it with raspberries and blueberries!
Hi Erin, I have made this recipe several times for different occasions. Each time was a hit. Im gluten free so substituted the flour. Also used almond milk
and coconut sugar Thank you.
Hi Erin, How did you layer it within the bundt pan? TIA
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It is one of our favorites and so easy to prepare. I recently made this for a family gathering using Bob’s Red Mill baking flour to accommodate my gluten-free sister-in-law and it was just as delicious. Looking forward to trying your Rustic French Apple Tart next.
I have no idea how long this cake tastes fresh because I made 2 within 24 hours and they both disappeared with a request to make another. Strawberries this year were particularly sweet. I had some leftover strawberries after making jam and found this simple recipe and it was a real winner with the entire family. Who knew! Thank you for coming up with the next apparent wonder of the world.