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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First time I made this with our most delicious strawberries! Turned out great and everyone just loved it. It’s a winner! I will make this often and might try to use other fruit. Thanks for this recipe. It’s awesome!
Just made this today for the first time and I’m so happy with the result – it is delicious! Even my picky husband loved it. It’s so easy and packed with strawberries – love it! It’s a great alternative to strawberry short cake.
This is my go-to recipe for our fresh
Strawberries. Easy, delicious and a show stopper. Thanks for the recipe-Can’t wait for June to come!
I have made this a number of times, and it’s always wonderful. A few times I’ve added some blueberries and that also turned out well.
Thank you for sending this recipe around again! I made it before, and happened to have some strawberries I needed to use up…so perfect timing! This is such an easy recipe and comes out perfect every time. I would call it strawberry “short” cake 😉 it is less cake and more like a biscuit, whatever you call it – call it delicious! It disappears quickly! I wonder if you could use pears or apples for a twist on a great basic recipe?
Hi Jenn, so I’m looking at this recipe and thinking about trying it but what’s confusing is your picture shows those fancy cut outs baked on the top of your pie but nowhere is it mentioned in the recipe and how to do that. Is that something that easily can be done? I don’t make a lot of pies but I have strawberries left over from entertaining last night and I don’t know what to do with them.
Hi Judy, the picture may be a bit deceiving as this is a cake and not a pie. The pattern you see on top is made by pushing strawberries into the top of the cake batter and what you’re seeing just forms naturally as the cake bakes around the strawberries. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy if you make it.
I have made this many times – it is my go to recipe for a quick dessert. Thank you so much – your recipes are the best!!
I was looking for an easy recipe with strawberries and simple ingredients, and this cake it is! I used frozen strawberries, added dried coconut flakes on top, and cut the sugar content by half (because I follow a low sugar diet) and it was really delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! I will be using it again and again. 🙂
I never comment on recipes, but my family loved this cake so much I wanted to thank you for it! It stayed moist and tasty for several days and my husband couldn’t get enough!
Thanks!
Traci
Hi! I made this cake so many times in the past and it’s simply amazing! I want to make it again today but I don’t have access to butter but to sunflower seeds oil only. Do you think I can substitute? 😕
Thank you!!
Hi Carla, Glad you like the cake! Unfortunately, sunflower seed oil won’t work here as you need something solid for cream with the sugar — sorry!