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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This was deeelish! I only had about 2 tbs of butter so I substituted with coconut oil and it turned out so great! Also used a mix of organic cane sugar and organic brown sugar and was just fine. Oh, and I used frozen strawberries and didn’t mind them at all.
Very delicious and easy recipe. I have made it several times also alternating between strawberries and blueberries. Stays moist for many days!
Hi Mary, did you use the same amount of sugar for the blueberries as you did for the strawberries?
I made this for my husband’s birthday which was in July with strawberries from the farmers market. Strawberries were bursting with flavor.And as most of your recipes turn out , this recipe also was an absolute success. I also had my Aunts and Uncle visiting me from India during that time and they loved it so much that they wanted to take them to India.Awesome recipe.
I love this cake so much that I made 3 times on the same week just to have people taste it. It was a total success and everyone loved it. Also, I shared your link to about 10 people who asked for it.
One of my favorite thing about the cake is its simplicity and amazing flavor, I call it my happy cake 🙂
I like that name 🙂
So simple to make
I made this with mixed berries, and everyone loved it. It is a really nice, simple, summer cake. Serve with or without ice cream.
This is the best…moist cake and strawberries! So simple to make and beautifully studded with fruit. Didn’t change a thing, but may use the cake again with other fruit. Thanks, Jenn!
This is a beautiful cake, but a bit thick and dry. Although it’s a very tasty cake, it’s a little on the dry side, people kept asking for a glass of milk.
Hi Erika! Did you spoon/level the flour rather than “scooping” the cup? It is an extremely thick batter, but none I’ve made have been dry. I always add a good dollop of sour cream or yogurt to every cake recipe, which safeguards against a dry cake. I don’t measure, but I’d say I use about 1/3 C in this one. This recipe is really worth trying again, I promise!
Hi Jenn,
This cake looks delicious. I just finished making the Asian slaw with ginger-peanut dressing…yum! Can I use skim milk in this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Ruthie, Yes skim milk will work 🙂
As always, delicious! I used cake flour and reduced the sugar, as I also used fresh cherries in lieu of strawberries.. turned out a treat. Of course with the cherries being more dense, some submerged in the cake, which just gave it a burst of juicy flavour!
I do have a question however, I was thinking that this would be a delightful cake for rhubarb. Do you think that chopped rhubarb folded into the cake would work, and if so, how much would you recommend?
Thanks again for yet another mouth watering recipe!
Hi Caroline, I do think rhubarb would be good, but I’d probably mix it with strawberries, otherwise the cake might be a little too tart. I would use the same amount of fruit but substitute half of the strawberries with rhubarb. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.