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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My husband and I just had a slice for dessert (actually he had two, lol!) and wow, it was so delicious! I used some Maine strawberries I recently picked, but other fruits would definitely be a great substitution, too, like blueberries or peaches. My one recommendation would be to watch the clock after reducing the temperature…mine didn’t take the extra hour, more like 45-50 minutes. Thanks!
My trial run before company turned out very well, so thank you once again for another lovely recipe .
Can I prepare the batter in advance in prep for a dinner party?
Best
Ruth
Glad you like it enough to serve at your dinner party! Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it.
I have never been disappointed with anything you’ve suggested, Jenn. This was superb. Definitely want to make it again. My sweetheart suggested halving the batter, slicing some strawberries very thin, and putting them in the middle. I might do that next time. How do I get that fabulous crunchy top all over…mine fell a tiny bit in the middle. Just an excellent recipe! THANK YOU! Susan in Philly
Hi Susan, so glad you enjoyed the cake! If it fell in the middle, it’s likely that it was a bit underbaked. Regarding the crunchy top, did you use the full amount of sugar sprinkled over the top? That caramelizes a bit in the oven creating a very subtle crunch.
Have you ever made this in a springform pan?
Hi L, I haven’t made it in a springform, but you can. Enjoy!
This very easy cake is so beautiful and so delicious. The summer strawberries are plentiful in my neck of the woods and I always seem to buy too many, so I’m on the lookout for recipes that use lots of strawberries. This cake is summer in a pie plate. The only change I made was to add a splash (1/4 teaspoon) of almond extract with the vanilla. The batter smelled like Christmas cookies and I loved the added almond flavor. We ate this for dessert and breakfast the next day. (And the next day and the next…) I will be saving this recipe to make again and again. Thank you!
I love this cake and have shared it several times…this morning I shared it with a friend who posted a great big bowl of fresh-picked strawberries. They looked so good! I don’t have strawberries at the moment, but I do have peaches! Just made this with sliced peaches and it is in the oven now!
I made this cake twice in two weeks! The first time I made three cakes in 8” cake pans because I had so many strawberries and the recipe was so simple! The second time was for Father’s Day. Served with freshly whipped cream. Absolutely delicious and will definitely make again!!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe it is awesome. Your step by step how to make it is very easy to follow. My Husband loves it, I find it is better the next day
Easy to prepare, excellent instructions and delicious. Thank you!
Hi Jenn –
I have been following you for ages, made many, many recipes and loved them all. This Strawberry Cake is extra amazing – especially as I’m not a fan of strawberries. But i made it for my strawberry loving granddaughter for her birthday. It smelled amazing while cooking and is just the right size for our small gathering. My granddaughter loved it, and so did I.
A few comments – I used Zulka sugar (which makes it difficult/impossible to make a fluffy cream with butter) but turned out just fine – and was especially good as the topping sugar.
I also used a convection oven – same temps, but cut the cooking time to 45 minutes.
Now for fruit substitution questions – will any stone fruit work? I haven’t seen a comment on plums. And if you use a stone fruit, I am assuming you would cut it slices and set in the batter – should you overlap the slices or just side by side?
Last question – new to rhubarb, and recipes I have seen, especially in combination with strawberries, is that the fruit is mixed together with sugar. Since this is sitting on the top of the batter, should the rhubarb be prepped in any way? e.g. boiled in sugar water? Size of chunks?
Thanks again for the recipe – will now be my go-to!
Hi Cynthia, so glad you like the recipes and had good luck with this one! If you’d like to use rhubarb in the cake, I’d use a combination of rhubarb and strawberries and cut the rhubarb into size similar to the strawberries. I don’t believe you need to make any changes (i.e. boil the rhubarb in sugar water), but I’ve never made the cake with rhubarb so it may take a bit of experimenting on your part. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it. 😊
Made today bc my strawberries were going to go bad if I didnt! But I want this for Friday! Can I freeze this cake? Will it still be good?
Sure, it freezes nicely!
Yes! Made this recipe, came out incredible…it was easy, fast prep…Hoping it tastes as awesome as it looks.. I added powdered sugar on top just to make it look more decadent lol wish I cud send attachment with pic!!