Home » Dessert » Cake Recipes » Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Save and share!

A Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe makes the perfect light summer dessert! This fresh fruit dessert features moist, flavorful vanilla cake studded with fresh strawberries. With a topping of freshly whipped cream, this simple strawberry cake is the star of any summer picnic or potluck!
This recipe was originally featured on July 29, 2011 but was updated with fresh pictures and tips on May 21, 2019.
two slices of strawberry cake in front of cake

This fresh strawberry cake recipe is divine in every aspect.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe makes the perfect light summer dessert! This fresh fruit dessert features moist, flavorful vanilla cake studded with fresh strawberries. With a topping of freshly whipped cream, this strawberry cake is the star of any summer picnic or potluck!
two slices of strawberry cake in front of cake

The cake itself is moist, flavorful, and light, with the strawberries and fresh whipped cream adding the perfect amount of summer to it.

In a lot of ways, this simple strawberry cake reminds me of angel food cake (except not at all the same texture) – you can eat a ton of it and still feel the need to go back for more. It’s straight out of heaven.

lifting a piece of strawberry cake out of pie plate

I love having this cake for dessert, but it also is great as a mid-morning snack with a cup of coffee or in the afternoon with a mug of tea!

fresh strawberry cake batter before baking

How to make the fresh strawberry cake recipe:

This recipe is very simple to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it works. For the full set of directions and measurements, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below!

I love a good cake that only requires a few ingredients and a few minutes. This recipe takes advantage of fresh, seasonal strawberries and places them in a simple but delicious batter.

  1. Wash, hull, and quarter your strawberries, then set aside.
  2. Mix a simple but rich batter and place in a greased deep dish pie plate.
  3. Place your strawberries cut side down in a single layer and press the berries in as single of a layer as you can.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 and then reduce the temperature to 325 for an additional 60 minutes.
  5. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  6. Serve with fresh whipped cream.
freshly baked fresh strawberry cake with whipped cream

Can you freeze fresh strawberry cake?

This fresh strawberry cake recipe is very freezer friendly! To freeze, chill the cake, then wrap it with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 6 months. To serve, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator.

pie plate with strawberry cake with whipped cream on the side

How Kids can help you make this Simple Strawberry Cake Recipe

One of the best ways of getting kids interested in trying new foods is to have them help you make the meal! Here are some easy and age appropriate ways to get your kids in the kitchen with you to bake this cake:

  • Kids aged 1 to 3 can help you wash the strawberries and measure the ingredients.
  • Kids aged 4 to 6 can help do everything above plus help you grease the pie plate, hull and half the strawberries, crack and whisk the egg, mix the batter, and press the strawberries into the batter.
  • Kids aged 7 to 10+ can help you do everything above, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, and whip the whipped cream.

*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.

two slices of strawberry cake on plates next to cake in pan

Food tastes better when its shared! If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rate below! Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this post, please link to this post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thanks so much for supporting me! xoxo

two slices of strawberry cake in front of cake

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe makes the perfect light summer dessert! This fresh fruit dessert features moist, flavorful vanilla cake studded with fresh strawberries. With a topping of freshly whipped cream, this strawberry cake is the star of any summer picnic or potluck!
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 569kcal
Author: Jenni – The Gingered Whisk

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Cake:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp, plus extra for pie plate
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pound strawberries hulled and halved

For the Whipped Cream:

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Butter a 10-inch pie pan or a 9-inch deep dish pie pan (a regular 9-inch pan won’t work with all the batter, so if that’s all you have, just leave a bit of the batter out at the end).
  • Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
  • In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla until just combined.
  • Add the dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate, remembering to leave just a little bit of it out if your plate is a regular 9-inch size).
  • Arrange the strawberries, cut side down, on top of the batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Squish them in there if you have to!
  • Bake the cake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 325 F. and bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes more.
  • Remove pan from oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
  • Cut into wedges, plate, and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

To make fresh whipped cream:

  • Place the bowl and beaters into the freezer for 15-20 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will help the whipped cream to form faster.
  • In a large bowl, whip the cream and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until the cream is stiff and you can see the tread marks of the beaters in the cream.

Notes

  • This cake can be stored at room temperature for 2 days, loosely covered.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 311mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g

This Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Martha Stewart.

a slice of fresh strawberry cake on a plate with a fork, with cake in background

5 Comments

  1. Yum, so soft and juicy! I love the effect of the berries in cakes, must be delicious with a cup of tea!

    Thanks for sharing and happy #berrylove 😉

  2. Christine says:

    This cake is the best recipe to celebrate strawberry season – So moist and delicious!

  3. Oh, boy, was this a delicious dessert! I bought way too many strawberries and had to bake with some of them. My whole family loved this easy cake!!!

  4. So happy that it is strawberry season so I can make delicious recipes like this! This came out amazing we ate it up so fast!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.