Fresh Strawberry Cake
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A simple, beautiful cake that lets ripe berries shine—this strawberry cake is perfect for spring and summer baking.
This strawberry cake recipe was sent to me by Karen Tannenbaum, a longtime reader, avid baker, and all-around lovely person. In her note, she described a dinner that ended with this dessert as “just like a night in heaven.” I was sold. A few days later, I gave it a go—and it turned out to be one of the simplest, prettiest, and most delicious cakes I’ve ever made. The batter comes together in under 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, and it’s a great way to use up extra strawberries (even the ones that are a little past their prime).
This recipe originally ran in Martha Stewart Living back in June 2005, but I’ve made a few tweaks to make it even better. If you have extra strawberries on hand, be sure to also try my strawberry shortcake and strawberry muffins. You’ll be glad you did.
“The most requested cake I have ever made.”
Strawberry Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt: The base of the cake. The flour gives it structure, baking powder helps it rise, and the salt balances the sweetness. For best results, always measure flour using the spoon-and-level method.
- Unsalted butter and sugar: Creamed together, these create a light, fluffy base. The butter adds richness, and the sugar sweetens the batter and helps the top caramelize a bit as it bakes. A little sugar is also sprinkled over the strawberries before baking—it creates a pretty, slightly crisp topping.
- Egg and vanilla extract: The egg adds structure to the cake and binds everything together, while the vanilla adds that warm, bakery-style flavor.
- Milk: Thins the batter just enough to make it smooth and pourable (low-fat works just fine).
- Strawberries: Halved and arranged on top, they bake down into the cake and add sweet-tart bursts of flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. his step helps incorporate air into the batter, which gives the cake a lighter, more tender texture. Don’t rush it—give it a good 3 minutes or so.
Step 3: Add egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
Step 4: Finish the batter by adding wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. This keeps the batter smooth and helps everything incorporate evenly without overmixing.
As you can see, the finished batter will be quite thick—that’s exactly what you want, since the strawberries release a lot of moisture as they bake.
Step 5: Assemble the cake. Transfer the batter to a buttered 9-inch deep dish pie pan (or a 9-inch round cake pan) and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the strawberry halves on top, cut side down, covering as much of the surface as you can. They’ll sink slightly as the cake bakes. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining sugar. Don’t skip this step—it balances the tartness of the berries and creates a deliciously crisp, golden crust as the cake bakes.
Step 6: Bake. Bake the cake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and bake for about an hour more, until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack, then serve warm or at room temperature—plain, or topped with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Either way, it’s hard to stop at one slice!
The cake is best enjoyed fresh on the day it’s made, but it’ll keep nicely on the countertop for a few days, or you can freeze it for longer storage.
More Strawberry Recipes You Might Like
Fresh Strawberry Cake
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 + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (low-fat is fine)
- About ¾ lb strawberries, hulled and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9-in (23-cm) deep dish pie pan (or 9-in/23-cm 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 they completely cover the batter, using more or less as needed. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.
- Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C) 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.
- The cake can be stored at room temperature for several days, loosely covered.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Made this so many times. After dinner parties – people love it. Great way to use up berries.
When strawberries are not in season, could I use frozen berries? Thanks!
Yep – that’s fine – hope you enjoy!
Should the frozen strawberries be thawed or can I just throw them in still frozen?
Hi Sophie, they don’t need to be thawed prior to being used. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen, how can I prevent my strawberries from sinking? Sometimes they are just missing from the top! 😂
Hi Shannon, Sorry to hear you had a problem with the strawberries sinking. Did you use really large strawberries? If so, try cutting them smaller. Also, keep in mind that you will get a little sinking– the batter rises up a bit over the strawberries so they may kind of fall into pockets.
Could buttermilk be used in place of regular milk?
I don’t recommend replacing the milk with buttermilk, Cheryl – the acidity in the buttermilk may affect the leavening. Sorry!
The strawberries sank for me too. Not a strawberry in sight. The strawberries were small, so not too heavy. Could this be because I used margarine instead of butter?
Hi Joy, Yes, I think that could have an impact.
Baked the cake last night, it turned out nicely but a little dry. I bake it at 350 for 10 min and 325 for 35 min. More milk maybe?
Hi TS, sorry to hear this turned out a bit dry. Did you cut back on the butter or make any substitutions? When you measured the flour, did you spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge?
Hi Jen. No cut back in butter, but I did cut back in the sugar a little bit. I used a little more than 3/4 c. Spoon flour and level off like i always do. So I’m not sure what it is.
That’s a bit of a head-scratcher – While you didn’t cut it back drastically, using less sugar than a recipe calls for can impact the texture (as sugar does add some moisture). The only other thing that I can think of, although you baked it according to the recipe, is that perhaps it was a bit overbaked.
What do you suggest to add in place of the sugar that I wanted to cut back to keep the cake tender and moist? I will try again and cut back the baking time to see if that help as well. Thank you for helping me trouble shooting 🙂
Unfortunately, there’s really no good substitute for sugar here. I’d just cut back on the baking time and see if that does the trick. 🙂
I need for this cake to serve 12. Could I double the recipe and bake in a 13 x 9 pan?
Yes, that should work. The baking time may be a minute or two longer; just keep an eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
I made this cake for a potluck, it was a bit hit! Absolutely delicious, everyone wanted the recipe. Have you tried this using any different kinds of fruit such as blueberries or peaches?
Hi Sandra, Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve made it with both peaches and blueberries and they were both delicious.
I made this dessert last night, with a couple of mistakes: 1) I used a spring form pan instead of a pie plate, 2) I think I used the wrong size…. 3) Since my spring form pan was too big, the batter was too thin and so I had to make a second batter in a rush!! 4) I forgot to sprinkle the sugar on top 🙂
Was this a disaster in the making?
No! It was delicious and everyone loved it. I served it with vanilla ice cream, but it was just delicious on its own.
Thank you Jenn for all your recipes, I will make this one again for sure!
Tried this recipe twice. It was a hit with friends and family. Trying it out again today
I love this cake. I often make it during the summer when I want to include fresh fruit in a light (but substantional) dessert. This cake is simple to put together and the results are always delicious – not too sweet and just right with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top before baking. I can whip this up in no time which is always what I’m looking for when I have company. Dairy doesn’t agree with me so I sub orange juice for the milk and I find the results wonderful.
Hi Jenn! How deep does the pan have to be for this cake? Do you think a 9-inch ceramic tart/quiche pan would work? Thank you!
Hi Flo, it should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep, so if your quiche pan is that deep, it should fit the bill!