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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I made this today and it was fantastic. My only complaint is that it didn’t serve 8-10 as you suggested – more like 5-6 because we all had seconds right away! 🙂
Thanks for all of your great recipes, Jenn!
Fantastic! Made this for company recently and it was a huge it. I served it with vanilla ice cream and made a warm blueberry sauce. I actually made it in a 9 inch round with parchment lining the bottom. I really loaded it up with fresh strawberries. It smelled so incredible as it was baking. I waited 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven, flipped it to a plate and then flipped it right back over so it was right side up. Cooled it and froze it for 2 weeks. Came out smelling as good as it did going in. So moist. Incredible.
The cake reminded me of a European Plum Cake, or really just a great European pastry–like something you’d get in Vienna or Budapest, etc. So simple to make but so complex in flavor and so incredibly moist. Lots of caramel and vanilla notes. The bites of just the vanilla cake are as good as the bites with the strawberries. This cake was so good, I really think the ice cream and blueberry sauce were not necessary and likely will not serve it that way again. My husband raved about it for days and is still raving. I think it’s one of his new favorite desserts, which since it’s not chocolate, is saying something. Our guests wanted to take a piece home. Also great b/c it’s not too sweet. Another perfect recipe, Jenn!
My family, friends and I have looooved this cake!! I’ve made it at home twice and brought it to a BBQ and a bridal shower. My dad is gluten-free and it’s been a little tough to find a cake that is gluten-free without being grainy, but I’ve baked this with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and it’s Perfect! It’s now my dad’s favorite cake, which says a lot given that he usually only likes chocolate cake & isn’t the biggest fan of strawberries. I’ve just come back to grab the recipe to make for Father’s Day dessert!
Perfect size cake. I baked the cake plain in a loaf pan to use for strawberry shortcake. I had fresh strawberries and rhubarb to use up and made a simple compote to serve over slices of the cake. It was perfect.
Hi! Your recipes are always a hit! I just baked this according to your directions and I’m wondering why my strawberries sank, or caved into the cake about 30 min AFTER I took it out of the oven? Tastes great just not as pretty as when i first took it out of the oven. Thoughts? (I want to make it again on Sunday for Fathers Day)
Hi Evelyn, glad you like the recipes! Strange that the strawberry sank after you removed the cake from the oven. Were they pretty large strawberries? Next time, I’d cut them just a bit smaller. (And keep in mind that it’s normal for them to sink a bit.)
Can you add some strawberries to the cake mix and then top with the halved berries? If so do I need to increase the baking time? Looking forward to baking this cake.
Hi Diana, I don’t really think it’s necessary to add strawberries to the batter because some of them already sink down into the cake as is. That said, you can add some of the strawberries to the batter and put the remaining ones on top, but I wouldn’t add more strawberries than with the recipe calls for. Also, to help avoid them from sinking I would dice the ones (that you’d like to put in the batter) a bit smaller. Baking time would remain the same. Hope you enjoy!
Made this for dinner yesterday. AMAZING! Took your advice and added a few berries chopped about 1/2 inch. My family of boys devoured the whole cake. Will definitely make again! Thanks Jenn for an amazing recipe.
Glad it worked out! 🙂
I plan on using almond milk which I read can work. Do you think any of the flour substitutes would work? Like almond flour? Thanks, Louann
Hi Louann, Unfortunately, I don’t think almond flour would work here — sorry!
It was so delicous that I ate a quarter of it just after baking 😋😋
LOL – glad you liked it!
What a great strawberry dessert…my family loved it! Made this with your spaghetti with meatballs, rosemary focaccia , Italian Salad. Delicious Sunday Dinner. Thanks Jenn for sharing your delicious, thoughtful recipes.
So excited to make this tomorrow! I’m really tempted to sub with almond extract since it was such a great way to make the NYT Plum Torte, but by the looks of the reviews- no adjustments need/should be made cause it’s that good haha
This cake was excellent! Moist, delicious, quick and easy!! Will become our go to cake. My husband who is not a fruit in your cake kinda guy LOVED IT! As did everyone else who was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of having a piece…Thank you for this, and for all your delicious recipes. I often find our dinners filled with recipes from your site!
😊
I have frozen strawberries—not commercially frozen just a surplus of some just picked berries. Can I use these and if so, do I have to make adjustments to the recipe? Thank you.
Hi Susan, you can use frozen recipes here with no adjustments. Hope you enjoy!