Fresh Strawberry Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
Sweet, a little rustic, and just right with a scoop of vanilla ice cream—this is the strawberry cake recipe you’ll come back to all season long.
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Strawberry cake: can this be frozen?
Hi Anne, Yes, I think it would freeze just fine.
Are you sure the strawberries won’t get mushy freeaing? I did use Italian Plums and it was delicious. Plan to make more of these cakes..Thank you
Hi Anne, They are already (pleasantly) mushy once baked, so it doesn’t make a big difference.
I made this cake for company as a breakfast coffee cake and everyone loved it. It was easy to make and I will definitely make it again and again. I’m thinking of trying frozen blueberries when fresh strawberries aren’t available.
Another home run. You and Ina Garten have made me look like a cooking goddess for family and friends. This says a lot as my family of foodies used to not let me in the kitchen! This cake is outstanding—thank you so much for your easy-to-follow, fresh, and stunning recipes. Trying this again with raspberries. You rock!
I loved this cake!!! It was AWESOME! and my toddler and mom thought so too. My mom came upstairs to the second floor to ask me what I had in the oven and can she have some? Mind you, my mom has always been the cook/baker of the family. I doubled the recipe and made (2) 9 inch round cakes. I’m vegan so I left out the egg and added 1/3 cup apple sauce and 1 teaspoon sour cream. I also added 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I also soaked the strawberries in Baileys Irish Rum Cream before placing them on top of the cake batter and sprinkling the sugar on the top. This was so so so good. And then I added more insult to injury (i.e. my hips) by whipping up some strawberry frosting using fresh strawberries. My son and I were licking the bowl literally. I need to make these into cupcakes. I was nervous about doubling the recipe but it turned out great. Thank you so much for this recipe Jenn. It was simply and easy. This is my new go to. I will try to adapt it and maybe do a strawberry shortcake like concoction.
On July 4th. we were served Strawberry Shortcake at a party. The enjoyment lingered and when I read Jenn’s posting of Strawberry cake, I had a gut level feeling that this was going to be my “from now on” tweaking of a shortcake recipe. Last night’s dessert (and this morning’s breakfast) hit paydirt. I have a new “go to” whipped cream to serve with fruit based desserts, and it paired stunningly with this cake…1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 3 tb. brown sugar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Combine and chill the ingredients well, and whip to desired peak.
Thank you Jenn for what you’ve shared
Cheers,
Jeff
Hi Jeff, Your buttermilk whipped cream sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
i altered the recipe a bit by using melted butter as i was using a whisk, this made my batter a lot thinner. I expected my strawberries to sink more because of this. However they all stayed at the top where i placed them.
I enjoyed making and eating this recipe and is now one of my favourites.
I have to get in on these reviews. I made this with a pound of sliced strawberries that had marinated with sugar for an hour and was blown away by the total deliciousness. I have made it twice and had to stop making it because I ended up eating it for breakfast, having some after lunch with my tea and then, dinner! I am from SC and I do plan to make it using peaches. The peaches from SC are like eating cake they are so good, but the ones you buy in the grocery store here in NY, not so much. Perfect for this cake and will let you know how it goes. I am so happy everyone loves this and had great results.
what type of sugar is used in this recipe? 🙂
Hi Fatma, It’s regular granulated sugar.
Thankyou 🙂 ill try the recipe out it looks amazing
This cake was easy to make and yummy. With strawberries ripening so quickly, this was a great way to use them. I overlapped the strawberries on the top (probably used over 1 lb). My husband had it warm with vanilla ice cream; I had it solo and loved it.
I made this for a July 4th gathering and it was huge hit! I followed the recipe as written and found it to be the “just right” amount of sweet. Worked great with a little side of ice cream. Thanks for the great recipe!