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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This is the most recent recipe I’ve made from this site and of course, it did not fail and was delicious. I used up the remaining strawberries from the quart to make a conserve with tawny port. Servied that and whipped cream with the cake. Everyone loved it.
Just now marinading salmon in Thai Sweet Chili from this site, to have for dinner. I’ll let you know how it turned out. I’m confident it will be good as every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been good. Thanks Jenn!
Absolutely LOVED this cake! The tastiest ever! I have an abundance of freshly picked raspberries and I’m wondering if they would work in this cake??
Glad you liked it! Yes, this should work with raspberries. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I made this cake in a 9″ springform pan, and it actually took less time (about 54 mins.) to bake beautifully. I don’t go by time, but by look and feel. I also decreased the sugar topping to 1TB.
I will dust with a little powdered sugar before serving with whipped cream. Thank you for a nice summer recipe.
Truly a delicious cake and I’ve now made it and gifted it for a third time in less than a week. A perfect recipe for strawberries in season. Thanks!
Can you make this recipe as cupcakes?
Sure, Debbie – that will work. Please LMK how they turn out.
Made it and LOVED it. I added a bit of lemon zest to the dough. I like a little lemon flavor with my strawberries. Super easy and came out great!
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious! Worth baking in the oven even though it is almost 100 degrees heat in the kitchen!
Can you freeze this cake?
Yes, it freezes nicely!
My family LOVES this recipe. It has been easy to adapt to make it healthier so we can eat more of it, and it’s been amazing every time. I’ve halved the sugar, substituted almond flour and/or cornmeal for much of the white flour, substituted Greek yogurt for the milk, 1.5x or doubled it, doubled the strawberries, added lemon zest, baked it in a Bundt pan…and it’s always devoured within 24 hours. It is our favourite use of this season’s strawberry bounty and I bet I’ll next be trying it with raspberries and blueberries!
Hi Erin, I have made this recipe several times for different occasions. Each time was a hit. Im gluten free so substituted the flour. Also used almond milk
and coconut sugar Thank you.
Hi Erin, How did you layer it within the bundt pan? TIA
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It is one of our favorites and so easy to prepare. I recently made this for a family gathering using Bob’s Red Mill baking flour to accommodate my gluten-free sister-in-law and it was just as delicious. Looking forward to trying your Rustic French Apple Tart next.
I have no idea how long this cake tastes fresh because I made 2 within 24 hours and they both disappeared with a request to make another. Strawberries this year were particularly sweet. I had some leftover strawberries after making jam and found this simple recipe and it was a real winner with the entire family. Who knew! Thank you for coming up with the next apparent wonder of the world.