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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Jen, your recipes never disappoint – this was super quick and easy to throw together and the taste is simply fantastic! We just found our new favorite summer dessert 😊
The is the easiest, quickest, best strawberry cake I have ever made. Thank you for a wonderful summer recipe. It is delicious whether served warm or at room temperature.
Not great for inexperienced cook how much is a tablespoon of butter and what size cup is used with this??
Hi Karen, based on your email address, I see you like in the UK. I have metric/weight measurements that you will find easier to use. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
Delicious! Has this recipe been made in cupcake form? If so, how long in the oven and at the same temperature?
Hi Monica, I have a muffin recipe that’s very similar to this one — I’d suggest using that. Hope you enjoy!
This cake is so flavorful and delicate crumb! The first time I made it was in a glass deep dish pie plate and i didn’t plate it. This time, however, I used my Nordicware aluminum cake pan and it stuck so bad! It came out in crumbs. What did I do wrong?? Help
Hi Virginia, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this sticking to the cake pan! Did you treat it with butter or baking spray first? If you’d like to remove the cake from the pan to serve it, you may want to use a springform pan next time.
Cake was delicious. My strawberries were small so they stayed on top. Only baked for 45 minutes. A bit dry so next time I will include strawberries in the batter as well.
I love strawberry cake in general as well as many recipes on this site (the baked ziti is delicious!), but I’m sorry to say that I wouldn’t recommend this cake or make it again – I got a very strong sugar/sweet after taste from the 2 tbsp of sugar sprinkled on top and the cake itself tasted bland and a bit lacking when you didn’t get a bite with strawberry. Overall I felt the roasted strawberries were the yummy part but not what went with them/the rest of the cake.
Excellent strawberry cake! Thrilled with how easy it is to make, and the result is beautiful. This will replace my strawberry shortcake recipes that can be dry and biscuity. Made it twice in a week since it is fresh strawberry season with fresh whipped cream. Reminds me of some French fruit cake recipes. Second time around I packed more strawberries into the batter.
The absolute best strawberry cake recipe I’ve ever had.
Hi Jenn,
I would like to make this on Thursday for a Friday dinner. I have a 9.5″ glass Pyrex deep pie dish. Would that work with the temp and time you have in the recipe? I also have a 9″ springform pan…would that work better at the temp and times given?
Thanks so much! I love all of the receipes I’ve made so far!
Hi Rose, a 9.5-inch pie dish will work with no modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Just made this the other day and it was delightful! Would it still turn out okay if I mixed blueberries into the batter and then did the traditional strawberries on top?
Hi Margaret, so glad you enjoyed it! I wouldn’t recommend adding blueberries to the mix as the juices will make the cake too moist. Sorry!