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 cooling on my counter. Can I store it in the fridge, then let it come to room temperature to serve tomorrow?
Hi Donna, You can stick it in the fridge but it’s really not necessary – it keeps nicely for several days if stored on the counter.
I made this twice and it was easy and good enough. Maybe it was the way I mixed the batter, but the cake part didn’t cook evenly so some parts were done and some parts needed more time. It looks fabulous.
Really user friendly recipe that results in an awesome cake. Didn’t have any trouble with the strawberries falling through the batter.
I decided to bake this yesterday and I was wondering how it would turn out at high altitude. Well, it was wonderful! I would send a picture if I knew how! It’s definitely five stars and a cake I can make your after year. Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Elizabeth, I would love a photo! You can always email me directly at jennifer@onceuponachef.com. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I just made this beautiful cake. It was so easy to put together, and I’m waiting for it to come out of the oven. My only question is about high altitude baking. I live at 7,000 ft so I’m just going to wait and see. I added a little extra flour and let it Go! I’ll let you know when I get the results! It was really a nice, easy recipe for beginners to make.
This is really delicious! I would definitely recommend trying to squeeze in a full pound of strawberries; while the cake is delicious, the strawberries (if you have good ones) make it sublime. I used a 9″ springform with parchment lightly buttered both sides. 2 Tblsp. brown turbinado sugar on top. Bake time after turning down to 325 was about 50 minutes.
This recipe has a fairly substantial amount of baking powder, which can leave a metallic taste. So I’d recommend purchasing a “no aluminum added” baking powder (for all your baking).
Have made this cake every year for the last 4-5 years. It turned out best after the first year when I splurged and purchased a Red Emile Henry pie dish just like Jenn’s. Found if I don’t have enough strawberries to cover, filling in with blueberries and/or blackberries works. Its just two of us so I easily freeze half to enjoy later
This looks fantastic! I made strawberry rhubarb squares a few weeks ago for a very large family cookout and bought too many strawberries (but really, is it possible to have too many strawberries?) I hulled and froze them and though my smoothies are so good, I’d like to try a sweet to help use them up.
Would you recommend thawing them first to drain more of the liquid? Or just proceed to use them frozen?
Thank you!
Hi Tammy, you can add the strawberries without thawing them. Hope you enjoy!
I made this cake recently and it’s so easy and delicious! I cut back on the sugar to 1/2 cup but still mildly sweet! My husband loved it! Will make again!
Hi Jenn, Could you tell me whether the recipe temperatures are for a conventional oven or fan assisted? I’m just wondering if I need to reduce the given temperatures a bit for my fan assisted oven (I’m in the UK – most recipes here use conventional oven temperatures but that may not be the case in the US!). Many thanks
Hi Jo, all my recipes are developed using a conventional oven. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the cake!