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
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
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- 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.
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Comments
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This was deeelish! I only had about 2 tbs of butter so I substituted with coconut oil and it turned out so great! Also used a mix of organic cane sugar and organic brown sugar and was just fine. Oh, and I used frozen strawberries and didn’t mind them at all.
Very delicious and easy recipe. I have made it several times also alternating between strawberries and blueberries. Stays moist for many days!
Hi Mary, did you use the same amount of sugar for the blueberries as you did for the strawberries?
I made this for my husband’s birthday which was in July with strawberries from the farmers market. Strawberries were bursting with flavor.And as most of your recipes turn out , this recipe also was an absolute success. I also had my Aunts and Uncle visiting me from India during that time and they loved it so much that they wanted to take them to India.Awesome recipe.
I love this cake so much that I made 3 times on the same week just to have people taste it. It was a total success and everyone loved it. Also, I shared your link to about 10 people who asked for it.
One of my favorite thing about the cake is its simplicity and amazing flavor, I call it my happy cake 🙂
I like that name 🙂
So simple to make
I made this with mixed berries, and everyone loved it. It is a really nice, simple, summer cake. Serve with or without ice cream.
This is the best…moist cake and strawberries! So simple to make and beautifully studded with fruit. Didn’t change a thing, but may use the cake again with other fruit. Thanks, Jenn!
This is a beautiful cake, but a bit thick and dry. Although it’s a very tasty cake, it’s a little on the dry side, people kept asking for a glass of milk.
Hi Erika! Did you spoon/level the flour rather than “scooping” the cup? It is an extremely thick batter, but none I’ve made have been dry. I always add a good dollop of sour cream or yogurt to every cake recipe, which safeguards against a dry cake. I don’t measure, but I’d say I use about 1/3 C in this one. This recipe is really worth trying again, I promise!
Hi Jenn,
This cake looks delicious. I just finished making the Asian slaw with ginger-peanut dressing…yum! Can I use skim milk in this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Ruthie, Yes skim milk will work 🙂
As always, delicious! I used cake flour and reduced the sugar, as I also used fresh cherries in lieu of strawberries.. turned out a treat. Of course with the cherries being more dense, some submerged in the cake, which just gave it a burst of juicy flavour!
I do have a question however, I was thinking that this would be a delightful cake for rhubarb. Do you think that chopped rhubarb folded into the cake would work, and if so, how much would you recommend?
Thanks again for yet another mouth watering recipe!
Hi Caroline, I do think rhubarb would be good, but I’d probably mix it with strawberries, otherwise the cake might be a little too tart. I would use the same amount of fruit but substitute half of the strawberries with rhubarb. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.