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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Do you think this cake could be frozen? I have strawberries I need to use up. Thanks!
Yes, it freezes nicely. 😊
I’m new to baking and planning to give this a try as it looks divine. The instructions say to use 9 inch deep pie dish, but the picture doesn’t seem that the pie dish is 9 inch deep? Could someone clarify? Thanks.
Hi Lisa, the 9 inches refers to the diameter of the pan at the top, not its depth. The depth of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan is between 1.25 to 1.5 inches. Hope that clarifies!
Made this today for our Father’s Day dessert. Not too heavy, just right! I can’t wait to make this again!
Beautiful and simple. The hardest part was waiting for it to bake. I used a 9 inch square cake pan, no worry related to over-flow. Will definitely make again !
I’ve made this several times and loved it. But, now our local strawberry season is over and I’m overrun with peaches. Have you tried this recipe with peaches?
Glad you’ve enjoyed it! And, yes, it also works nicely with peaches.
Thank You!
This cake was delicious and one that my grandkids now want in rotation when I’m bringing dessert which is every time there is a family gathering! The only thing I changed was to use less sugar when sprinkling on top.
This is a wonderful cake! I made it as written and had many compliments. A word of caution is to be sure your pan is deep enough. I thought I was using a 9 inch deep dish pie pan, but it was a little too full, and overflowed a bit during baking. I was able to trim the edges and it looked fine. I also added a few sliced almonds on top before baking, which gave it a nice crunch.
Another winner! Your recipes never disappoint! I brought the strawberry cake to a dinner party and everyone had seconds. Such a moist and flavorful cake. This cake will be my go to from now on!
Thank you Jenn!
This cake is so sweet in a scalloped pan. I add xtra vanilla and 1/4 tsp almond extract
I used raspberries
Love the sugar crunch on top
I plan on trying a variety of fruit
Your recipes never disappoint
Thank you Jenn
I rarely leave comments, but we were so thrilled with the quality of this cake, I felt I had to. It’s simply a divine flavorful, moist cake that is so easy with such common ingredients. No cake mixes or drops of red dye to make pink icing just rustic, French country perfection. It is replacing the fruit cake I’ve been making for years from the Silver Palette Cookbook. Thanks for upping my game!
Such an excellent cake- everyone raved. Served with whipped cream and it was perfect.
You know you have a winner when you get a text from the 21 year-old in their bedroom giving you five stars and asking if there’s more!!!! I am definitely making this again with peaches and with blueberries. I used a 9 inch Pyrex scalloped dish and it was the perfect size. I think a cake pan it would’ve overflowed. This is going to be a regular at our house from now on.