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Home » Recipes » Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Published on January 30, 2021 by Kristin Maxwell | 292 Comments

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Fresh Strawberry Cake has layer of rich vanilla cake with strawberries and cream frosting in between. Perfect for birthdays and parties or just a fancy summer dessert treat.

Strawberries are the epitome of spring and summer desserts. Just take a look at our Berry Parfait with Lemon Whipped Cream and Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Both are loaded with berries just like this cake.

Slice of Fresh Strawberry Cake

Fancy Strawberry Cake

Out of the blue the other day, my son said to me from the backseat, “Mom, I want us to bake a cake.” Never one to shy away from baked goods, I replied, “Sure, what kind of cake do you want to make?” “A fancy one. You, know the one with lots of levels that looks like a triangle?” If you’re as confused as I was, let me clarify. It took me until the next day to figure out that he was talking about a tiered cake – like a wedding cake – with eight layers (at least that’s how many he thought it should have).

Obviously I wasn’t about to run to the store and pick up a bunch of cake tiers, so I started showing him photos of cakes on Pinterest. As I scrolled, he hemmed and hawed, but was so excited when he saw a strawberry cake with layers and pink icing with fresh berries. It looked gorgeous, so I was almost as excited as he was to test out the recipe.

This Fresh Strawberry Cake recipe starts with a rich, moist vanilla cake that is divided into three layers, and slathered with the most light and fluffy whipped cream and cream cheese frosting, and it’s overflowing with fresh strawberries. It’s a light yet filling treat that’s perfect for summer. It’s the best Strawberry Cake you’ve ever had!

Best Strawberry Cake Recipe

How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cake

The vanilla cake is dense, almost like a pound cake but fluffier, which is of course perfect for this Strawberry Shortcake type dessert. In the original recipe I found, there were instructions for making a two layer cake, but if this cake was going to be fancy enough to satisfy my boy, it had to have three layers. I increased the recipe and made a couple of adjustments, which I’ll share in the recipe below.

  1. Prep. Always, always preheat your oven for even cooking. Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 3, 9-inch round baking pans.
  2. Mix. Combine all of the ingredients as described in the recipe, dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another. I use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Make sure to carefully follow the measurements.
  3. Pour. Divide the batter into the three pans. Having a kitchen scale would come in handy here, but you can also just eyeball it. Tap the pans on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. This will result in a flatter top for your cake layers.
  4. Bake. Slide the pans into the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. The tops should be golden and should spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before frosting.

How to Frost a Fresh Strawberry Cake

The fresh strawberry frosting was positively glorious! With fresh, homemade whipped cream, a little sugar and tons of fresh strawberries, it’s light and fresh and creamy, and the perfect way to balance out the heaviness of the cake. Whipping in some cream cheese helps to stabilize the frosting and keep it from melting too quickly.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

Topped with fresh strawberry slices, this Fresh Strawberry Cake is the perfect springtime dessert.

  1. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form. This will take several minutes at high speed, but is crucial to stabilizing the frosting. *TIP – chill the metal bowl and whisk in the freezer for 20 minutes to help keep the whipped cream cold. Set the whipped cream in the refrigerator while you whip the cream cheese.
  2. Beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla for several minutes. It should be super creamy and fluffy.
  3. Add chopped strawberries to the cream cheese, then fold in the chilled whipped cream.
  4. Make sure your cake is completely cooled before adding the frosting.

Does a Cake with Fresh Strawberries Need to be refrigerated?

This Strawberry Cake should be stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The whipped cream strawberry frosting will melt if left out for too long. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve, then right back in the fridge after slicing and serving. You can lightly cover it with plastic wrap to keep it moist.

Recipe Notes, Tips and FAQs

  • Can you make this recipe into cupcakes? Yes, you can, keeping in mine that the recipe is for a 3 layer cake so it will make a lot of cupcakes. You can use the slider in the recipe card to change the serving from 12 to 8 to easily cut the recipe by a third if you like. As is, it will make around 36 cupcakes.
  • Can I make this fresh strawberry cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan? As with the cupcakes, you’d have batter left over using the recipe as is. If you use the slider to go from 12 to 8 servings, this will reduce the recipe and make it doable for a baking dish instead of 3 layers.
  • Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour? I recommend using cake flour for this fresh strawberry cake. It will give a lighter, fluffier texture.
  • Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh? No, frozen berries have a lot of liquid and won’t hold up well in the frosting. I recommend using fresh.
  • Can I make this cake ahead of time? You can make just the vanilla cake up to 2 days in advance. Cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to frost. I suggest preparing the frosting no more than a couple of hours in advance.
  • For best results, keep refrigerated until ready to serve, then place back in the fridge immediately after slicing.
  • To give your cake a pink hue to match the frosting, add a few drops of red food coloring.

Homemade Strawberry Cake

More Delicious Cake Recipes

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  • Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
  • Coconut Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling
  • Strawberry Lemonade Ice Box Cake
  • Mississippi Mud Cake
  • Chocolate Pudding Cake

Step by Step Strawberry Cake Video

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Kristin
Fresh strawberry cake has an impressive 3 layers of moist vanilla cake topped with a light and fluffy strawberries and cream frosting.
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Cool 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 777 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 4 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs + 1 egg white
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon orange extract optional
  • 3/4 cup + 6 tablespoons milk

Strawberry Frosting

  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2-3 pints strawberries finely chopped (= about 2 cups chopped strawberries)

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 3, 9-inch round cake pans by spraying liberally with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
  • In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs and mix well until combined.
  • Stir in sour cream, vanilla and optional orange extract, and mix well until combined.
  • Scrape the sides of the bowl and add half of the flour mixture. Stir until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl again and stir in the milk.
  • Add the remaining flour, and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it one last stir.
  • Divide the batter into 3 prepared, round baking pans.
  • Bake in 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Cakes are done when tops spring back with a light touch, or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before turning over onto a plate or baking rack.

Frosting

  • In your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, (or with a hand held mixer) beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside, preferably in the fridge. (If you have two bowls for your stand mixer, leave it in the bowl, if not, transfer to another bowl before placing in the fridge). *NOTE - use a chilled bowl and paddle to help keep the cream cool.
  • Fit the paddle attachment on your mixer and beat cream cheese on high until light and fluffy, scraping the sides a couple of times. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat on medium until fully incorporated.
  • Stir in chopped strawberries on low speed. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula until well combined.

Assembly

  • Place the first cake layer on your serving platter and frost just the top with the strawberry frosting (about 1/2" or so thick). Repeat with the next two layers, then frost the sides with an offset spatula (the long and skinny kind). Smooth top and sides until even, then top with sliced strawberries for garnish, if desired.

Notes

This cake should be refrigerated until ready to serve. 
You can make this recipe into cupcakes. It will make 36-40 as is. If you only need 24 cupcakes, slide the servings slider to 8 servings and use those measurements. Bake time will vary, but should take approx. 20 minutes. 
For a 9x13-inch baking dish, slide the servings slider to 8 servings and use those measurements. Bake for approx. 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Nutrition

Calories: 777kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 10gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 382mgFiber: 3gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 1552IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 1mg
Keyword fresh strawberry cake, strawberry cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2021 to include tips, notes and answers to frequently asked questions. 

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About Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook. Read more about Kristin HERE.

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  1. Laura Pace says

    June 19, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    This recipe is delicious! Thank you so much! Do have a question, I made the cake portion and was going to frost it tomorrow, how would you recommend storing the cake over night?

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      June 22, 2020 at 12:52 pm

      I recommend making the frosting the day of.

      Reply
  2. Gale Richter says

    June 9, 2020 at 10:45 am

    I tried your cake ! It tried out fantastic! Great cake

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      June 11, 2020 at 10:37 am

      That’s awesome Gale! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  3. J.K. says

    June 8, 2020 at 3:17 am

    Do you think this wold work with gluten free flour? It sounds delicious and it’s strawberry season!

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      June 8, 2020 at 10:26 am

      I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour.

      Reply
  4. A.W. says

    May 31, 2020 at 1:38 am

    The cake was absolutely amazinggggg omggggg I’m so glad that I found this recipe! However the icing is way too wet/liquidy which caused me to waste a lot of ingredients & I followed the recipe to a T. I made my own icing which came out awesome but please revamp the icing recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      May 31, 2020 at 11:48 pm

      I’m sorry you had trouble with the frosting, but it has worked for me several times and for others as well. It’s a whipped cream based frosting which needs to be refrigerated.

      Reply
  5. Romina says

    May 29, 2020 at 6:25 am

    Can I use greek yogurt or mascarpone instead of sour cream?

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      May 30, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      For the cake, greek yogurt would be a sutible substitution for the sour cream.

      Reply
  6. Susan says

    May 17, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    My sister found tis recipe and made it for my birthday 3 years ago. We have made it many times since then because we love it so much. It turns out perfect every time, even when baked at high altitude.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 20, 2020 at 10:49 pm

      Awesome feedback Susan! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  7. Sandra Nichols says

    May 12, 2020 at 10:20 am

    Hi , I made this cake yesterday, it is delicious, only thing I noticed it was a little dry, any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      May 16, 2020 at 11:00 pm

      It is a dense cake, so sometimes that can make it seem dry. Usually the culprit though is overcooking which can happen really easily with cakes because oven temperatures can vary.

      Reply
  8. Christy Vasquez says

    May 6, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    Loved your fresh strawberry frosting.
    Everyone at my husband and my friends birthday loved it so many compliments.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2020 at 3:46 pm

      Nice! Thank you so much for stopping by Christy.

      Reply
  9. Karen says

    May 2, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    Can this be made in a 9×13 pan??

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      May 3, 2020 at 11:54 am

      This is a recipe for 3 9-inch rounds. A 9×13 would only use up 2/3 of the recipe.

      Reply
  10. Judy says

    March 7, 2020 at 10:55 am

    Kristin, Thank you for your recipe. You give excellent details not found in the normal recipe. For example in the beginning listing which attachment to use for making the frosting to the last step in what kind of spatula for frosting sides of the cake. For someone like me who has learned everything I know about baking by trail and error, these things are very important.
    Thanks and many blessings for you and your family.

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      March 8, 2020 at 10:39 pm

      Thank you Judy for the kind words. I’m so glad it was helpful to you!

      Reply
  11. Nancy Supples says

    January 27, 2020 at 9:44 am

    If by chance your frosting turns out to be too liquid to frost the cake, as mine did, I have a suggestion: increase the number of cut up strawberries (we had extra so were able to do that,), cut your cake into chunks, and layer it, the strawberries, and the frosting in a bowl. Chill for a few hours and you will have a delicious trifle. The cake is dense enough to stand up to the frosting without getting soggy.

    Reply
    • Kristin Maxwell says

      January 27, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      Great suggestion Nancy!

      Reply
  12. Angelica Amesquita-Carter says

    October 25, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    Hi there,

    We just made this cake for my sons 10th birthday. He loves a strawberry cake and so do we! I think we made a mistake somewhere along the recipe though. The cake itself tasted delicious but it was also super heavy and dense. Idk, maybe it’s suppose to be?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 28, 2019 at 9:03 am

      The cake is dense, ore like a pound cake. I talked about that in the post. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Rhonda E J Simpkins says

    August 24, 2019 at 7:53 am

    This cake is so delicious. I can not figure out what I’m doing wrong with the frosting. I’ve made it three or four times but my frosting is always runny… HELP!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      August 26, 2019 at 10:28 am

      The strawberries have a lot of moisture. Try laying them out on a paper towel first. Also make sure your bowl and all of the ingredients are nicely chilled. On a warm day this can also be a problem.

      Reply
  14. Pat says

    August 22, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    Kristin, I don’t usually keep regular milk is far free okay or should I purchase
    whole milk? Also, fresh strawberries are hard to find especially good ones, I guess frozen are to waterey?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      August 23, 2019 at 11:16 pm

      Hi Pat, You can use any fat milk you have on hand. However I would agree that frozen strawberries would probably be too watery.

      Reply
  15. Sharon says

    August 16, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    I do look forward to trying this although my stand mixer is Me standing and mixing with beaters.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      August 17, 2019 at 11:09 am

      LOL Sharon! I’m sure it will just as tasty. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  16. Serena says

    July 28, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    HI! I’m excited to try out this recipe – just wondering if it’s possible to change out the cream cheese on the frosting? Just not a big fan of cream cheese frosting!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      August 1, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      Hi Serena, you can use any frosting you like. However keep in mind that the strawberries have a lot of juice and can melt the frosting if it’s not stable enough.

      Reply
  17. Jennifer Little says

    July 27, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    I just made this cake, my top layer cracked. My icing seemed to thin which made the layers slide.. I beat my whipping cream till stiff and put in Fridge until I was ready to fold in.. any suggestions.. Now that I had to take the top layer off because of sliding. It taste delicious..

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      August 1, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you. Being sumer it’s possible that it was too warm in your kitchen. Buit also if the top layer cracked that could cause the cake to angle a bit which could also cause the sliding.

      Reply
  18. Nancy Trimmer says

    July 13, 2019 at 5:22 am

    was wondering, is it 3 cups of heavy cream, then you whip it… Or is it 3 cups of whipped cream

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      July 18, 2019 at 4:32 pm

      Three cups of heavy whipping cream; you beat that until thick and creamy.

      Reply
  19. Jamie says

    July 12, 2019 at 12:06 am

    Hi.
    This looks amazing and I hate to ask u and ruin your recipe but I’m making so very much so I need to dumb this down, can u tell me how I would do this with a box? For my daughters baptism! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      July 12, 2019 at 11:38 am

      Hi Jamie, you can totally use a boxed cake mix! Keep in mind that it won’t be as dense and can fall apart more easily. It will also only make 2 layers, but I don’t think you would want more because it may not hold up to the frosting. Just make the frosting as directed and frost the cake you bake. Even easier would be to make the cake in a 9×13 inch pan and then make half of the frosting recipe. Good luck!

      Reply
  20. Laura says

    June 19, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    Can I substitute the orange extract for lemon extract? I seriously despise orange. Also can you help me convert this to a 9×13 inch pan recipe?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      June 24, 2019 at 10:24 pm

      Absolutely! It’s just a personal preference. You could also just use vanilla.

      Reply
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I'm a busy wife and mom who loves to cook, bake and create. All of the recipes and tips you will find here are created with your busy family (and mine!) in mind.

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