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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.
Table of Contents
Fancy Strawberry Cake
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!
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cake
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
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 homemade strawberry 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 the cake layers in the pans for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to 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 (I use granulated but you can also use powdered 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.
Topped with fresh strawberry slices, this Fresh Strawberry Cake is the perfect springtime dessert. It’s got fresh strawberries for real strawberry flavor and a creamy smooth texture.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form. This will take several misnutes 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.
- Beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla for several minutes. It should be super creamy and fluffy.
- Add chopped strawberries to the cream cheese, then fold in the chilled whipped cream.
- Make sure your cake is completely cooled before adding the frosting.
FAQs
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.
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.
I recommend using cake flour for this fresh strawberry cake. It will give a lighter, fluffier texture.
No, frozen berries have a lot of liquid and won’t hold up well in the frosting. I recommend using fresh.
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. If you must make the frosting in advance, you can do so but don’t add the strawberries until just before icing the cake.
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.
Before you add your chopped berries to the frosting or to garnish the cake, wash them in a water and vinegar solution and dry them really well.
Also, I recommend making the frosting no more than 1-2 hours in advance of serving or the berries will begin to weep and melt the icing. Keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve, and don’t garnish until just before serving.
If you are short on time and just want the frosting, you can use a cake mix instead. Keep in mind that mixes tend to be softer and may not hold up as well against the frosting.
Pro Tips
- 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.
- To frost the cake, use an offset spatula to smooth it around out.
- Make sure to very gently fold in the whipped cream, or use Cool Whip instead. If your frosting is runny, it’s most often because the whipped cream was not stiff enough to begin with, or was overstirred. You can try to save it by adding some Cool Whip
More Delicious Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Coconut Whipped Cream
- Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling
- Strawberry Lemonade Ice Box Cake
- Mississippi Mud Cake
- Chocolate Pudding Cake
Fresh Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 1/2 cups cake flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon 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
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened brick style, full fat
- 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. The frosting should be prepared no more than 2 hours in advance. and then refrigerated.
- Make sure to very gently fold in the whipped cream, or use Cool Whip instead. If your frosting is runny, it’s most often because the whipped cream was not stiff enough to begin with, or was overstirred. You can try to save it by adding some Cool Whip.
- 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 9×13-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
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2021 to include tips, notes and answers to frequently asked questions.
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?
I recommend making the frosting the day of.
I tried your cake ! It tried out fantastic! Great cake
That’s awesome Gale! Thanks for stopping by.
Do you think this wold work with gluten free flour? It sounds delicious and it’s strawberry season!
I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour.
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!
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.
Can I use greek yogurt or mascarpone instead of sour cream?
For the cake, greek yogurt would be a sutible substitution for the sour cream.
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.
Awesome feedback Susan! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi , I made this cake yesterday, it is delicious, only thing I noticed it was a little dry, any suggestions?
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.
Loved your fresh strawberry frosting.
Everyone at my husband and my friends birthday loved it so many compliments.
Nice! Thank you so much for stopping by Christy.
Can this be made in a 9×13 pan??
This is a recipe for 3 9-inch rounds. A 9×13 would only use up 2/3 of the recipe.
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.
Thank you Judy for the kind words. I’m so glad it was helpful to you!
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.
Great suggestion Nancy!
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?
The cake is dense, ore like a pound cake. I talked about that in the post. 🙂
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!!
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.
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?
Hi Pat, You can use any fat milk you have on hand. However I would agree that frozen strawberries would probably be too watery.
I do look forward to trying this although my stand mixer is Me standing and mixing with beaters.
LOL Sharon! I’m sure it will just as tasty. Thanks for stopping by.
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!
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.
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..
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.
was wondering, is it 3 cups of heavy cream, then you whip it… Or is it 3 cups of whipped cream
Three cups of heavy whipping cream; you beat that until thick and creamy.
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.
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!
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?
Absolutely! It’s just a personal preference. You could also just use vanilla.