This 100% from-scratch Strawberry Cake recipe has no Jell-O or artificial flavors! It’s a moist cake flavored with real strawberries, filled with a fresh strawberry jam, and covered with a whipped cream cheese frosting. Recipe includes a how-to video!
A Delightfully Fresh Strawberry Cake
I gave this strawberry cake recipe a makeover a few years ago, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you again today! This cake is packed full of fresh strawberry flavor (none of that artificial stuff or Jell-O), from the cake itself to the jam filling. To finish, we’ll seal it all in with a whipped cream cheese frosting that’s not too sweet. Sounds heavenly, right?
I’ll give you a fair warning: this recipe requires quite a lot of steps and will dirty a few dishes. But it’s all worth it to get the BEST natural strawberry flavor (more on that below), a light, spongey texture (I took a few notes from my white cake for this) and a whipped, flavorful frosting (similar to what’s on my Chantilly cake!).
How Do You Get Strawberry Flavor Naturally?
So, how does my strawberry cake achieve its strawberry flavor without Jell-O or artificial ingredients? With fresh strawberries, of course!
If I’m being honest though, it’s not as simple as it sounds. In fact, it took a lot of attempts to get the flavor and texture of this strawberry cake just right.
Sure we could just blend our berries and add them to our cake batter, but too much pulp can weigh down the cake, making it too wet and spongey. To remedy this, we’ll take an extra step to strain out the juice from the pulp and use that in the cake instead. And we’ll even go one step further to cook down that juice to really concentrate the strawberry flavor.
However, there is still a lot of flavor in the pulp, and I didn’t want to just throw it away, so we’ll save it to make a homemade jam filling! We’ll spread this between our cake layers for an extra burst of strawberry flavor.
Side note: if you’re a total strawberry fiend, you could even try frosting this strawberry cake with my strawberry frosting–yum!
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients in today’s perfect strawberry cake recipe:
- Strawberries. Almost all of your flavor for this cake comes from the strawberries. Because of this, the more ripe, juicy, and flavorful your strawberries are, the better and more strawberry-like your cake will taste. Store-bought berries in the middle of December will work, but they will not yield as tasty of a cake as finger-staining, sun-ripened berries you picked yourself. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP I CAN GIVE YOU!
- Milk. I recommend using whole milk for a perfectly moist and soft strawberry cake. Several of you have asked if non-dairy milk can be substituted, and I haven’t tried this myself, so I can’t say for sure. If you do make my strawberry cake recipe with non-dairy milk, please let me know how it turns out for you!
- Cake flour. Because the strawberries can make this cake heavy, I recommend using cake flour for this recipe. If you don’t have it, you can still use all-purpose flour–just use the instructions in the recipe notes.
- Egg whites. Since egg yolks could also weigh down this cake, we’ll use only egg whites and make sure to whip them to stiff peaks before folding them into the batter. Note that I’ve included some recipes to use up the extra egg yolks in the recipe notes below.
- Food coloring. This is optional, but it makes your strawberry cake look nice and pink when it would otherwise be pretty dull. If you’re using food coloring, I strongly recommend using a few drops of pink gel coloring. If you use liquid food coloring, you will need to use red, and quite a lot of it.
- Cornstarch. This will help to thicken our strawberry jam.
- Lemon juice. A splash of lemon juice brightens the jam and keeps it from being too sweet.
- Cream cheese. We’ll beat this with some powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it is smooth and creamy. This creates a flavorful base for our frosting.
- Heavy cream. After its whipped to stiff peaks, we’ll incorporate our cream with the cream cheese mixture to make a beautifully light, airy, and flavorful frosting.
SAM’S TIP: If you’re not a fan of the frosting I’m using here, you can always try my standard cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting, or Swiss meringue buttercream. Whichever type you use, make sure your cake is cooled completely before decorating, otherwise the frosting will melt.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Strawberry Cake
- Blend your strawberries, strain them, and cook the juice until it has reduced. Save the pulp for later.
- Combine the strawberry reduction with the milk and food coloring. Cream together the oil, butter, sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl, and combine the dry ingredients in another separate bowl.
- Gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture into the butter mixture. Stir on low speed after each addition until just combined.
- Whip your egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into your batter. Divide the batter between greased, floured, and lined baking pans. Bake for 28 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Whisk together the reserved strawberry pulp, ⅓ cup of sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Transfer the jam to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool completely in the fridge.
- Prepare your frosting by combining the cream cheese, ½ cup of the powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate (preferably chilled) bowl, whip your cream and remaining powdered sugar, then combine both mixtures until fully incorporated.
- Once your cake and jam have cooled, assemble your cake, using your frosting as dam to hold in each layer of jam filling. Top the assembled cake with your remaining frosting, decorate, and chill it in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy.
SAM’S TIP: This strawberry cake can be baked in 9 inch pans instead, but it will cook faster, so keep an eye on it if you use them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries here–but remember, almost all of the flavor comes from the berries you use, and there’s no telling how flavorful your frozen berries will be. I highly recommend using in-season, fresh berries.
This strawberry cake recipe will work as cupcakes, but just know they won’t have nice domed tops. It will also work as a 9×13 cake.
Yes! Because the icing has both whipped cream and cream cheese, this strawberry cake needs to be refrigerated. Make sure you keep the cake covered in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
The jam and frosting can both be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The cake could be made a day in advance as well; allow it to cool completely then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature.
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 ¼ lbs (570 g) strawberries remove stems and quarter
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ½ cup (118 ml) Avocado, vegetable or canola oil
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (330 g) cake flour¹
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg whites² room temperature preferred
- Food coloring optional (I use two chocolate chip-sized drops of americolor gel “electric pink” food coloring).
FILLING
- ⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
FROSTING
- 2 cups (475 ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) powdered sugar, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8” round cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place quartered strawberries in blender and puree until smooth. Run through a fine mesh sieve over a measuring cup until you have 1 – 1 ¼ cups of juice. Do not discard berry pulp, set this along with any remaining pureed berries for the jam filling.1 ¼ lbs (570 g) strawberries
- Pour strawberry juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to ⅓ cup (pour into a measuring cup to check, if it’s not reduced enough, return to the saucepan and continue to cook until it is). This usually takes about 10 minutes.
- Once reduced, add ⅔ cup milk to the strawberry reduction and whisk together. If using food coloring, whisk that in here as well. Set aside.⅔ cup whole milk, Food coloring
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat together oil, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until completely combined.½ cup (118 ml) Avocado, vegetable or canola oil, 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cups (330 g) cake flour¹, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low speed, gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and strawberry/milk mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition. (I start and end with the flour and add the flour mixture in 4 parts and the milk mixture in 3 parts.)
- Place egg whites in a separate clean, dry bowl, and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.6 large egg whites²
- Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into cake batter until completely combined (don’t use your electric mixer at this point or you will over-beat the batter). Divide cake batter evenly into prepared pans and bake on 350F for 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges to loosen cakes from pan and invert onto cooling rack to cool completely. While cooling, prepare the jam filling.
JAM FILLING
- Combine remaining strawberrry pulp, ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine.⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and the whisk leaves a trail through the jam (this takes about 5-10 minutes).
- Remove from heat, transfer to a heat-proof bowl, and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare your frosting.
WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Combine cream cheese, ½ cup (65g) powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy and smooth.1 ½ cups (190 g) powdered sugar, divided, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl (preferably a chilled metal bowl), combine remaining (1 cup, 125g) powdered sugar and cold heavy cream. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.2 cups (475 ml) cold heavy cream
- With mixer on low speed, stir together the cream cheese and whipped cream until completely combined.
ASSEMBLY
- Once cake and jam are completely cooled place one layer of cake on serving tray. Use a piping bag fitted with a round tip (I use an Ateco 808) to pipe a dam around the layer. Fill with your jam filling.
- Top with second layer of cake. Cover the entire cake with frosting.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
- Cake will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Leslie
I made this a few years ago for a birthday and it was wonderful. Now, I’m looking to use it for my daughter’s birthday cake but I was wondering if the whipped cream cheese frosting is pipeable enough to hold its shape?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Leslie! This frosting is a little bit softer than a buttercream, but it can be used to pipe. You can see the little decorations piped on top of the cake in the pictures; they hold their shape, unless it’s really warm. We hope your daughter loves her cake 🥰
Cynthia
Can this cake be frozen?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Cynthia! We have never frozen this cake but think it would freeze fine. Let us know how it turns out for you!
O
Hi Sam, I’ve made this recipe twice now and it was greatly received both times. I’ve been in the mood for experimentation lately and I was thinking about making it with a different kind of berries. Do you know if this would have any significant impact on the baking process due to difference in acidity, water content, etc?
Sam
You could potentially have differences that would require other adjustments than bake time if you use different berries. I think it could potentially work, but I’m just not sure exactly how it would work or what would need to be changed. 🙂
Amanda
Hello! I was going to try to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday party. Do you think it would work with frozen strawberries (if defrosted properly first of course) in lieu of fresh strawberries?
Sam
Hi Amanda! I actually cover using frozen strawberries in the FAQ section of the post. 🙂
Christina
How many cupcakes will this recipe make?
Sam
Hi Christina! It will make about 24 cupcakes. 🙂
Jennifer
Hi Sam! I love your recipes! My daughter requested a strawberry cake for her fourth birthday, so here I am! Can’t wait to try it. However, I don’t have the right size pans. I’d like to make the cake as a 9 X 13. How long would the baking time be? And, what would you suggest for the jam filling? Would I just leave it out, or is there a way you might suggest incorporating it either into the cake or the frosting? Thanks so much for your thoughts – and for all of your fabulous recipes!
Sam
Hi Jennifer! This will make enough batter for a 9 x 13 and I’m not sure on a bake time. The jam part could be tricky. You could attempt to cut your cake layer in half after baking and then flip it back on, but this could be rather messy and tricky to do. It’s tough to say leave it off, because it adds a lot of flavor. I think I would frost it with my strawberry frosting and skip the jam. 🙂
Indie
Thank you for this recipe! I tried two other strawberry cake recipes from very reputable blogs but am so glad I tried this recipe, too! The concentrated strawberry juice (as opposed to pulp/puree) and whipped egg whites gave this cake the fluffy, soft texture I was looking for! The concentrated juice and fresh strawberry jam without use of artificial extracts gave this cake the perfect, strawberry flavor. The cream cheese-whipped cream frosting was well…. the icing on the cake! Such a prefect combination!
I can now rest well knowing I have a go-to recipe for whenever I am craving a fresh strawberry cake!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you gave it a try, Indie! Sounds like our recipe was a huge hit ❤️
Jody
I’m making this cake now. I’m wondering why not just use 1/3 cup strawberry juice rather than reducing to 1/3 cup?? What is the purpose of reducing the juice?
thanks.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jody! Reducing the juice concentrates the flavor ☺️
Ryanne
Hello! I’m super eager to try this recipe :). I’m using it for my sister’s birthday cake. If I wanted to add some strawberry extract for more strawberry flavor how much would you recommend adding and would I need to alter any of the other ingredients? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Ryanne! I haven’t ever used strawberry extract so I’m not sure of it’s potency and would hate to tell you an amount without having tried it. I would certainly start with a small amount though. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Taylor
How many cups is the equivalent to the strawberries needed for the recipe?
Sam
Hi Taylor! Strawberries in a recipe like this typically are not measured out in cups due to the varying sizes of berries available. That being said, I would expect it to be about 2 heaping cups. 🙂
CMK
This has become my son’s favorite birthday cake recipe. I’m making it for his 16th birthday this week. I follow the directions exactly except omit the food coloring. Don’t expect this to taste like artificial strawberry flavor. It is more delicate than that. Leaving out the food coloring will help to eliminate that expectation. Fantastic! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love knowing our recipe has become a tradition for your family! Happy sweet sixteen to your son 🥳
Doris
Hi Sam, if I use the 2 2/3 cups of AP flour do I have to modify any other ingredients? Is baking time the same? Also recipe states it will keep covered in fridge for 5 days, does that time frame include if I use the frosting with the whip cream in it? Thanks for your help!
Sam
Hi Doris! You would not need to modify any other ingredients and your bake time will be the same. That time frame does include the frosting added on top. 🙂
Doris
Thank you! 🙂
Elizabeth
hi Sam!
I’m very excited to try out this recipe! it will be my first attempt at a real cake. I was wondering if you have a how to article on assembling and icing cakes? that’s the part I’m most anxious about.
thanks!!!
Sam
Hi Elizabeth! I do have a guide on how to decorate cakes for beginners, not necessarily a full assembly tutorial though.
Elizabeth
I knew you’d have one! thanks Sam, you truly are the best!
Jillian
So delicious!!
Christie
I made this cake today at my son’s request for his birthday. I followed the directions precisely, except that I used the cream cheese frosting in between the two layers instead of the jam. While the frosting was great, the cake was not. It was plain, barely tasted like strawberry, wasn’t very sweet, and the edges were hard to cut through. It was a very disappointing experience.
Sam
I’m sorry to hear this happened, Christie! The flavor in this cake comes from the strawberries. It’s hard for me to get good strawberries right now, so maybe that was the issue? Over-baking it will cause the edges to get very crunchy. 🙁
Kristin
Hello there, I’m making this cake for my daughters birthday on Saturday. I’ve had pretty good luck with your recipes and so far everything I’ve tried tastes amazing. I want to make a three layer 9inch cake though. Do you think there is enough batter here for three pans.. maybe adjusted baking time for thinner layers or should I go ahead and increase the cake recipe by half? I planned on doing a banana flavored pastry cream for the filling and a vanilla buttercream outside with lots of pretty flowers.. what do you think?
Sam
Hi Kristin! You could divide this into 3 pans. The layers will just be a bit thin. If you increase the recipe by 50% you could have 3 normal sized layers, either way you do it you will want to watch them as they’ll likely take less time to bake than what is given in the instructions. For the filling, honestly, most of the flavor of the cake comes from the filling. You could use the banana filling, but just be aware that the strawberry flavor won’t be very potent. 🙂
Kristin
thanks for your response! I’m still conflicted on whether to have thin layers or not now lol. I’m gonna have to stick with the banana flavor filling this time, I did get some strawberry extract because I figured a lot of the flavor would be in the filling as well. still going to follow your recipe with reduced juice for real strawberry flavor. I will definitely make this again in the future as is though. thanks again!