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, โ 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, ยฝ 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
Letโs bake together! Iโll 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 ยผ lbs (570 g) strawberries remove stems and quarter
- โ cup whole milk
- ยฝ cup (118 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ยพ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (330 g) cake flourยน
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg whitesยฒ room temperature preferred
- Food coloring optional (I use two chocolate chip-sized drops of americolor gel โelectric pinkโ food coloring).
FILLING
- โ cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- โ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
FROSTING
- 2 cups (475 ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 ยฝ cups (190 g) powdered sugar, divided
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract
- โ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8โ 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 ยผ cups of juice. Do not discard berry pulp, set this along with any remaining pureed berries for the jam filling.1 ยผ lbs (570 g) strawberries
- Pour strawberry juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to โ cup (pour into a measuring cup to check, if itโs not reduced enough, return to the saucepan and continue to cook until it is). This usually takes about 10 minutes.
- Once reduced, add โ cup milk to the strawberry reduction and whisk together. If using food coloring, whisk that in here as well. Set aside.โ 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.ยฝ cup (118 ml) vegetable or canola oil, 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, 1 ยพ 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 flourยน, 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 whitesยฒ
- Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into cake batter until completely combined (donโt 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, โ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine.โ cup (70 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, โ 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, ยฝ 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 ยฝ cups (190 g) powdered sugar, divided, 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, โ 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.
Amy
Hi. I made this over the weekend and it was by far the best strawberry cake recipe i have tried. So light and fluffy and not DENSE at all. Thank you so much! i baked it in 2 x 8 inch tins and now i want to try it in 6 inch tins to make a strawberry drip cake. Do you recommend baking in 3 x 6 inch tins or 4 x 6 inch tins and how long would you bake them in 6 inch tins? Thanks x
Sam
Hi Amy! I believe this recipe will fill 3 6 inch pans. I am not sure how long they would need to bake. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake so much! ๐
Amy
Thanks. Do you know if baking in 4 x 6 inch will work too as trying to make a 6โ strawberry drip cake? Or is it better to bake in 3 x6 inch and will I be able to get 2 thin layers so in total 6 layers. Trying to wonโt put which is best 4 layers or bake 3 layers and split each layer in two. Thanks
Sam
So the batter as is will fill 3 6 inch round pans that are 2 inches deep. The cake should bake fine in just about any pan you make. If you want more than the 3 6 inch round pans you will definitely need to increase the batter. The cake sounds incredible! I hope it turns out! ๐
Milagros
Can I use the same recipe to make a pineapple filling?
Sugar Spun Run
Yes, that should be fine. ๐
Madi
Can I keep the cake together with frosting and all as a whole for one night?
Amy
Hi. Came across your recipe and excited to try it. When it make the strawberry purรฉe do you leave it to cool before adding the milk and is it best to make the purรฉe the day before so it has more flavour when cooled and added to cake batter? Thanks
Sam
Hi Amy! As soon as you get your puree reduced enough you can add the milk then set it aside to cool. I’m not sure making the puree a day in advance will help much with the flavor here.
Amy
Ok thanks for getting back to me. If the purรฉe is still warm can it be added to the cake batter?
Sam
It can be added to the milk warm, then it will cool down enough to be added to the batter when needed ๐
Maricar
Made it tonight into 2 6โ pans and about 12 cupcakes. I had to play around with baking time 16-17mins for cupcakes and 25-27mins for 6โ cakes (I also used baking strips) Cakes came out perfect! I havenโt made the frosting but I plan to make it tomorrow. OMG! Itโs the best strawberry cake recipe. My new favorite cake! Thank you for all that you do
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out perfectly for you and that you enjoyed them, Maricar! Thank you for trying my recipe. ๐
Edna
I live in a country where strawberry fruit is very expensive!
Can I use Stawberry Jam to make this recipe
Sam
Hi Edna! It won’t work in the actual cake because you need that juice from the strawberries. I’m sorry. ๐
Madi
I need to make the cake on a Friday to serve on a Sunday, is that okay? What modifications do I need to make?
Sam
Hi Madi! That will be just fine. If you can, I would recommend making all three parts, cake, filling, and frosting then storing them separately. Wrap the cakes and leave them at room temperature. Cover the filling and the frosting and store in the refrigerator until you need them, then assemble it all on the day you will serve it. ๐
NS
Hi,
I want to halve the recipe. So my question is would the strawberry pulp (which would be half cup or so for half the amount of berries) be less than 1/3 cup when reduced on the stove top? What would be the appropriate amount?
Thanks
NS
A follow-up question, the weight of the berries is that before removing the stalk and quartering?
Thanks
Sam
I weigh before removing the stalk and quartering but the difference shouldn’t be significant.
Sam
You will want the pulp to be proportional so if you are cutting everything in half you will want the strawberry juice, after cooked to be about 2.5 tablespoons. ๐
Celeste
Hi! Iโm wanting to use this recipe, but I would like to use 6โ round pans instead of 8โ. I was thinking of using 3, 6โ pans. Will that work? Any suggestions on baking time/temp differences?
Sam
Hi Celeste! This recipe should make enough for 3 6″ pans. The temperature will remain the same but I am not quite sure what the baking time would be. I would just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t over-bake. ๐
Niki
Hi can you do cupcakes instead of cake and still do the jam filling?
Sam
Hi Niki! You can make it into cupcakes. If you want to add the jam still I would hollow out the center of the cupcakes when they are done baking and stick it in the center. ๐
Brenda Mancha
I am planning on making this recipe using a 9×13 pan and splitting it in half. If I double the batter, will this work?
Reason is, I made the above recipe using one 3″ round pan and I split in half, and it worked great.
Sam
Hi Brenda! This strawberry cake should make enough batter to fill the 9 x 13. ๐
Grace
Hi! I made this cake and it is delightful. I am wondering about the frosting. You mention not refrigerating the cake, but the frosting has cream and cream cheese in it. Can you give me any thoughts on this?
Sam
Hi Grace! The frosting will be fine for a day or two at room temperature. Much longer than that and I would stick it back in the refrigerator. ๐
avery
i love this recipe my family loves it to
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Avery! ๐
Lillian
Hi Sam,
I only have one 8 x 3 inch pan. Can I bake the cake in this pan then cut into layers? If so, how long do i bake it for and what at temperature?
My mum is not a fan of cream cheese, so i was thinking of making whipped cream frosting with no sugar (or very little sugar). Do you think just plain whipped cream frosting would work for this cake? Please let me know what other adjustments i would need to make if i use whipped cream to frost the cake.
Thank you so much!
Lillian
Hi Sam,
I have another question. I want to do a sugar syrup in the cake, so I would probably need to reduce the sugar in the cake batter, is that right? How much should I reduce the sugar to?
Sam
There really is no need to use a sugar syrup with this cake. You can if you’d like but cutting the sugar is a personal preference here. ๐
Sam
Hi Lillian. You can bake this in a different pan. I’m not sure if that 8 x 3 pan you are referencing is a loaf shaped pan or if it is a 3 inch deep 8 inch round pan. Either way you can use that pan but make sure not to overfill the pan. I am not sure what the baking time would be. You could use a whipped cream frosting but I am not sure how it would turn out with no sugar in it.
Milena
Hi,
I was wondering about your warning to not store the cake in the fridge. Normally recipes recommend to put cake in the fridge before frosting for easier handling. Is this particular cake different, ir do you typically cool your cakes at room temperature? Why do you think the fridge will dry them out if wrapped in plastic? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Milena! It is necessary to cool the cakes at room temperature. If you pull the cake out of the oven at the right time it will still be slightly underdone and will finish baking out of the oven. It’s not necessary to store it in the refrigerator which is why I don’t recommend it. It’s better to not take the risk of drying the cake out in my opinion. ๐