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 strawberries remove stems and quarter (570g)
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil (118ml)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened (57g)
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (350g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour¹ (330g)
- 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 granulated sugar (70g)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
FROSTING
- 2 cups cold heavy cream (475ml)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, divided (190g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (226g)
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.
- 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.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat together oil, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Julia
I just followed this recipe to a T and the cakes came out very thin… they’re only like 1 inch thick. I used 9 inch pans and whipped the egg whites properly. What did I do wrong?
Sam
Hmmm that’s very strange. Was it really dense when you cut into it? It should definitely be much thicker than that. 🙂
Michelle
How do I avoid dense dry strawberry cake because I’ve made two attempts with a different recipe and the second attempt was less dry but still not amazingly moist and drier a lot in fridge after one night.
Sam
Hi Michelle! Have you tried this recipe? This is not a dry cake. 🙂
Lisa
i would like to use this recipe to create 3 10″ layers.
Sam
Hi Lisa! I would probably double the recipe and discard any excess batter, or bake it into cupcakes. 🙂
CC
This was a phenomenal cake! We made it with buttercream frosting, but followed the cake and filling recipe to a t. Our kiddos loved it, as did the adults. It was not too sweet, light, and fluffy. I would highly recommend this cake, if you have the time to make it!
Terri
Hi, Sam! Is there a way to remove the seeds from the pulp before making the jam filling? Seedless jam is the preference in my family.
Sam
Hi Terri! You would need to find a strainer with small enough holes to catch the strawberry seeds, but at the same time let the jam through, which may prove to be a bit challenging. 🙁
Gretchen Quast
Hey Sam – one more question: If I baked this into a 9″ pans and increased the recipe by 50% to make 3 tears (I am trying to accomidate several guests): How long would you suggest I bake these? Thank you once again!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Gretchen! The baking time will need to be reduced a bit for 9 inch pans. We would suggest you drop the bake time by 6 minutes or so initially but use the toothpick test to make sure it is finished. Hope that helps!
Gretchen Quast
Thank you Emily!! I so appreciate you guys taking the time. 🙂 Thank you thank you! Have a wonderful day
Gretchen
Hey Sam,
I would like to make this cake in a 3 layer version but it looks like you recipe just uses 2 layers. Is that correct? if so, can I make it in 3 layers but just increasing the recipe by half?
Also, I would love to try a white chocolate drip on this cake. If I used your whipped cream cheese frosting, would that work or would it be better to use your Swiss meringue frosting?
Thank you Sam!
Sam
Hi Gretchen! You are correct, this is a 2 layer cake and you can just increase the recipe by 50% to make a 3rd layer. I would also recommend going with the Swiss meringue here. Enjoy! 🙂
Gretchen Quast
Wonderful Sam! Thank you !!!!
Elizabeth C.
No going to lie, I was real hesitant about this recipe at first (mostly because I’m not hugely into egg white only cakes), but this cake turned out beautifully! You are so right about the eggs whites only, the cake is SO delicate and great strawberry flavor!
Jen
I would like to make this for my daughter’s 4th birthday party but in cupcake, how long would you recommend for cook time?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jen! They will probably take about 17-19 minutes. Keep in mind they won’t have domed tops when made this way. Enjoy!
Vickie
If I plan on making this in a 9×13 pan, will I NOT be using the jam recipe? If I dam it with the frosting and add the jam, it seems like the frosting on top of the jam would make a mess – as opposed to adding the jam between the layers.
Sam
Hi Vickie! You are correct in the fact that adding the jam on top and attempting to put frosting on top of that will make quite a mess so I would recommend skipping that part. 🙂
Jackie
Hello Sam,
How much pulp do you need to make the jam? You did not specify the measurement for the pulp.
Thank you,
Jackie
Sam
Hi Jackie! You need all of it that you have left from step 2.
Marilou
Hi Sam, can use frozen strawberry ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Marilou! We actually talk about this in the post 🙂
Dottie Williams
I want to make these into cupcakes for my daughter’s wedding. Can the cupcakes be frozen ahead of time.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work fine, Dottie! We’d recommend wrapping the cooled cupcakes in plastic wrap and then foil. Store them in a ziploc or airtight container in the freezer and pull them out to thaw the day you plan to serve. Hope that helps!
Leslie
I made this cake for my girlfriend’s birthday! It was delicious and fun!! I tried to make it on a very hot day and I don’t have A/C, so it got a little melty, but with some refrigeration, it was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try it on a cooler day! An amazing choice for an impressive cake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It’s such a challenge to bake during this weather 😞 Sounds like you were able to salvage it though! Thanks for trying our recipe, Leslie ❤️
Nancy
This is my 15-year old grandson’s favorite cake for his birthday – Nothing else will do! It’s so delicious, everyone has seconds. Love that it’s made with fresh strawberries and not artificially colored jello. Also, I never use the optional food coloring and it is still pink enough to be attractive. Love this recipe!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review Nancy! We’re honored to know our recipe is the one you choose 😊
Danielle
I just want to clarify that you do not have to cream the sugar and fat together for a few minutes (3-5 min per usual vanilla cake creaming), just until combined? Making this for the first time for my sisters birthday so I want to ensure I do it right and it won’t be dense by under creaming the butter. Thanks for your help!
Sam
Hi Danielle! You want it all to be completely combined, but you don’t have to whip it for several minutes. The more important step to avoiding the dense cake here is to make sure your egg whites are whipped properly and you don’t over-mix them when adding them in. 🙂
Danielle
Ok thanks a bunch!
Danielle
Actually one more question…do you think the frosting would be too soft as a base for strawberry shortcake crumbles around the cake (made from scratch w flour not oreos)?
Sam
I’m not sure I understand the question. It is a softer, fluffier frosting. Do you want to make shortcake crumbles with the frosting, or do you just want to set shortcake crumbles in the frosting? The frosting consistency is similar to a whipped cream if that helps. 🙂
Vanessa
If making this cake with a buttercream frosting would it still need to be refrigerated? Wondering about the strawberry jam centre. 🙂
Sam
Hi Vanessa! If you don’t eat it within 24 hours I would recommend refrigeration. 🙂
Sharnele
I absolutely love the whipped cream cheese icing recipe. I added strawberry powder to make it strawberry flavour with a vanilla cake for my daughters birthday. I’m just wondering if there is any way to make it a bit thicker without making it any sweeter. I’m worried about it becoming too soft on the cake if it sits out for a bit. What would you suggest doing?
Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sharnele! You could try adding some cornstarch, but really, the longer the cake sits out of refrigeration, the softer the icing will become. It’s just the nature of these ingredients to melt in warm temps 🙁
Shandis Young
Would this cake do well in a 13×9 pan?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 🥰