The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add to the best white cake batter.
This strawberry cake completely blew me away. After years of mediocre from-scratch strawberry cakes, my expectations were pretty low. It was time to taste test my efforts. Biting into the first pastel-pink forkful was the moment of truth…
I cried tears of joy. Or were those actual tears because I just dirtied every dish with all this strawberry cake recipe testing?
I find it challenging to pack real strawberry flavor into cake without the crutch of fake strawberry flavoring. My goal was to create a strawberry layer cake made entirely from real strawberries. We’re talking strawberries inside the cake and in the frosting as well. With the help of freeze-dried strawberries, I tackled strawberry frosting. I’ll get to that below. But for strawberry cake? Things have always been pretty lackluster in the flavor and texture department.
Strawberry Cake Problems
- Chopping up strawberries and folding into cake batter works, but then you’re just eating vanilla cake with chunks of strawberries.
- Pureeing strawberries and folding into cake batter has potential, but the texture is always off. There’s too much liquid. How about adding more flour to make up for that liquid? Then your cake is too dense. And the flavor is always lacking.
- Strawberry jam could work, but I prefer to start with real strawberries.
So how can we pack real strawberry flavor into cake batter without adding too much liquid? REDUCE THE STRAWBERRIES DOWN. Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
How to Pack REAL Strawberry Flavor Into Cake
- Puree fresh strawberries.
- Reduce down on the stove.
- Let cool.
- Stir into cake batter.
Puree 1 pound of ruby red strawberries. You’ll need a food processor or blender for this step, and again when you make the frosting.
Take that strawberry puree—don’t add anything else to it—and reduce it down on the stove. This, my friends, is where all the magic happens. Like I mention above, you want a lot of concentrated flavor within a little amount of liquid. We also do this with champagne in my mimosa cupcakes and champagne frosting. And with Guinness in Guinness chocolate cake, too.
You’ll begin with 1 cup of hot pink puree and reduce down to 1/2 cup. After 30 minutes, it will be very thick and very red. Add this thick and highly concentrated strawberry flavor to your cake batter, instead of the thinner strawberry puree.
The reduced strawberry puree will go into the cake batter. No need to strain the seeds first—they disappear when the cake is baked.
Because the reduced strawberry puree needs to completely cool down, I suggest getting started the day before. Just let the reduced strawberry puree sit in the refrigerator overnight and make the cake batter the following day.
Strawberry Cake Batter
The cake batter starts from my white cake. This vanilla-flavored cake proved to be the best jumping-off point for a strawberry cake. I kept the majority of the recipe the same, but I removed some of the wet ingredients to make room for 1/2 cup of reduced strawberries. The cake is light, springy, soft, and fluffy.
The reduced strawberry puree will tint the cake batter a lovely pastel pink and, if you want, you can add a small drop of pink or red food coloring to brighten that hue. Not necessary, of course. (I added a single drop of pink gel food coloring.) Expect a velvety and slightly thick cake batter.
- No artificial strawberry flavor.
- Nothing from a box.
- Just pure strawberries.
The Strawberry Frosting
You can taste the fresh strawberry flavor in the baked cake, but the flavor is REALLY brought out when you combine it with strawberry frosting. Like strawberry cake, strawberry frosting has always left me feeling a little defeated. Fresh strawberries were the issue. The frosting would always curdle from the added moisture. And no amount of fresh strawberries could get me the strawberry flavor I craved. Instead of settling for artificial strawberry flavoring, I took a trick from Sally’s Candy Addiction: strawberry dust! Grab some freeze-dried strawberries, grind them up, and mix that magic dust into the frosting.
(I actually added freeze-dried strawberries to cake batter as one of my test recipes. This was an awful decision and an epic fail. The cake was atrocious. Texture, taste, and appearance. Just… no. But freeze-dried strawberries are a YES for frosting!)
- Where to buy freeze-dried strawberries? I find freeze-dried strawberries in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. I’ve also seen them in health food stores. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Target all carry them, as well. Or, you can order them online.
- Baker’s Tip: Do not use “dried strawberries” which are like raisins, dried apricots, and dried pineapple. They have a gummy texture and don’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed. They’re the same strawberries you use in strawberry and cream cookies.
Instead of a thicker strawberry buttercream, I used my silky cream cheese frosting recipe. Added in the freeze-dried strawberry “dust” and milk and was left with a frosting so pink, Barbie would be jealous!
Let’s Review
The tricks to homemade strawberry cake and frosting made with real strawberries? (1) Reduced strawberry puree in the cake batter and (2) freeze-dried strawberries in the frosting. Have fun baking!
PrintHomemade Strawberry Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add to the best white cake batter.
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup reduced strawberry puree (see step 1)
- optional: 1–2 drops red or pink food coloring
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries*
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the reduced strawberry puree first, and let cool: Puree 1 pound of rinsed and hulled strawberries. You should have a little over 1 cup. Stirring occasionally, simmer the puree over medium-low heat until you’re left with 1/2 cup or slightly more (you need 1/2 cup for the cake). This takes at least 25–35 minutes, but could take longer depending on your pan or how juicy your strawberries were. Allow to cool completely before using in cake batter. I always make the reduced puree the day before so it has plenty of time to cool down. I cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Allow it to come back to room temperature before adding to the cake batter. (See Notes for further make-ahead instructions.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in 1/2 cup of room-temperature reduced strawberry puree, making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Stir in food coloring, if desired. (I use 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring.)
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24–25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup crumbs. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if needed. Yields about 3 cups of frosting.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting—it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly and stored at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See How to Freeze Cakes for instructions. You can also make the reduced strawberry puree ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw, bring to room temperature, then use in the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Pink Food Coloring | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Cake Flour: I strongly suggest using cake flour in this recipe. If you can’t find it, try this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Whole Milk: If needed, buttermilk works in its place. I don’t recommend a lower-fat milk.
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I always find them in my regular grocery store in the aisle with the dried fruit. Target, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s carry them, and I’ve also found them in some health food stores. You can also buy them online. Do not use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You need FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind into a powder. If you can’t find them anywhere, just leave them out of the frosting and add another 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar.
- Can I use frozen strawberries for the puree? You can use frozen strawberries, but they will take longer to reduce even if you thaw them first.
- 9×13-Inch Cake: Simply pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake pans 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20–22 minutes. Makes 30 cupcakes. For 14–15 cupcakes, follow my strawberry cupcakes recipe, which is adapted from this strawberry cake.
- Food Coloring: If you want, you can add 1–2 small drops of pink or red food coloring to deepen the pink color of the cake. I add 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring.
- No Cream Cheese in Frosting: If you’d like to skip the cream cheese in the frosting, use my strawberry buttercream recipe instead. You’ll have enough for a thin layer of frosting, or you can 1.5x the recipe for a thicker layer.
Better too much than not enough on the strawberry reduction. When you puree the strawberries, you might not want to limit yourself to 1 cup. I started with 1 1/4 cups and reduced for 25 minutes. I got 1/3 cup of reduction and had to spend another 25 minutes to do a bit more.
I am by no means a professional, or even good baker. But, I took my time and followed every step of this recipe exactly as written, and it is possible the best cake I have ever tasted. Definitely the best I have ever baked! My daughter asked me for a strawberry cake for her 4th birthday, after much googling this recipe looked the best, using fresh strawberries instead of gelatin or other less appealing ingredients. I’m so glad I tried it, my guests were so impressed and loved the fresh & not overly sweet strawberry flavor. My daughter enjoyed helping me with this too, it’s an absolute keeper!!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. She passed away 3 years ago but I thought a pink cake would be one a 3 year old girl would definitely choose.
The strawberry flavor came through wonderfully. Thank you for another great recipe.
WOW! Absolutely amazing cake! Made this for a co-worker that was leaving the company and there wasn’t a piece left by the end of the day (there are only 10 of us!). Everyone loved it! Some even said it reminded them of Strawberry Ice Cream. This is now my go to Strawberry Cake Recipe! Thank You!!!!!
My granddaughter wants a strawberry and watermelon demon cake for her 6th birthday. Do you think I could reduce the watermelon purée like you did for the strawberry?
Hi Rebecca, Unfortunately I don’t think watermelon would work well for this as it’s mostly water.
This is one of the best cakes I have ever made – and I am a baker (ok, not a professional one, but I bake a lot). I have baked a few other strawberry cakes in the past and wasn’t bowled over by them (one was a cake mix with strawberry jello – at the time it was the only recipe I could find). The cake I made yesterday from Sally was incredible. Everyone raved about it. It was moist and full of flavor. I am going to adapt it to other fruits for which I can find fees dried fruit (for the frosting). I’d love to try a peach version of this and I may make a raspberry frosting if I can’t find freeze dried peaches. This strawberry cake is a PERFECT summer cake!
Is this cake supposed to be kind of dense or light and fluffy? Mine was pretty dense. Just trying to figure out if I did something wrong or if that’s normal? Thank you!
Hi Sally. I’ve made this cake several times and it’s always come out great. I’ve even made it using raspberries and have made the frosting in the blueberry flavor though the blueberry didn’t shine through like the other two. I left maybe two/three comments regarding this cake letting you and others know just how good it is and the con to using freeze dried blueberries. It’s been a a month or so since I’ve made this recipe and after reading your notes again tonight I’m a bit confused. I could have sworn you said it was ok to make the cakes and freeze them *unfrosted* so long as we make sure to wrap them up really well with plastic wrap and then put them into zip lock bags. I did just that but when I came to the recipe tonight to see how I needed to defrost them now it says in the notes that the entire frosted cake can be frozen. Did something change somewhere along the way? I sure hope not because I have two cakes frozen. I did take the raspberry one out and put it in the frig to defrost for tomorrow (God, I sure hope you read this before I go to make a frosting ). Can you please let me know if you changed the freezing part? Or if I’m in the clear can you let me know how I need to defrost them…. I.e. keep in the frig till defrosted or ??? Hope to hear from you in the morning (you’re a few hours ahead of me ) Thanks Sally….
Hi Tammie! You can freeze the layers. 🙂 See the last part of the freezing instructions.
Oh.my.glob. incredible cake.i made it! Followed your directions exactly and it turned out perfect.probably the best cake I ever made and I’m sure I made hundreds by now. I’ve been raving about your website for a long time..I truly love your recipes.thank you for this.girl, you rock. I wish I could post a photo of this but even a photo cannot do justice to the flavor, the perfection of texture and soooo pretty! Thank you. Huge fan.enormous fan.love you!
Would this recipe work for light carving? I need to cut a cake shaped like a C and it will be un iced on the sides (one of those trendy alphabet cakes) and I want o make sure this will hold up and not crumble. Thanks!
I haven’t tried to carve this cake but it should work! I would recommend slightly chilling the cake so that you get nice clean slices and then bring it back to room temperature before frosting and serving. Enjoy!
Best strawberry cake I’ve ever had!I didn’t have freeze dried strawberries for the frosting but used strawberry jam to taste and it was delicious! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Hi Sally!
My daughter asked for a pink cake for her birthday so here I am! I would like to make it into a layered sheet cake. Would it be better to make it in a 9×13 and then cut or can I bake in two sheet pans? What size should I use and how should I adjust the recipe?
Hi Jenna! Make sure you add pink or red food coloring to the cake for a lovely pink color. (Tint the batter until you’re happy with the color.) I recommend making the 9×13 inch cake, then carefully and slowly slicing in half once the cake is completely cool to make two layers.
Omg I made this cake yesterday for Sunday Dinner. It was a hit. I loved the strawberry flavor. I definitely will be making again
Most fluffy most white strawberry cake ever!!! And delicious. I made cupcakes with it and had a little leftover batter and made a tiny cake. Ate it all without frosting… lol but I have question, what if you just wanted a white cake recipe, what do you substitute the strawberries for?
Made this cake with my daughter (4) today and had so much fun. I have celiac so we made the cake flour with GF flour and cornstarch. She had a lot of fun spooning out the flour and blending it all up. Baking is one of my favorite things to do with her!!! In other news, I feel the cake came out dense (although really delicious!!), was this because there would have been too much moisture? I reduced the strawberries for over 40 minutes. Thoughts? Thank you in advance, and I look forward to trying more of your recipes and following your blog!!!
I just realized I did 3/4 cup of Sour cream .. Instead of 1/3 cup.
Sooooo I hope it turns out good . Idk why I thought 3/4 of a cup.
Only time will tell!
Amazing cake, such intense strawberry flavor! Just made this for my daughter’s strawberry-themed second birthday and it was a hit all around. This is definitely going into the regular rotation!
I’ve made this cake several times and love it! Question–can I turn this into a cake pop? What ratio of cake to frosting to you suggest?
Hey Sally!
Thanks for this delicious recipe! It has now become one of my favourite cakes! Your baby is gorgeous! It looks like it would be an amazing experience sharing your baking journey with her! ❤️
My daughter’s 8th birthday is today. She requested a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Of course I head straight for Sally’s site to check out what there was. This cake is nothing short of spectacular. The frosting; there aren’t words that describe how brilliant. I made a double batch and did fresh strawberries between the layers and decorated with chocolate dipped strawberries. Yes, I ate several spoonfuls of just the frosting. Heavenly! Thank you Sally!
I love this recipe!!!! Its so soft and moist and tastes fabulous! Is sour cream the secret to making it so soft? The recipe came out so well!!!!!!
Hi there
I’m planning to bake this for my daughter’s birthday. Shall I whisk the egg whites before adding them into the batter? What would happen if I whisked them to form soft peaks and folded them in for instance?
Hi Amy! You can add them directly into the batter without whisking or mixing beforehand. The cake would be extra fluffy if you took the extra step.
Hi! I am starting to make this cake for my daughter’s 6th birthday. I don’t currently have sour cream or plain yogurt but I have a lot of kid’s strawberry/vanilla yogurt. Any thoughts on using this as a substitute? Thank you!
You could use the strawberry flavor yogurt.
So excited to try this out for my daughter’s birthday—but I’m wondering how best to scale up proportions for the recipe to be a half sheet. I’m wary of simply doubling—especially because I don’t want to lose any of the rich pink color as pink is an important requirement for her. Thank you!!!
Hi Katy! This cake should be fine as a half sheet cake baked in a jelly roll pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time.
This cake was so good! Really light, very moist and so flavorful. I used a bit of food coloring in the cake to make it more pink, but once it baked, it still came out pretty pale and not very pink. But the flavor was so good I didn’t care.
I made it with the lemon buttercream cream cheese frosting from the lemon cake recipe, which was delicious.
I tried this recipe today, it was just perfect.. I used less suger though, around 1 and quarter cup… I need vanilla whipped cream cheese frosting.. it was very delicious and fluffy… The whole family loved it… Thank you for sharing this recipe ❤️❤️❤️
Hi Sally,
Love what you do!
Can l double the strawberry cake recipe?
Hi Sally! I have a small kitchen and only have one 9” springform to make cakes. If I want to just make the cake in that should I half the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Steph! Yes, halve the recipe for the one layer 9-inch cake in the springform pan.
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! I made it last year for my daughters 3rd birthday and we were in love! I am making it again and I honestly do not remember if I used sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (which I always have on hand). My question is, can I use Greek yogurt or does it have to be regular yogurt? Thank you in advance! And thank you for sharing your amazing recipe!!
Hi Alejandra! So glad you enjoy this strawberry cake. 🙂 You can use plain Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt in place of the sour cream. Same amount.
This is my go to strawberry cake!!! I wont try nothing else!!!
Hi Bridget! Use my strawberry cupcakes recipe, which is about half of this cake.