Strawberry Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Description

This homemade Strawberry Cake is soft, moist, and full of fresh strawberry flavor. No artificial mixes here—just real strawberries baked into a fluffy cake and topped with a creamy strawberry frosting. It’s a showstopper dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

Ingredients

For the strawberry puree:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

For the cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup strawberry puree (from above)

For the strawberry frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3–4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup strawberry puree (well reduced and cooled)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the strawberry puree:
Blend chopped strawberries until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring often, until reduced by half. Let cool completely.

Preheat oven:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans or line with parchment paper.

Make the cake batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and cooled strawberry puree. Add dry ingredients in batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Bake:
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Make the frosting:
Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well. Add in cooled strawberry puree, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat until fluffy.

Assemble the cake:
Spread frosting between cake layers, then cover the top and sides. Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.

Notes

You can make the strawberry puree a day ahead and store it in the fridge. For extra strawberry flavor, add a bit of strawberry extract to the cake or frosting. This cake also works well as cupcakes—just reduce the bake time to 18–20 minutes.

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