This is the best Strawberry Cake recipe and it’s made from scratch! It’s a fresh, delicious cake that’s been a family favorite dessert for many years!
Strawberry Cake has to be one of my family’s favorite cakes – especially my husband’s. As much as I love my Grandmother Verdie’s Strawberry Cake recipe, I wanted to make one that I made from scratch. And I must say that we all love this updated version of my family’s classic recipe.
Strawberry Cake Recipe
Quick, easy, delicious and made from just a few simple ingredients, this strawberry cake is definitely a keeper of a recipe.
The strawberry flavor is light, with bites of fresh strawberries throughout. The cake also has a light pink tint rather than an over the top pink coloring that many strawberry cakes get from the addition of flavored gelatin to the mix.
So, if you are looking for a strawberry cake option that is made from scratch, this is for you! While it is perfect for just about any occasion at my house, it is especially nice for showers, weddings, birthdays, and luncheons.
How to Make Strawberry Cake
To make this fresh and scrumptious cake, I use these ingredients:
- Fresh Strawberries, hulled
- Unsalted Butter
- Shortening
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Whole Milk
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla Extract
- Natural food coloring (optional)
- For my Frosting, I use my Strawberry Buttercream Frosting.
First, preheat the oven to 350º F.
Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or prepare with butter and flour. Remove any excess flour.
Blend the strawberries in a blender on medium speed until pureed, about 3 minutes. This should result in 3/4 cup strawberry puree. Set aside.
Then, cream (mix) together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Next, add the sugar slowly, one cup at a time. Make sure to fully incorporate each cup of sugar before adding another cup.
Then add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another egg.
Sift together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt – in a medium bowl.
Pour milks, vanilla, and the strawberry puree into a large measuring cup and whisk together with a fork.
Then, alternately add the flour mixture (dry ingredients) and the milk mixture to the creamed-together butter and shortening, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure to have all ingredients well mixed.
Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans and place the pans into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake releases from the edges of the pan and springs back to a light touch. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes. Don’t allow the cooked cake to sit in the cake pans longer than around 10 minutes after removing from oven. Turn the cakes out onto wire racks and let them finish cooling completely.
After the cake has completely cooled, frost with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting and enjoy!
Note: I’ve tested this cake recipe many times both with strawberry syrup and strawberry puree. After many tests, I’ve found that the strawberry puree works best in this cake. You get all the delicious strawberry flavor when using the puree and the cake consistently sets better than it when using the syrup. With the strawberry puree you get a much lighter crumb for the cake texture. If you’d like a more pronounced pink color to your strawberry cake, you can use a little natural coloring.
Here’s my Strawberry Cake recipe. I hope you love it!
Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 medium strawberries, hulled
- 1 cup unsalted butter, , room temperature
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 – 2 drops natural food coloring, optional
- Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or prepare with butter and flour. Remove any excess flour.
- Blend the strawberries in a blender on medium speed until pureed, about 3 minutes. This should result in 3/4 cup strawberry puree. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour milks, vanilla, and the strawberry puree into a measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter and shortening, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure to have all ingredients well mixed.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans and place the pans into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake releases from the edges of the pan and springs back to a light touch. Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto wire racks and let them cool completely.
- Frost cake with strawberry buttercream frosting.
Notes
If you would like a more pronounced pink color to your cake, add 1 – 2 drops of natural pink or red food coloring to the batter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published July 2013.
I love this recipe and the accompanying frosting!! Delicious and pretty. My only comment is I wish you would consider the time you suggest it takes to make this; one would have to be really hustling to get this done in 5 minutes. It’s a pretty common things on a lot of online recipe I have noticed to say they take about half the time they do, but people would probably be just as likely to make it if you put the real time it would take for most people to make it. Thanks again for great recipes though.
I am glad you liked the cake, Alice. The prep time in a recipe refers to the time it takes to follow the steps in the instructions up to the cook time. The time it takes to prepare the ingredients to the level listed in the recipe such as peel, chop, dice, melt, etc. varies so much with different people that the time to mix the batter after all ingredients are prepped and pour the batter into the pans is a more accurate time.
I made this cake several times came out wonderful every one loved it
can this be made in a sheet cake
This cake would be perfect size for a 12×16-inch sheet pan, Shirley.
I used to make your grandmother’s recipe when I was growing up, and I loved it. Over the years, I’ve gotten more sensitive to cake mixes. I can taste the chemicals in them. I’ve been looking for a strawberry cake recipe without mixes. I will definitely try this!
I hope you enjoy the cake, Kay!
Could you do this strawberry cake as cup cakes??
Krisatl, you can make cupcakes with this recipe. Bake at 350º for about 15 to 20 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use frozen strawberries
I haven’t made this with frozen strawberries. If you try it with frozen strawberries, let them thaw first before making the puree.
Have you tried this receipt with your strawberry syrup in place of the strawberries? Since I used my strawberries on that, I’m stuck. Oh well!!!
Ginger, I haven’t tried making this cake with just the strawberry syrup. I’m not sure how it would be since it might be too much liquid. If you do try making it with the syrup, let me know how it turns out.
Hi, I love so many of your recipes and looking to try this one. Can I use a substitute like more butter, coconut oil or vegetable oil instead of shortening? Also, would strawberry jam work the same as syrup?
Monique, you can make this cake with all butter. The texture of the cake will be a little bit different. I haven’t made the frosting with jam instead of the strawberry syrup.
Are any of your recipes for diabetics
Shirley, you can decrease the amount of sugar in most baking recipes by substituting the sugar with your favorite sugar substitute. You will need to test the recipe to see which works best for your recipe and dietary requirements. Also, I have many recipes in the Dinner, Sides, and Soup and Salad categories you may want to check to see if they meet your dietary requirements. These are suggestions and are in no way medical advice.
I made this cake for my granddaughters 30th birthday, and it was a great tasting, wonderfully delicious cake. It was a challenge for me for I am not a baker but this cake and the chocolate cake recipe that I made are simply great thanks there are other recipes I will make and am sure my family will enjoy. Thanks Robyn,
Thanks so much, Fran. I hope you do find many more recipes here that you and your family love. So glad you like the Strawberry Cake and the Chocolate Cake recipes.