Strawberry Cake Recipe
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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 (144 g) strawberries, hulled
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, , room temperature
- 1/2 cup (92 g) shortening
- 3 cups (594 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large (250 g) eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.7 g) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113.5) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 – 2 (0.1 g) 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.
Hi Robyn, can you bake this in a tube pan like a pound cake. I’ve done the layers before for my church and they “Loved” this cake! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rita,
I’m so happy you and your church friends have enjoyed the cake! I have not tested this cake in a tube pan, so I can’t say how it will turn out in that pan. Thanks so much for your comment – so happy to have you here! xo
I love this cake. I have made it twice to rave reviews. The first time, I followed the recipe religiously. This last time for the 4th of July, I took an alternate route. First I reduced the sugar in the recipe to 2 cups and the cake was plenty sweet. I also used only 1 cup of all-purpose flour and used cake flour in the pantry to make up the difference by using 2 1/4 cups of cake flour. That finished the box. Next, I did not use shortening but substituted 1/2 cup canola oil which I added to the milk mixture and added it when it was time to mix dry and wet ingredients. The result was a cake with a delicate texture and crumb which I will repeat.
In addition, to the butter cream frosing I added some leftover strawberry puree from guesstimating for the cake, plus I sliced a dozen strawberries and added them between the layers. A few specimen strawberries on the top of the cake and I have never before had folks asking if they could please take some home and have the recipe. BTW, I think this 3 layer cake easily serves 18 and not just 12.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake too, Bob! It’s one of our favorites too – I love that you had guests wanting to take some home! Thanks for sharing with me!
Hello I want to make this cake but I have fresh strawberries and they are small ones so about how many should I use. Or in smashed berries how many cups.
Delicious cake 🙂 Came out incredibly moist and flavorful. I soaked the strawberries in rosé and sugar for about half an hour before blending and adding them. I also did a strawberry curd between the layers, and a rosé buttercream on the outside. Will definitely be making this again!
This is an excellent cake that’s really moist. I gave it four stars only because the strawberry flavor is a little too subtle. I used it to make a lemon and strawberry cake paired with Strawberry and lemon Swiss meringue buttercream. The cake was 8 layers and absolutely delicious. The combination of all the flavors has gotten me several orders
I’m sure it is a beautiful cake with all those layers! So glad you enjoyed it Laurie – it’s been a family favorite recipe for years! Thanks!
Hi! I wanted to make a 9×13 cake, 2 layers high. Do you think I should double the recipe?
I’ve not made this recipe into a 9×13 cake before Marlene, so I can’t say for sure. Hope you enjoy it! It’s a delicious cake! Thanks! xo
This strawberry cake is divine – a true favorite!
Thanks so much Debra! xo
Hi, can I double the butter and not use shortening? I wonder if there is a substitute for shortening?
Here it is Thanksgiving & I’m making this strawberry cake again, not only for family dinner but for my coworkers also. If you make this cake for any type of gathering I can promise there will be no leftovers!! People even come and beg for the crumbs!!!
Isn’t it a delicious cake, Angie! We’ve loved it for so many years and I’m happy to hear you enjoy it too! xo
Is this a good cake for carving?
Hi Tovah,
I’ve only sliced and served it. Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy it!