This easy Strawberry Cake has a soft and moist crumb and is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. You’ll absolutely love it with the irresistible fresh strawberry sauce drizzled over the top. Watch the video tutorial and see why this is my favorite summer strawberry recipe.
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Helpful Reader Review
“This cake is fabulous. I have made it several times and will be printing it to have in my recipe file. Only the keepers get printed. The texture is wonderful – not too light and crumbly, but not overly dense. The sweetness is just right.” – Jayel ★★★★★
Strawberry Cake Video
Easy Strawberry Cake
This strawberry cake is winning in every way: simple ingredients, easy to make, perfect for entertaining, and completely yummy. Everything about this cake is good. This is a crowd-pleasing dessert, but (so you can’t say I didn’t warn you) it disappears fast!
This recipe is based on our wildly popular Blueberry Cake, which was an instant hit. Part of what makes this such an easy cake is that there’s no frosting or layering required, but the strawberry flavor really pops, especially when you drizzle every slice with the 2-ingredient strawberry sauce.
Ingredients for Strawberry Cake
The ingredients here are pantry staples. This cake is loaded with fresh strawberries inside and out. Between the cake and sauce, you will need almost 2 pounds of strawberries.
- Eggs – at room temperature
- Sugar – you can adjust sugar to taste if you have very sweet or very tart strawberries
- Sour cream – adds flavor and richness to the cake. You can substitute plain whole-milk Greek yogurt.
- Oil – creates a soft and moist crumb. You can use either extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour – forms a soft crumb without being too dense or heavy. You can substitute 1:1 gluten-free flour (it was tested with Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour).
- Baking powder – leavening that gives rise to the cake
- Fresh strawberries – you will need 12 oz for the cake and 16 oz for the strawberry sauce. You can use frozen strawberries for the sauce but fresh strawberries are preferred for the cake. My best tip for buying strawberries is to smell them – they should have a sweet strawberry aroma.
Natasha’s Tip for Rinsing Strawberies
Rinse strawberries under cool running water just before using them, then pat them dry with a clean towel. Do not wash produce with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash since it can be absorbed by strawberries.
How to Make Strawberry Cake
- Prep – Butter a 9-inch springform pan (a springform helps with easier release for serving) and line the bottom with parchment paper. Dice half of the strawberries and cut the rest in half.
- Mix Wet Ingredients – Beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the mixture looks thick, pale, and fluffy. Mix in the sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
- Mix Dry Ingredients and Combine– Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them to the batter in three additions, mixing just until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Add batter to the pan – Pour half of the batter into the pan and sprinkle the diced strawberries over the top. Add the remaining batter, then place the strawberry halves over the surface, cut-side down, pressing them in slightly.
- Bake – Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the ring.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Cake
- To quickly bring eggs to room temperature – place cold eggs into a bowl of warm water (not hot) for 5-7 minutes, then dry them with paper towels and use them in the recipe.
- Do not overmix – Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing so the cake stays soft and tender.
- Measure flour correctly – Spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level the top with a straight edge. Watch my easy video tutorial on how to measure ingredients correctly.
To Serve the Cake
Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, dust the top with powdered sugar and serve individual slices drizzled with the strawberry sauce – it’s so good it will make you want to lick your plate! It’s also really good over Dutch Baby Pancakes, Waffles, Crepes or French Toast.
Can I turn this into a 2-layer cake?
This works best as a single layer because it is a heavier cake. For a layered cake, we recommend our Strawberry Sponge Cake.
If you love strawberries, this strawberry cake is a must-try. I’d pass you a generous slice if I could, covered with plenty of strawberry sauce, of course.
Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup extra light olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , or 1:1 Gluten Free flour*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 oz strawberries, hulled and divided (6 oz diced and 6 oz halved)
- 1 tsp powdered sugar , for dusting, optional
Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:
- 16 oz strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
Instructions
Cake Prep:
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Prepare the strawberries for the cake: dice 6 oz and cut the remaining 6 oz in half.
How to Make Strawberry Cake:
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, until thick and pale. Add the sour cream, oil, and vanilla, then mix on low speed just until combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients and Combine: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Add Batter to the Pan: Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the diced strawberries over the batter, then spread the remaining batter on top. Arrange the halved strawberries over the surface, cut-side down, pressing them lightly into the batter.
- Bake at 375°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center, avoiding a strawberry, comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Mine was done at 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the ring.
- To Serve: Run a thin spatula around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan, then transfer it to a cake plate. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and spoon the strawberry sauce over individual slices.
How to Make Strawberry Sauce:
- While the cake bakes, add the strawberries and sugar to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Taste and add more sugar, if needed.
Notes
Oil: Extra-light olive oil or neutral vegetable oil will give the cake the mildest flavor.
Gluten-Free Substitution: You can substitute all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour (it was tested with Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour).
Measuring flour: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level the top instead of scooping directly from the container.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Try My Best Strawberry Recipes
If you enjoy sweet summer strawberries as much as we do, then you will love these top-rated strawberry recipes:
- Strawberries Romanoff
- Strawberry Sauce
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Panna Cotta
- Strawberry Scones
- Eton Mess
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Can you subtitute anything for the sour cream??
Hi Jean, I recall one reader shared their experience with dairy free: “I completely replaced the sour cream, with whole fat coconut milk from a can. I mixed it completely before measuring, and to compensate for the added wetness I reduced the oil to about 1/3 Cup. It was still a little runny, but the bake was perfect.” I have had several readers report great results using plain Greek yogurt.
Does the strawberry syrup need to be refrigerated?
Hi Sarah! Yes, you can make this strawberry topping 1 to 3 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I made it yesterday and it was a hit! super easy
That’s so great Theresa! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Alysha, I haven’t tested it with frozen strawberries so I’m not 100% sure. If I were to try, I would thaw in the refrigerated and drain well before adding them, maybe toss them with 1 Tbsp of corn starch to keep them from being too juicy. I do think it would be easy to substitute frozen for the sauce.
I just made it with frozen strawberries, which worked out well. I sliced them up into thin slices before adding to the batter. In addition, I substituted strawberry yoplait yogurt in place of the sour cream because that is all I had. That also worked out well.
Thanks for sharing this with all of us, Julie!
This cake is AMAZING. I added it to my bookmark list so it will not get lost anywhere lol. The sauce is Incredible, WOW make you live in another world when you eat it.
Thank you so much
You’re so welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the great review!
Is there a breakdown of the serving size and carb count in the blueberry lemon cake and this one with strawberries.
Is there a breakdown of the serving size and carb count in the blueberry lemon cake and this one with strawberries. I would think calorie and carb count is the same. I need this data for a diabetic on a pump!
Hi Gayle, I just added nutrition values at the bottom of the post. I hope that helps.
Hello , I have baked this 5 times already and my family loves it you have great recipes thank you so much and keep posting your recipes
much love
You’re so welcome Penny! Thank you for the wonderful review!
What you recommend for a substitue sugar?
Thanks
Rosanna
Hi Rosanna! I haven’t tried it with anything else. One of my readers was going to try with honey but I haven’t heard back about those results. She stated she was planing on “substitute the sugar with raw honey or maple syrup if possible to make it healthier. I know I would need to use less honey/syrup (about 1/2c – 2/3c instead of the 1c sugar).” I hope this helps!
Going to make this the night before (taking it to work). Should I refrigerate it, and then let it stay out once there ? Or just keep it refrigerated ?
Hi Martha! It is best on day one and should be refrigerated if not eaten the same day. I have enjoyed this up to 3 days in the fridge after making it but it has never lasted longer than that :).
Is there any way to make this dairy free?
Hi Silia, one of my readers tried this strawberry cake recipe dairy free and wrote the following: “I completely replaced the sour cream, with whole fat coconut milk from a can. I mixed it completely before measuring, and to compensate for the added wetness I reduced the oil to about 1/3 Cup. It was still a little runny, but the bake was perfect.” I hope that helps
This cake is so easy, delicious, and pretty!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Bonjour,
Je suis française et j’ai testé votre recette. J’ai eu du mal à convertir les quantités mais quelle délicieuse recette! :))))
Miam, miam!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
https://www.kitchenproject.com/german/Metric.htm
J’espere que cela peut vous aider.
I tried this recipe, it came out absolutely yummylicious!! Thanks Natasha 😊
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Just made this with my 9 year old daughter. She did the majority of the work. Came out amazingly beautiful and tastey. She’s very proud of herself. I couldn’t figure out how to upload a picture to show how pretty it is/was.
Hi Amy! I bet she is! I recommend going to our Facebook page and posting it there, We’d love to see your creation! We have a private group called Natasha’s VIP friends. – We Love to Eat!! Please post it there!
This is to die cake…yummy. Love the easy to make sauce but I’d add more fruit…thinking of substituting blueberry, rhubarb, maybe peaches.
Those sounds like great ideas, Lorna! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was such a success that I made it twice yesterday, and gave most of it away to my neighbours.
That’s so nice of you Mark! I’m sure they appreciate that!
Has anyone tried using coconut oil instead of olive oil or even butter?
I Georgia! I haven’t tried that but here is what one of our readers did: “Used coconut oil and the flavor it adds is wonderful….also added a splash of almond milk to thin out the batter a tiny bit. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!” Hope this helps!
Just made this last night mixed the strawberries and blue berries together in one cake everybody loved it and it was super easy.
What a great combo! Thank you Jennifer!
Can you use frozen strawberries 🍓 in this recipe?
Hi Robin, I think frozen strawberries would work well although the overall sauce may be just a touch darker in color than using fresh.
I am on a strict no salt diet. Has anyone tried making it without the salt?
You can omit or remove it but I will alter the flavor of the cake a bit. Salt enhances natural flavors when baking.