This is the easiest Strawberry Cake with a soft and moist crumb, bursting with fresh strawberry flavor and you will love the strawberry sauce. Watch the video tutorial and see why this is one of our all-time favorite strawberry recipes.
Fresh strawberries add incredible flavor to desserts like our popular No-Bake Cheesecake, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, or Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes. I hope this Easy Strawberry Cake becomes a new favorite for you.

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Strawberry Cake Recipe
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 and continues to be one of the top cakes on our site. Just like with blueberries, fresh strawberries are wonderful on their own but when you bake them into a cake, their flavor is amplified and every bite is loaded with satisfying strawberry flavor.
Fresh Strawberry Cake Video
Part of what makes this such an easy cake is that there’s no frosting or layering required, but the flavor is definitely there, especially when you drizzle every slice with the super simple 2-ingredient strawberry sauce. It will make you want to lick your plate – it’s just THAT good and super versatile. Try it over Dutch Baby Pancakes, Waffles, and Crepes. It’s also delicious over French Toast.

Ingredients
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.
The easy strawberry sauce has only 2 ingredients (strawberries and sugar) and comes together quickly in a food processor or blender. Here’s what you will need to make this simple strawberry cake:
- Eggs – make sure they are at room temperature
- Granulated sugar – sugar is used for both the cake and the strawberry sauce and you can add sugar to taste if you have very sweet or very tart strawberries
- Sour cream – adds flavor and richness to the cake
- Oil – creates a soft and moist crumb. You can use either extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract – we love using Homemade Vanilla Extract for the best quality and flavor
- All-purpose flour – forms a soft crumb without being too dense or heavy
- Baking powder – leavening that gives rise to the cake
- Salt – balances the flavor. We almost always use fine sea salt in our cooking
- 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.

How to Buy Strawberries
Here are some tips when shopping for strawberries. The last one is my favorite. I always smell the strawberries!
- Color – look for strawberries that are a bright and vibrant red. If they are dull or have a lot of white or green patches, they are either underripe or no longer fresh.
- Stems – check the stems which should look fresh and green (not brown or dry)
- Firmness – fresh strawberries should be firm to the touch. If the package is clear, inspect the bottom of the container. Strawberries should not look soft, mushy, or squished/ leaking.
- Aroma – I always sniff the package of strawberries – it’s the best way to tell if the strawberries will actually be tasty. Good strawberries will smell sweet and fragrant.
Tools for Baking
This recipe comes together fast with simple ingredients and basic cooking tools. For best results, be sure to use an electric mixer to whip the eggs and sugar.

Pro Tip: Rinse your strawberries just before using them. Wash under running water and avoid soap or commercial produce wash (these can be absorbed by strawberries and are not recommended according to the FDA). Once rinsed, set on cloth or paper towels and pat dry.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Cake
- To 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 over-mix – This is KEY! Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing or the cake can become dense.
- Measure flour correctly – spoon flour into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top with a straight edge. Why? Pushing your measuring cup into the flour bin can result in up to 25% more compacted flour. Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure ingredients correctly.

Common Questions
Yes! You can substitute sour cream with plain Greek yogurt. Whole milk Greek yogurt will yield the best results.
This works best as a single layer because it is a heavier cake. For a layered cake, we recommend our Strawberry Sponge Cake.
A reader shared this: “I used Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour. It is expensive but the best I’ve tried so far. Anyway, the cake came out great. We loved it and I’m planning to make it again for Easter. Just wanted to let any possible gluten-intolerant folks know.”
A reader shared 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.”
We have only tested this in a 9″ springform pan. If baking in a smaller pan, bake a little longer or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you experiment with various sizes, please let me know in the comments.
Love Strawberry Recipes?
Strawberries always taste best in summer when they are in season so we like to take full advantage of their flavor and abundance. I also love that they go on sale often in the summer so we can use them for everything from Strawberry Lemonade to Chocolate Covered Strawberries. If you enjoy sweet fresh strawberries as much as we do then you will love these top-rated strawberry recipes:
- Strawberries Romanoff
- Strawberry Sauce
- Panna Cotta
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Scones
- Eaton Mess

If you love strawberries, this strawberry cake is a must-try. I’d pass you a generous slice if I could, pummeled with the strawberry sauce of course.
More Easy Cake Recipes
If you love easy cakes like this strawberry cake don’t miss these easy, one-pan cakes that are always crowd-pleasers:
Easy Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients
Strawberry Cake Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup light olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , (*measured correctly)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 oz strawberries, hulled
- 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" springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Prepare 12 oz of strawberries for the cake: dice 6 oz of strawberries and slice the second 6 oz into halves.
How to Make Strawberry Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat together 2 eggs with 1 cup sugar on high speed for 5 minutes or until light in color and thick.
- Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together: 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt until well incorporated. With the mixer on med/low speed, add flour mixture to the batter 1/3 at a time, letting the flour incorporate with each addition and continue mixing just until well combined. Do not over-mix.
- Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Top with 6 oz of diced strawberries then spread remaining batter over the top. Cover the surface with 6 oz of halved strawberries (cut-side-down), pressing them down just slightly into the batter. Bake at 375˚F for 45-55 minutes (mine was perfect at 50 min), or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cake rest in pan 15-20 min before removing the ring.
- Run a thin spatula around cake edges to loosen from pan. then transfer to a cake platter. Cool until just warm or at room temperature. To serve, dust with powdered sugar if desired. Drizzle individual slices generously with strawberry syrup.
How to Make Strawberry Sauce:
- While the cake is baking, make the strawberry sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine 16 oz strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar (or add sugar to taste) and blend until pureed.
Love this recipe I can’t eat that much sugar can you modify this for us diabetics
Hi Jackie, I honestly haven’t tried but you can add sugar to taste and I think it would be worth experimenting with a different kind of sweetener that is diabetic friendly. I wish I had a better answer for you. If anyone else has tried, please let us know! 🙂
Thank you for this simple and easy yet ridiculously delicious cake. It was plate and finger licking good. My whole family loved it and finished it all on the spot. ❤️
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha, I love your blog and use it often. Can I substitute butter for oil here?
Thank you.
Hi Galina, I haven’t tried it with butter. Some of my readers have omitted the oil and replaced it with apple sauce to make it healthier.
Hi Natasha, could you do measurements by weight as well? It’s easier for lazy people like me.
We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes as that should help with weight, 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
you posted Nutrition facts per serving. Is the serving size per slice? Thanks!
Hi Christine! Yes that would be per slice!
Wow! This cake is AWESOME! So soft and moist ,and that sauce yuuuum!super easy to make too.Will making this again and again! Thx for sharing
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
HI, the cake is very good but not sweet enough for my taste so i added another cup of sugar to it and the cake’s sweetness turned out great but the top was very crunchy to the point that when i checked it with a toothpick the top crust cracked a lot and didn’t look as good as yours. Is there a way that i can have the same look and softness on top with the added sugar?
HI Jeffry, I honestly haven’t tried it with an extra cup of sugar so it is difficult to guess what other substitutions would have to be made without testing it that way. You might try just 1/2 cup sugar extra next time and make the sauce a little sweeter.
I will make this for a colleague’s birthday on Tuesday.
I am thinking of making the syrup by cooking the strawberry with the sugar, some lemon juice and basil–rather than blending berries and sugar.
Hopefully it will be ok!
I’d; love to hear how you like this!
Made it yesterday and took to work today. Everyone loved it!!
I particularly loved the batter—so tasty I am surprised there was enough left make the cake. (I had a few spoonfuls throughout!)
I cooked the strawberries first with basil and pepper but did not like it blended. So, I swirled the strawberry purée with freshly whipped cream (we have amazing dairy products here in New Zealand) and it was soooo good!!!!
And here, being the beginning of strawberry season, I will be making it many times more.
Thank you!
That’s so great Fernanda!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Is the oven temp is based on conventional oven and not fan forced? Just trying to get it cooked without the top burning. Easy to make. Still cooking so yet to taste.Thanks!
Hi Emilie, our recipes are written for standard conventional ovens.
This cake was wildly successful and the whole family loved it! Thank you for a fabulous recipe that will definitely get made time and time again 🙂
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
I made it yesterday and it was a success. Easy to make. 😋
That’s so great, Josee! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
I substituted Coconut Yoghurt because I’m dairy-free and used Nutellex instead of olive oil. The cake was delicious, will definitely make again this strawberry season. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Wow!! 5 stars!! loved this cake, easy and not too sweet! Husband loved it too. Will definitely make again!
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Claudia! Thank you for the great review!
Hi Natasha!!! I love your recipes, I have tried to make some. Sorry for my English, I’m from Guatemala and I speak Spanish …. This cake especially I loved it and I have prepared it many times, so, I wonder, I can use apples instead of strawberries, except for the sauce … Thanks and greetings from Central America
Hi Zuly. Your English is great! Thank you for reaching out! I haven’t tried this with apple but here is what one of our readers wrote: “Made this cake the other day..it was sooo delicious! I added apples to one half (i have a very picky toddler).” I hope this helps
Thank you very much Natasha, you are very kind to respond. I wanted to try with Apple before I answered you. I think it was…. super delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Greetings to all your nice family 🤗
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
This was amazing! I had rants and raves when I served it at a dinner party in fact I am serving it tomorrow.
That’s so great, Judy! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with us!
It is spring in Australia so I thought this was an ideal dessert for a neighbourhood BBQ. I was a bit nervous as I hadn’t tried this recipe before. It was a HUGE hit – and the sauce amazing! Will certainly add it to my repertoire 🍰 🎂 🍓
That’s so great Monika! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I am wondering if butter can be used instead of oil. I used oil and it tasted very oily. Spoiled the cake taste.
Hi John. I haven’t tried it with butter. Some of my readers have omitted the oil and replaced it with apple sauce to make it healthier.
Thank you Natasha, I want to try again because I love the idea. I just couldn’t get past the oily taste. If I try butter I’ll let you know the results. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I’m addicted!
You’re so welcome!
can I substitute Splenda for the sugar. son is diabetic.
Hi Barbara. I honestly haven’t tried this with splenda so I can’t say. If you experiment please let me know if it works for you.
I have made with Splenda and it turns out wonderful
Thank you for sharing that with me Kathie!
The cake looks delicious , where can I buy a case pan like that?
Hi Gerald. We used this pan here 🙂
I have just made the easy strawberry cake. With cream it is heaven on a plate. Make it when Strawberrys are in season. I made it in a rectangular tin cut it up and put it in the freezer. Otherwise it’ll be too tempting.
It sure is tempting, Michael! Thank you for the awesome review!
Hi, I was wondering to save money could you substitute for box cake or self rising flour?
Hi Stanelle, I honestly haven’t tried making this strawberry cake with self rising flour so I can’t advise on that. I wish I could be more helpful.