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
Just made this with strawberries that were nearing the end of their days in my fridge and it was awesome! So easy, light, and delicious. Not too sweet. Will definitely be making this again this summer. Would make a great hostess gift or backyard BBQ dessert!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Nina. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I just made this for Easter today. It’s delicious.
Thanks for sharing and for giving great feedback, Jessica.
Hi Natasha
I love your recipes.
May i use whole milk instead of sour cream?
Hi, I haven’t tried that substitution but I would be concerned that it would make the batter too thin.
This was so good ❤️ will definitely make it again. Thank you
I’m glad you loved this Pam. Happy cooking!
Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Debbie, you could leave it at room temperature covered overnight, but refrigerate if keeping longer. I would definitely refrigerate the sauce though.
Did you say that you can replace sour cream for greek yoghurt the strawberry cake recipe also what is all purpose flour, I live in Australia? thank you
HI Jan, all-purpose flour is a general baking flour. Also, several of my readers reported great results using Greek yogurt. I imagine it would work better with a Greek yogurt that had some fat in it versus fat free.
Yummy!
I used fresh raspberries and it came out great!
So nice to know that and thanks for sharing that with us.
I used rasberries too instead of strawberries.
Thank you for sharing that with us!
I love your recipies!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Hi can I make pin holes on top of cake n pour sauce over
Hi Linda, we haven’t found a need to make those since it is pretty absorbent but if you do experiment I would like to know how you like that.
I don’t have(I can’t find any flour) flour but I do have a Vanilla cake box and Bisquick. Which one do you recommend to use for this recipe.
Hi Monica, I haven’t tried it with either of those to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hello, I have seen many of your videos they look delicious, and l wanted to make some. I got bread flower and I don’t know if that one can work for any tipe of bread or maybe cakes. There are different types of flour. Can you help me up understand the differences between flours, and their uses?
Hello Jessica, you may also check out this article that I found online on the Different Types of Flour I hope that helps!.
Great as always!! Natasha your recipes are amazing
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Maryana!
Great recipe! My family loved it❤️
So happy that your family loved this recipe! Thanks for your great review.
Would it be possible to use frozen strawberries?
Hi Joan, I haven’t tested it with frozen strawberries so I’m not 100% sure. If I were to try, I would thaw in the refrigerator and drain well before adding them, maybe toss them with 1 Tbsp of corn starch to keep them from being too juicy. I do however think it would be easy to substitute frozen for the sauce.
Did you try it with frozen strawberries, Joan? I am wondering the same thing, not venturing out much yet for fresh produce.
Hi Xenia, 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 however think it would be easy to substitute frozen for the sauce.
Thanks Natasha…you’ve added a lift to my day. A much needed smile to this worrisome time in our country.
Can’t wait for strawberry season to make our delicious cake!
Aww, thank you for that thoughtful comment! This is one of my favorite cakes. Thank you for stopping by Ruth.
This cake is amazing! Thank you Natasha for your delicious recipes! One question can we freeze any leftover? Thanks
Thank you for your great review, Nadine. I haven’t tried freezing it but here is what one of our readers said “Just for anyone asking about freezing. I tried it and it wasn’t as good, the strawberries don’t freeze terribly well. It was still good though.” hope this helps.
Would this work with canned peaches?
I haven’t tried that yet to advise but I imagine it should also work. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
I did use canned peaches, turned out as good as with strawberries! Thank you for a great recipe😁
Awesome! Thank you for updating us.
Can I substitute flour with gluten free flour with the strawberry cake?
Hi Stella, one of my readers shared the following great review: “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 now.” Let me know if you experiment making this a gluten-free strawberry cake!
Hi ,
I Don’t have a springform pan. What can I use in place of one
Hi Mary, I recommend a springform because it’s a little taller than most regular cake pans and it’s fairly heavy so it’s a little tougher to remove from a regular pan. If you experiment with another pan I’d love to know how you like that.
I don’t have a springform pan either but really wanted to mke this cake. I ended up using a 2 quart glass casserole dish. It actually came out really good. My dish is clear so i will serve out of the dish. It did take a little longer, I was right at 60 minutes baking time.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
hey umm… my cake batter turned out like really really soft cookie dough
i dont know what happened
Hi Katherine, I haven’t had that happen but I am happy to help troubleshoot. Was anything changed in the recipe? Any substitutions or modifications? Also, it may help to review this article on how to measure since we use these techniques. I hope that helps!
Kindly share eggless recipe of strawberry deserts n cakes
Thank you for that suggestions Ambika.
Hello. I use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement in some recipes. It worked great for me with this recipe and I’ve made it with strawberries twice and blueberries once. All times it rose up and kept its shape. No sagging in the middle if you cool it down slowly.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Wonderfull, I love it!! We are having it without the sauce and it is delicious. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.
Greetings from Switzerland!
Silvia
You’re welcome. So glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for the great review!
Hi Natasha! My son loves watching your videos, you are so much fun, and your recipes are impecable 🙂
Questions: can I use frozen strawberries? If yes, should I thaw them first and slightly cover them in some flour? I have a bag with organic diced frozen strawberries, as they are not yet in season (not the organic ones I mean). Also, if i want to cut down the sugar, how much should I cut without interfering with the chemistry of the cake? Thank you so much!
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 however think it would be easy to substitute frozen for the sauce.