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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Hi Aria, 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.
This cake was great, and oh so easy to make. It wasn’t super sweet, but rather kind of light, which was perfect. I decided to not add the powdered sugar, but did opt to add a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top. Extra, I know, but also so Yummy! Oh, and that strawberry sauce… you’ll be licking the plate.
I ‘m so happy you enjoyed this recipe BreAnna!
Thank you Natasha for this gorgeous and super simple cake, we love it. One question how do I keep the strawberry color to stay. The strawberries inside the cake always turn almost blue, yours looks so red and luscious
Hi, I haven’t had the strawberries turn blue but they can darken if using frozen berries or if you are blending them with another fruit.
Made this cake substituting strawberries with Mangoes along with mango sauce . It turned out fab , rest of the ingredients were the same.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
That is awesome! I am so glad that worked well.
Made this cake 3 times this month. Husband and kids love loved it.Thanks for the recipe
You’re so welcome, Martha. Thank you for your excellent review!
Hi there. would you recommend doubling this recipe?
Hi Dina, I haven’t tried that but I imagine it would work as long as you add ingredients in the order they are listed and then either bake in a pan that is twice the size in width or divide evenly into 2 pans and bake them together. It may require more bake time if it’s doubled.
Hi Natasha,
I do not have a springform pan. Can I use a 10 x 2 round baking pan? Thanks
Hi Connie, that may work but it will be hard to get the cake out of the pan. If you experiment please let me know how you like it
Hi Natasha I just want say that cake comes out delicioussssss😊I made for Father’s Day everyone loved it Thankyou for your amazing recipes😘 .
I have one request for you please can you make easy Black Forest cake without using any alcohol I know if you make it and your recipes never failed pleaseeeee
Nice! Thank you so much for your great feedback. Here’s my Black Forest cake recipe.
Hi Natasha,
My son and I made this cake yesterday for our Father’s Day lunch, and it was absolutely delicious. It was a big hit and we’ll definitely make it a lot this summer!
Thanks so much and we look forward to making many more of your recipes, have a great day!
Hello Joy, it’s so great to hear that you loved it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Hi Aria, 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.
Hi Natasha, I’m planing to make the cake tomorrow but just realise that I don’t have the sour cream nor light oil. Can I use the buttermilk and melted butter or olive oil instead? If so, how much of these should I use?
Thank you Natasha
Hi Svitlana, you can substitute the sour cream by using Plain Greek Yogurt. You can also use vegetable oil.
Thanks Natasha for quick reply, got these, will make now. Will let you know how it turned out 😊
Svitlana xx
Sounds great!
I made this recipe yesterday and it was so good! Plus, it was so easy to make! It was a huge hit and it was all gone : )
Super! Thanks for sharing that with us, Kaylin. We appreciate your good feedback.
I used half the sugar, whisked by hand (Just be sure that the sugar is fully dissolved into the eggs before proceeding.), and used a 9×9 pan. I sprinkled the top with coarse sugar instead of making a sauce. I liked the crunchy edge bits and the cake itself, but the berries were not great. I’ve come to the conclusion that I just don’t like cooked strawberries, so will try this with other summer fruit sometime.
Thanks for your feedback and for sharing that with us, Alyssa!
How long will this cake and sauce stay fresh? Thanks
Hi Ellen, 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.
Wondering if rhubarb could be used in the cake instead of strawberries?
Hi Sonia, to be honest, I don’t have much experience with rhubarb – it was just one of those things we never ate growing up so I haven’t tested that. If you experiment, let me know how it goes.
Going to make this cake for sure, I have cake flour is there a difference between that and all purpose flour? Is it ok to use? Made a few of your dishes and they all came out great!!! Keep the recipes coming!!!! Love them !
Hi Jackie, cake flour produces a lighter and airier cake and should typically only be used when specifically called for in a recipe. The weight of the strawberries might weigh down a cake with cake flour since it has a lighter crumb.
made this cake last night, it was delicious. thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Loved it! Its perfect for summer time! Do I put it in the fridge or can I leave it out covered? Thank you!
Hi Kay, you could leave it at room temperature covered overnight, but refrigerate if keeping longer. I would definitely refrigerate the sauce though.
i tried the cake it became dense instead of being fluffy. i used greek yoghurt instead of sour cream. what mistake i am doing?
Hi Ratna, It could also be due to over-mixing the batter. I have found that over-mixing produces a denser cake
This cake is perfectly sweetened and the sour cream really keeps it so nicely moist, and it has such a satisfying “weight” to the cake that it is quite filling, even after one piece. I made mine in a square 9×9 pan and it was done in 45 min. I added lemon zest and it was so yummy! Thank you for this recipe!
That is awesome! Thank you so much for your comments, Mary Elise.
I have now made this recipe using Kefir milk and although it was already delicious it has added an extra layer of creaminess. My family loved it.
Nice! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.