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 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.