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
I’ve made this several times really enjoy it. Wondering if peaches would work with this recipe?
Hi Wilma, good to hear that you like it! I have not tested this recipe using peaches but one of our readers shared that they have made it with peaches and loved it too.
Made this cake again and it was fabulous again. My neighbor gave me some homemade strawberry jam so I used that as the topping. I had cake flour that had been sitting around for a while so I used that. I think it made the cake a little lighter and fluffier. I used the stand mixed with the whisk attachment and that worked great. It is a little tricky to cover first layer of stawberries with batter so they are all covered but I got there. It was perfectly baked after 50 minutes. My neighbors loved it.
That’s great, Pat! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the recipe.
My son loves this cake so much!! It’s now strawberry picking. Could you freeze this cake?
Hi Savannah! Yes, you can freeze the cake.
This cake is absolutely delicious & beautiful! It’s moist & packed with fresh strawberry flavor. My family loves this cake!
Hi Liz! I’m glad your family loved this cake. Thank you for the feedback.
We were not impressed with the taste of the cake. It wasn’t horrible but we didn’t find anything special about it either.
Hi Tara! This is one of our favorite ways to use fresh strawberries and the sauce adds so much to the cake. I’m sorry it was not to your liking.
Can you put the cake altogether wrap it and put it in the fridge and bake it the next day yes I’m trying to get someone to answer me on this please
Hi Hazel! You can store the cake sponge at room temperature for 1-2 days in an air tight container. Or you can refrigerate/freeze for longer. I do not recommend refrigerating the batter before baking it. It should be baked once it has been prepped.
Put in buttered 9″ square pan, as I didn’t have a springform pan. It turned out fine. Didn’t use parchment paper, and didn’t remove from pan. Topped with whipped cream rather than 10X sugar…
Thank you for sharing, Jeanette!
Could ingredients measurements be converted to ounces or grams please
Hi Rosemary! Click on “metric” in the recipe card for the conversion.
How do I store the cake before I serve it? I made a cake the day before, and I need to store it somewhere before it gets served.
Hi Danielle! It is best on day one and should be refrigerated if not eaten on the same day. I have enjoyed this for up to 3 days in the fridge. I would keep it in an air tight container.
Can this cake be made with raspberries? My daughter is allergic to strawberries.
Hi Rose, I haven’t tested that to advise.
Delicious is an understatement! Wow! This is so light, yet rich. Absolutely perfect. Will definitely be making this again!
Thank you for this wonderful feedback, Karen. We’re happy to know that you loved our East Strawberry Cake Recipe!
Really delicious cake! Easy recipe, goes really well with apples and rhubarb instead of strawberries.
That sounds amazing, Tanja!
I just pulled this out of the oven and I am giving it 5 stars for the aroma alone. I cut 2 pieces out and sent them to my next door neighbors, but should I keep any leftovers in the fridge or the counter?
Hello Carol, it is best on day one and should be refrigerated if not eaten on the same day. I have enjoyed this for up to 3 days in the fridge. I would keep it in an air tight container
Maybe you used a 10″ pan. I’m already 40 minutes over your bake time and it’s still raw in the middle.
Hi Jm! I used a 9” springform pan. Did you let the oven fully preheat before starting to bake? I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to ensure your oven reaches the right temperature before you start baking. It should not still be raw. It may require a few minutes of fluctuation in the baking time because every oven bakes differently and climate and elevation can affect that as well, but it definitely does not take 40 mins over the suggested time. Also, this recipe is written for a conventional oven-baking setting with the rack in the middle of the oven. I hope that helps.
Very good, not so sweet good texture. It turned out perfect. we surely make it again.
Hi Billie! Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m glad you loved it. I appreciate the review.
This was amazing. Not overly sweet but you can add sweetness with the sauce or whipped cream. Very easy to make. Will keep this in rotation!
Hi Kellye! Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
This was delicious and a great hit with our guests! I love it that you include the ingredient measurements again in the instructions. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Homa! I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you for the feedback.
I absolutely love this cake and the sauce too! Will definitely be making it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Fran!
My hubby hasn’t been able to eat gluten for the past 10 yrs and no matter what desserts I bake I never have had him ask for seconds until tonight…..and I’m a good baker! And not afraid to try anything!! This cake was not only wonderful tasting but the delicate texture is absolutely to die for!! Thank you so much!
Hi Tracy! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad he enjoyed the recipe. Another one to try, if you’d like is my almond cake which is completely gluten-free. I hope you love the recipe if you try it.
I made this yesterday and it was a hit with my family! So simple and delicious!
That’s wonderful, Karen!
Cake is in the oven. Easy to make, smells amazing. Can’t wait to try it and share. You have inspired me to make more of your recipes. I have tried a few and they are all good. Thank you for the videos too love to watch them and share.
Hi Kay! I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes. I hope you love the cake!