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
Is all purpose flour self raising or plain flour. Also how many grams is a cup of flour please?
Hi Pat, all-purpose flour is plain flour. I have the grams in the recipe ingredients listed above: “2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour” I hope you love it!
I made this today, and it was amazing! I don’t have a springform pan, so I used a cast iron skillet, and it was perfect! Thanks for my new favorite go to dessert!
You’re welcome Ricki! I’m so glad you love it! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Just made this wonderful cake. Perfection with the added sauce. Made this cake a two slice event as I can’t stop at one. So moist and fresh tasting.
Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Carol! I’m glad you love it! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review! 🙂
Hi Natasha, could you use vanilla greek yoghurt in place of the sour cream? thankyou so much.
I have had several readers report great results using plain Greek yogurt so I imagine that would work with Vanilla.
Hi Natasha, your cake is very good. We actually had to make two because I knew one would be not enough to taste it. I was wondering if there could be a substitute for sour cream? Have a milk allergy person.
Hi Nina, I’m so glad you all loved the cake!! 🙂 I recall one reader shared their experience with dairy free: “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.” I hope that helps 🙂
Can this be frozen pls
Hi Linda, to be very honest, I haven’t tried freezing this cake so I’m not sure how the baked strawberries would hold up.
Hi Natasha.
Can this cake be frozen?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tried freezing so I’m not sure how the strawberries in the cake would hold up. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi Natasha,
This cake looks delicious! I was wondering if it would taste the same without the sour cream as I wanted to bake a dairy free strawberry cake?
If you have any tips, it will be very helpful!
Hi Sarah, I recall one reader shared their experience with dairy free: “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.”
I’m lactose intolerant but yogurt has little lactose and never bothers me. So yogurt. Or if it’s not the lactose that bothers you and it’s just dairy, there is yogurt made with coconut milk and the same consistency you’re looking for.
could you use a bundt pan instead of a sring form one
Hi Sheryl, I have not tried it in a bundt pan, but readers reported great results in a bundt, recommending baking at the lower end of the time range (45-47 minutes).
Do you think peaches would work ok in this recipe ?
Hi Carrie, yes I do think that would work but I do also have a peach cake recipe that is just as amazing with peaches! It will help you with how to prepare the peaches if you want to apply them to this recipe instead of strawberries 🙂
Simple and delicious!!! Great recipe, simple ingredients, scrumptious result! Very versatile, we tried it so far with strawberries, peaches, plums and apricots/raspberries. Definitely a keeper for us! Great with coffee or tea! Thank you so much Natasha!
My pleasure Saniya! I’m glad to hear how much you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review! 😀
Hello Natasha! I appreciate very much that you also add the ingredients in METRIC measures! But happiness would be total if you can convert the oven temperature to Celsius, as most European bakers are used to Celsius degrees. Please! It really would be nice! (^.^)
Here is a link to a converter for you, I hope it will come in handy! I have to use it in recipes to get Fahrenheit into Celsius all the time, as I n-e-v-e-r remember it by heart! (sigh)
I forgot the link! See? Short memory (^.^) http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/temperature/celsius-to-fahrenheit.htm
I’m so glad you find that useful!
5/5. This is a recipe made in heaven. Replacing the strawberries with raspberries 1:1 also works, and in my opinion is a bit tastier.
I’m glad you love it Erik! Thanks for sharing your suggestion and review! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I made this cake and baked it in a cast iron pan. It came out beautifully and was so delicious! Our friends loved it. Thank you so much!!
My pleasure! I’m glad to hear everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review! 🙂
Switched to almond flour and got a gluten free version . Absolutely delicious !!!
Can be done with peaches and apricots.
I’m so glad to hear that Tanya! Thanks for sharing your review and suggestions with other readers!
did you use all almond flour?
Do you substitute the almond flour without adding guar gum?
Such an excellent and easy alternative to strawberry shortcake. I also topped with whipped cream. I found that I did have to bake it longer. Maybe my oven is off.
That does sound really good with whipped cream! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi, With wat can i replace sour cream?.. or can i make sour cream at home?
Hi Khan, there are tutorials online on how to make sour cream but you can also replace it with plain yogurt. I have had several readers report great results using plain Greek yogurt.
Yammy!!!
I made this cake today it so dilisious, my family really enjoyed, only two pieces left. Thank you so much for dilisious recepies!!!
I’m so happy you loved it!! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
I am interested in making this but my husband needs dairy free- any suggestions or can I just omit the sour cream?
Hi Karen, I recall one reader shared their experience with dairy free: “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.”
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake for a party and I doubled the recipe and made it in a regular pan. It was amazing everyone loved it:) Natasha you and your recipes are just out of this world. Thank you for feeding my family with such amazing food. Please think about a cookbook!
You’re welcome Caroline! I’m glad to hear everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review…and a cookbook is something I’d like to do in the future!