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
Easy to make and delicious. I used a heavy duty 9″ cake pan instead of a springform. I brushed bottom and sides with shortening, placed a piece of parchment over the bottom and brushed shortening over the parchment. The cake came out of the pan just fine after 10 or so minutes resting out of the oven. This is a great way to take advantage of strawberries when they’re ripe and in season. The cake was loved by all!
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit, Patricia! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Loved this! I was able to make it in a standard 10 inch cake pan (not a spring form) and it still turned out great. Batter was a bit thick and hard to spread across the larger pan, but we were able to do it.
How did you flip it over so that the side with strawberries was on top? Baking it like you did right now
Would you recommend using lactose free sour cream?
Hi Judi! That should be fine.
I love your recipes, and my husband is always happy when I say I am trying a new recipe and its yours. I would really appreciate it though if you would give us a weight measurement for the flour instead of volume. I know too much or too little flour makes a big difference, and it would help me a lot to know the weight.
Hi Laurel! Im so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. In the recipe card, click on the metric button and it converts the ingredients list for you.
Thank you so much. I didn’t notice that.
Can you substitute 1/2cup of butter for the oil?
Is the sauce like an icing?
Hi Amber. It’s more like a fresh fruit purée texture. Oil really provides the best results in this type of cake, it adds more moisture. One of my viewers reported making this with butter and enjoyed it.
How does the strawberry sauce differ from this non cooked version to the one where you cook with sugar and lemon juice?
Hi Kathleen! It really comes down to taste
and texture. This one tastes like fresh strawberries and is thinner. The other one is cooked down, making is a little thicker and has more of a “jam-like” flavor, more concentrated.
I’ve made this wonderful strawberry cake and sauce and totally impressed our neighbors at a get-together! Simple, elegant and excellent!
Thank you Natasha! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Pat! Thank you for the feedback.
Wow, where do I begin? This cake is delicious! Purchased a flat Louisiana Strawberries from the Ponchatoula festival and made this beautiful cake and strawberry preserves for the pantry. Ended up freezing the cake for later and pulled it out today. Amazing cake even after freezing.
Turned out delicious even though I forgot to add the vanilla! But I did add it to the sauce, not sure that made any difference. But thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Natasha, I’m baking this for my friend’s birthday but she likes Chocolate and Strawberry together. Can I add cacao powder to the batter and use the same recipe for a chocolate strawberry Cake?
Hello there! I have not tested that to advise of the changes, I imagine that might work but you will have to experiment and give it a test first!
Delicious – I subbed Greek yogurt for the sour cream and added some Greek yogurt to the icing mix. Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi. Hope you’re doing great. Can i doble the recipe for 12” pan?
We have only tested this in a 9″ springform pan. If baking in a bigger 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.
I’ve been making your recipe for about four years now. It’s absolutely our most favorite cake in my household. Thank you so much for this. Bien Provecho !
Hi Natasha!
I have made this cake twice in the past 2 days. The first cake was for my 9 yo Granddaughter’s DreamTeam church Christmas Party (had to bring a dessert). The second was for the family to enjoy since the first one smelled & looked amazing. I have to say that I only had a 7″ springform pan. I ended up cooking it 25 minutes longer due to thickness. Also, with so many comments about batter thickness, I decided to sift both cups of AP flour to ensure a light-and-fluffy result. Both cakes came out to perfection! I came across your strawberry sauce that was cooked in a saucepan with 1 TBSP lemon juice. I used that recipe but decided to chop the strawberries very small. That was also perfection! Tyvm Natasha! 👍🏻
I only had a 7″ springform pan, so I ended up baking it 20 more minutes & cane out perfectly! Thanks Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Wonderfully versatile recipe! I’ve tried the basic cake with various fruits and berries including strawberries, blueberries, chopped apples. This recipe has become a favorite in my home. Delicious. ❤️
So happy to hear that!
I made it with blueberries after the strawberry one was such a hit. I’ll try making 3 7” cakes today with apples as it is Fall! Any suggestions on which apple may be best or all the same?? Thank you!
Hi Natasha, thank you for sharing this cake. Can I bake a day ahead of serving? If so, how beast to store it? Thanks
Hi Brenda, yes you can make this ahead. You can store it frosted or unfrosted. Once cooled, wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. You can store the wrapped cake layers at room temperature for up to 1-2 days if storing it unfrosted. If frosted, Place the cake in a cake box or cover it loosely with plastic wrap or a cake dome to prevent it from sticking to the frosting. If you’re storing them for longer than that, it’s best to freeze them.
I make this every year for my son’s birthday. He loves strawberries and he loves this cake. Easy to make and super delicious! Thank you!
DELICIOUS!!!!!!! expect this quality & flavor from a bakery
I’m so glad you loved it, Eileen!
Delicious cake! Easy to make and taste great.