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
My syrup seems like it is too thick, and not enough for the whole cake
I am also going to serve vanilla ice cream with it and pour syrup over it??
Hi Arlene, with 16 oz of strawberries, it should be ample to drizzle the entire cake generously. If yours ended up thick, it’s easy to fix – you can thin it with a splash of water. I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha, I love the recipe, but what can I replace sour cream with if I do not have it on hand ?
Thanks
Hi Dee, I think the next best thing would be plain Greek Yogurt. I think a regular plain yogurt would work also.
(from the cooking show “Sugar” with Anna Olson) – make sure to use a full fat yogurt in baking, the low fat ones will go runny and change the consistency of the batter (I learned that the hard way)
What about cream cheese instead of sour cream or yogurt?
Hi Rossandra, I haven’t tried that substitution but I’m concerned it might be too thick and will not incorporate well.
Hey natasha would frozen berries from costo work? I currently dont have strawberries, and wish to substitute it. But im worried frozen berries will melt in cake and it will become soggy. And wont cook properly.
Hi Vira, 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 think it would be easy to substitute frozen for the sauce.
Sure thing, will do that makes more sense unfreezing, really appreciate your feedback:) Thank you!
Hi Natasha, I baked and served this cake for guests, and it was a HIT. We all unashamedly went for second and third slices until all of it was gone (Mind you there only 4 of us:) And they LOVED the strawberry sauce on top. What a summery cake! Thanks Natasha yet again for a brilliant recipe!
My pleasure Irina! I’m happy to hear how much everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Can you use a different kind of pan I don’t have a 9-inch springform pan?
Hi Laura, I have had readers report using a bundt pan (see notes above in the recipe), and some reported using a muffin tin, bread pan, tall-walled cake pan. You can put it into a variety of different baking dishes but you may have to adjust the baking time.
Hi Natasha! Have you tried this recipe with fresh peaches? I want to make it but the person I’d make it for loves peaches.
Hi Karen, I have not tried with peaches but I imagine it would work well. I do however have an excellent peach cake recipe that I love. I hope you give it a try! 🙂
What kind of adjustments need to be made for high altitude? I live at almost 6000 feet.
Hi Trudy, I wish I had a good answer for that but I don’t have an experience with high altitude baking. Has anyone else tried in high altitude areas? Thanks in advance!! 🙂
In the middle of baking this delicious strawberry cake on this cool Sunday afternoon! The sauce is in the refrigerator and the powdered sugar is ready and waiting!
Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
Hi, Natasha!
Any recommendations on using sour cherries instead of strawberries in this recipe? Thank you for your amazingly recipes and advices
Hi Lana, I haven’t tried that but I think it would taste great! Let me know if you experiment! Also, keep in mind, this isn’t an overly sweet cake, so if you use sour cherries, you may wish to add a little sugar to the cake.
Just made this today for my husband’s birthday…baked for the full time and then a few mins longer but since the top and edges we’re getting dark I went ahead and took it out…it wasn’t done in the middle but the rest was awesome…any ideas on timing or temp to make sure it bakes all the way? Otherwise it was a beautiful and great tasting cake!!
Hi Rebecca, are you possibly using a different baking mode (like convection) or a narrower pan which would make the cake taller and require a longer bake time? I bake this in a conventional oven and it works well with the timing in the recipe. I hope that helps! Oh, also, make sure you aren’t using more strawberries than what is called for in the recipe or it will weigh down the cake and affect the baking time.
Thank you for your reply…I used a 9 inch spring form that I just purchased and a conventional oven but I probably put too many berries in it. Bought 2 lbs then put then together when I rinsed them so just guessed and how much was 6 oz. Can’t wait to try again!!
My pleasure Rebecca!
I made this cake for my husband’s work function and his co workers loved it and raved about the strawberry sauce. Thank you for this quick and simple recipe and a video tutorial.
My pleasure Natalia! I’m glad to hear that everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hi, Natasha, made the cake with pears and some banana as I didn’t have strawberries at hand! Came out moist, fluffy and most of all delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
You’re welcome Ginka! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers!
My kids LOVE strawberry anything! Thanks for this awesome recipe. I can’t wait to make it for them 🙂
My pleasure Michelle! Please let me know what everyone thinks!
I love Strawberry Cakes. I tried it. Its delicious. Your recipes are superb. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure Pavitra! I’m glad you enjoy the recipes! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha, i love this cake recipe, you have saved my life as it is now my “go to dessert” when company is coming. I have made it with stawberries and also with peaches that I had ripened really well. Both were truly delicious. Thank you for sharing this with us.
My pleasure Cecile! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Wonderful tasting and easy to make. We love it.
I’m glad to hear that Laurel! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I just made this tonight and it came out beautifully and delicious! Thank you for a great recipe !
You’re welcome Diana! I’m glad to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
can a Bundt pan be used or 9x 13 as I don’t have y spring form pan
Hi Arlene, 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). For a 9×13 baking dish, I would probably do 1 1/2 times the recipe or it will be a fairly skinny cake.
just found my spring form pan, so good to go.. T Y
Perfect!
What a delicious, fluffy looking cake.. I have to figure how to reduce this to a single 6″ cake pan for two, as we are an older couple and don’t trust ourselves with a standard size cake.. :O)
🙂 🙂 🙂 If it is a regular 6″ cake pan (instead of a tall wall pan like a springform), I would probably cut the recipe in half to make sure you don’t overwhelm the pan. Your bake time may also be less so make sure you do the toothpick test a little earlier 🙂 I hope you both love it!!
I took your advice and cut the recipe in half and it came out perfect… This will be a repeat, long after fresh strawberry season.. :O)
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for the amazing review 🙂
How do you measure 12-16 oz strawberries?
Hi Darlene, I buy 2 (1 pound each) packages. I use 1 full package for the sauce and 3/4 of the package for the cake itself. You can weigh the strawberries to be exact but it isn’t necessary to be that exact 🙂