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
Hi there! Do you think this cake would be good if I made it the day before I needed it? If so, what’s the best way to store it?
Hi Nikki, I think the strawberries look and taste the best the same day it is made. It would be safe to leave it covered at room temperature overnight but if you are storing it longer than that, I would refrigerate.
Hi- Will it still work if I sub in almond flour and a sugar substitute such as Stevia? Thanks!
I haven’t experimented using any other kind of sweetener so I can’t really advise on that, but one reader wrote:
“Also tried GF with sweet sorghum flour and almond meal flour with 1 tsp. Xanthum gum. Unbelievably good! It was gone in no time. Need to make two next week” I hope that is helpful to you!
I made this cake yesterday, I used whole wheat flour and brown sugar, was soooo good!!!!! My family loved it!!!
Thank you Natasha, your recipes are awesome!!!
You’re welcome Cristina! I’m glad to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My soon to be 4 year old wants a strawberry cake for her birthday. I wanted to try your recipe ; however, the darling is adamant that there be no large chunks of strawberries in it. Do you think if I pureed the fresh strawberries and mixed them in the batter it would be too wet?
Hi Stephanie, I have not tried that so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would break the consistency of the cake and it would probably end up dense – that is my guess. Have you seen our other strawberry cake – it’s not as easy as this one but it has pureed strawberries between layers. Maybe that would work for this cake – to cut it in half and put strawberry puree between layers?
“Don’t even make the cake without it” (the glaze) lol. You’re funny and creative in your videos.
LOL, thanks Alena! I’m glad you enjoy the videos as much as we like making them!
This turned out delicious, just like every recipe Natasha has! My 8 yr old son took charge on this cake and did a great job, in fact it came out so good and we ate it so fast that the next day he made another one with his sister. Yummy and less time in the kitchen for this mama!
I’m glad to hear the whole family enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Natalie!
Can u use frozen strawberries 🍓 ? I froze a lot of fresh strawberries earlier. Would I need to alter the recipe??
Linda
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried frozen strawberries inside this cake so I can’t say for sure how it would affect the texture or if they would be too wet. You might need to toss them in some flour and be sure they are very well drained. Again, I haven’t tested that so I can’t say fore sure. You could definitely use frozen for the strawberry sauce since they are just blended there.
Can we make cupcakes with this recipe? Thanks!!!
Hi Glenda, I haven’t tried as cupcakes but one of my readers, Kate, shared the following: “They came out very nicely as muffins, there was enough batter for 14 muffins and they took exactly 30 mins to cook in my convection oven. I then cooled in the pans on top of wire racks for another 10 mins before removing to wire racks to completely cool.” – Note, she used a convection oven so I would suggest baking until a toothpick comes out clean of wet batter. I hope that helps!
Made this cake the other day..it was sooo delicious! I added apples to one half (i have a very picky toddler). I also subsituted sour cream with greek yogurt since thats all i had. Turned out great! Thanks Natasha for another great recipe!
You’re welcome Vika! I’m glad your family enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
I made this, it is now my family favorite. Came out perfect and the sauce just takes it over the top. Thank you!
You’re welcome Linda! I’m glad to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does!e Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha, I baked this delicious cake but I used peaches , I add sliced peach on top and sprinkle with little sugar. DAMMMM!!!.
AGAIN your recipes are perfects.
YUM! That sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers!
Thank you so much for this recipe, Natasha! My 4y.o. daughter who is usually not into cakes asked for an additional piece. It’s delicious!!!
You’re welcome Kristina! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Natasha- Where did you get this cute jar for the sauce? I need one. Thank you.
Hi Tatyana, I believe that was from Fred Meyer. It has been awhile since I purchased it. I’m not sure if they still carry it or not.
Hi Natasha, can i use unbleached all-purpose flour ? . Thanks
Hi Marimar, yes that is the kind I used 🙂
Can you use self rising flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. Most cakes call for plain flour;but, I never buy plain!
Looks delicious!
Hi Joy, I honestly haven’t tried making this strawberry cake with self rising flour so I can’t advise on that. I wish I could be more helpful.
This is one delicious cake. I found that there was enough sauce…Just wanted to let you know that this is the second weekend in a row that I am making it. Would it work with other fruit? Such as peaches which are in season currently??? How about raspberries? Thank you so much for this and other great recipes.
I’m glad you like the strawberry cake. I haven’t tried using peaches or raspberries but it works great with blueberries. Click here for the recipe.
Hi Natasha: just wanted to let you know that I made the cake with peaches, and it turned out wonderful. I used 3 good size peaches for the cake and 3 for the sauce. I added 1/2 cup sugar and some cinnamon. Well, it turned out delicious. Th reason I didn’t use the peach cake is because I had a lot of peaches from CO western slope and bought an entire case for a fundraiser. This is a great basic cake recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
What if I wanted to make these in cupcake form ? How long would I bake for?
I haven’t tried as cupckaes but it’s on my to-do list. One of my readers, Kate, shared the following: “They came out very nicely as muffins, there was enough batter for 14 muffins and they took exactly 30 mins to cook in my convection oven. I then cooled in the pans on top of wire racks for another 10 mins before removing to wire racks to completely cool.” – Note, she used a convection oven so I would suggest baking until a toothpick comes out clean of wet batter. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
How does this do if I bake a day before serving? (I wouldn’t add the powder sugar/sauce until I serve, just baking the cake ahead of time.) Would it be better left out on the counter or in the fridge? Or better just served fresh out the oven?
Hi Felicia, I think the strawberries look and taste the best the same day it is made. It would be safe to leave it covered at room temperature overnight but if you are storing it longer than that, I would refrigerate.
Your recipes are great😍
Thank you Diane! I’m glad you enjoy them! 🙂
This was easy and delicious, sauce was easy and tasty.thanks
You’re welcome Nicola! I’m glad you like it! Thanks for sharing your great review!
I bought some fabulous local strawberries at the farm stand yesterday and decided to bake this up for our anniversary! It was delish! Great texture, not too sweet. Perfect with that strawberry sauce and a puff of fresh whipped cream! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’m definitely trying this with peaches, next.
By the way, my sister works with your sister, Svetlana. That’s how I discovered your blog. I’ve enjoyed making many of your recipes! 🙂
Oh my goodness, small world!! Welcome to my blog and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi: I was wondering about peaches…now that they are in season it would be great to use them for this delicious cake. If you have used them, would you let me know it turned out?? Thanks. Wonder about how many for the cake and then sauce. It must be tasty. Thank you…
Hi, the instructions in our peach cake should help – I highly recommend this one for peaches by the way 🙂
Hi I tried your recipe today and after step 5 my mix turned very hard like dough. Any reason why it would do this? Iv previously done the same recipe with the blueberry lemon cake and had great results. Thanks
Hi Diala, did you maybe change the order of ingredients while adding them? I have done that with a cake in the past and the dough consistency completely changed by adding ingredients in the wrong order even though the overall ingredients in the dough were all the same. I hope that helps!