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 Glenda, I tried the recipe with some adjustments and it turned out great (substituted flour for Almond four, apple sauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream). Now, I’d like substitute the sugar with raw honey or maple syrup if possible to make it healthier. I know I would need to use less honey/syrup (about 1/2c – 2/3c instead of the 1c sugar). Do you know if this would work?
Hi Shirley, I honestly haven’t tried that substitution so I”m not sure how it would affect the recipe especially with the other substitutions you are making (and thank you for sharing that those substitutions work – that is awesome!!). I wish I had a better answer for you.
I made this strawberry cake but I forgot to put in the oil. Now I’m afraid to serve it.
I haven’t tried it that way so I’m not sure what to advise. I would suggest maybe slicing it up and serve it all sliced up so you can cut yourself a thin slice and test it without it being noticeable?
I made it and my family loved this easy cake and the sauce is just haven. My pregnant daughter doesn’t eat much these days but she ate 2 pieces, took the leftovers with her and asked me to make more this week.
That’s great, I’m glad to hear the recipe is such a hit! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Valery!
Have made this twice in the last two days!!! First time to try it out, second time by request!!! Used coconut oil and the flavor it adds is wonderful….also added a splash of almond milk to thin out the batter a tiny bit. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome Allison! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Looks wonderful! Ideas on making a day or 2 ahead of need?
Hi Becky, I think it’s best made the same day you are enjoying it but you could probably make it work a day ahead and use berries that are fresh and not overly ripe if making a day ahead.
Thank you! I made it yesterday and still perfect today
You’re welcome Becky! I’m happy to hear that! 🙂
Sorry, another quick question!! For how long can I left the sauce at room temperature?
Hi Glenda, I think the sugar would preserve it pretty well for a few hours at room temperature, but keep in mind it is fresh strawberry puree so you would want to refrigerate after 3 hours or so and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
HI Natasha!!!
Can i double the recipe?
Thanks!!
Hi Glenda, I haven’t tried that but I imagine it would work as long as you add ingredients in the order they are listed and then either bake in a pan that is twice the size in width or divide evenly into 2 pans and bake them together. It may require more bake time if it’s doubled.
Thanks!!
You’re welcome!
Followed the recipe, but the cake did not bake through, and the top burned. Next time I will need to add more flour and bake at lower temp;)
Hi Larisa, I’m wondering if maybe you had it set to a convection bake mode? I haven’t had that experience baking in a conventional oven per the instructions so I’m not sure what else it could be.
I bake in conventional oven and I never have any problem. Always Reduce 25 grades when bake in conventional from the inicial recipe grades to bake. If the recipe grades is 375F in conv bake in 350F
I was thinking if i can use yoghurt instead of sour crem, what do you think?
I have not tried it in the recipe myself, however I’ve heard from others that it works well as a substitute!
Thank you! It really turned out great!
I will try with sour cream too another time!
My pleasure Rodica, I’m glad to hear that!
It was super simple to make and really delicious!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Julia! Thanks for sharing!
Meeen, I forgot to add oil to the batter. My cake is in the oven now… i hope it’s still good.
Oh no!! I hope it still works out. I haven’t had that happen – let me know how the low fat version works out ;). Hopefully you will have discovered something great! 🙂
Has anyone tried it yet with Frozen Strawberries???
Hi Suzanne, frozen strawberries will work well for the filling since it is just pureed strawberries 🙂
Hi Natasha
I made this yesterday for dinner with my in-laws and it was a real hit.
I used raw brown sugar for the cake and it still turned out lovely. I also used half the amount of sugar for the syrup and it was perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. On a very hot day this was a great dessert as I refrigerated the syrup and it was refreshing. Thanks I will be making this again.
You’re welcome Alicja! I’m glad to hear the recipe is such a success. Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Hi Natasha,
beautifully done! I just saw the recipe yesterday and am very eager to try it…problem is I might fail to find fresh strawberries at this point:( Would frozen ones do the magic?And is there any alteration to the recipe or duration of baking?
Hi Jana, 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.
hi Natasha,
I have a question about this cake it said to put 2 teaspoons of baking powder is it full ones or half of it ?
HI Valentina, I use a dry ingredients measuring spoon, fill it, and level off the top for an exact measure of 2 teaspoons.
Hi Natasha,
I’m Andrea. We baked the cake in a springform pan (we managed to buy one) :), and it turned out great! Except I think we left it in there too long and the strawberries were a little burnt. But the kitchen smells great (even if it is small). Lol. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hello Andrea! You’re welcome, I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review!
Hi Natasha,
It’s Andrea. I was wondering if it was possible to bake the cake in a rectangular bread tin. I don’t have a 9 inch cake pan to bake it in. Since the bread tin is deeper, I wondered if also I could bake the cake batter in halves do it wouldn’t affect the baking time.
Thank you!
Hi Andrea, I haven’t tried that but I think it’s worth an experiment. At least one reader reported great results in a loaf pan. They used 1 recipe for 1 loaf pan but I don’t have any details on changes in bake time. I would bake for the same amount of time and then do the toothpick test and continue baking longer if needed. You might need to shield it with foil if baking longer and it starts to darken on top.
Thanks!
You’re welcome Andrea!
Hi Natasha, thank you for your lovely recipes. I have just tried to bake the strawberry cake(it is still in the oven though!) I realised that my cake batter wasn’t as thick as yours, I have done the same exact measuring. Also, do you think the US cup size is different from the UK? Thank you very much lovely 🙂
Hi Baran, it may be a difference in sizes, or even a difference in flour. For example, Canadian flour requires less flour in general than US flour because there is a higher gluten content in Canadian flour. For best results, I suggest weighing out the flour to get 260 grams for the recipe. I hope that helps and I hope it works out well for you! 🙂
This strawberry cake is so delicious we really like it, I think I’m going to make another one lol, Natasha I have a question for you, can you make a sugar free desserts? I just wondering because my son is not able to eat sweet dessert.
Hi Sandra, I don’t have a category on my site like that since I don’t use artificial sweeteners, but I will keep that in mind. Thats tough that he can’t have sweet dessert.
Natasha, I made it two times, but both times it was wet inside. I changed the recipe (more flour, fewer berries), still, runny inside. I kept in int eh oven 350F for more than an hour. Still, very wet inside. It did work well with a blueberry cake but not strawberries .
Hi Elena, I haven’t had that experience but I am always happy to help troubleshoot. did you use the recommended amount of strawberries? Using more strawberries might result in it being more moist inside. Also, I’m not sure if this was the case for you but, it’s best to use fresh strawberries since frozen are more wet. Are you possibly using a different sized pan or mixing all of the strawberries into the batter rather than placing them over the top, or chopping the berries too finely? I hope that helps!