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
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- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Panna Cotta
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- Eton Mess
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- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
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!