We love this easy strawberry cake recipe! The batter is super simple to make and packed with lots of fresh strawberries that sink into the cake as it bakes. Serve plain or with freshly whipped cream!
You will love this fresh strawberry cake with its tender, light crumb. Before baking, we press fresh strawberries into the top of the cake batter so they fall slightly into the cake as it bakes.
This strawberry cake is stunning on the table and absolutely delicious. For more strawberry desserts, see our homemade strawberry shortcake or this incredible fresh strawberry pie!
Key Ingredients
- Strawberries: I love fresh strawberries in this cake, but frozen strawberries and overripe berries will also work. For a cake with blueberries, see our lemon blueberry cake!
- Butter: I use butter to make the cake batter, which makes our strawberry cake taste rich and flavorful.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar for the cake batter and sprinkle a little extra over my strawberries before baking in the oven.
- Eggs: To get the perfect texture, I separate the eggs. The yolks are beaten into the butter and sugar, while the egg whites are gently mixed in at the end. I’ve tried making this cake with whole eggs like in other cake recipes, but the batter rises too much and overflows the pan. By gently stirring in the egg whites (unbeaten), we limit the air in the batter and prevent it from overflowing in the oven.
- Baking Powder: This helps the cake rise.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but you can substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend if needed.
- Sour Cream: This helps to make our strawberry cake tender and moist. Plain yogurt works well if you don’t have sour cream.
- Spices: I use a combination of lemon zest, vanilla, almond extract, and salt, which makes the cake taste incredible.
How to Make a Strawberry Cake
I use my hand-held mixer for the easy cake batter, but a stand mixer works, too. I beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, then add vanilla, almond extract, and egg yolks (saving the whites for later). I then add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
I finish by mixing in the sour cream and (unbeaten) egg whites. This batter is almost the same as the batter for my pineapple upside down cake!
From there, I spoon the batter into the cake pan and add a layer of fresh strawberries. After sprinkling some extra sugar over the strawberries, I bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
The strawberries soften, release some juices into the cake, and sink a little. This cake is incredible, with some powdered sugar dusted over the top or homemade whipped cream (my favorite).
Easy Strawberry Cake
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
You will love this simple, light, and lovely homemade strawberry cake recipe! We bake halved fresh strawberries into a batter with lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Serve slices of cake plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
You Will Need
8 ounces (225g) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, softened (1 stick), divided
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for strawberries
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (125g) sour cream or plain yogurt
Directions
1Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan at least 2 inches tall.
2In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
3Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
4In another bowl, whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
5On low speed, mix half of the flour mixture into the butter and egg yolk mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain, then mix in the remaining flour.
6Add the (unbeaten) egg whites and sour cream. Mix on low speed until blended.
7Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
8Arrange the strawberry halves, cut-side down, on top of the batter, covering the top of the cake. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the strawberries.
9Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
10Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack, then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan.
11Serve warm or at room temperature with powdered sugar dusted over the top or homemade whipped cream.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: You can refrigerate the leftover cake for up to 3 days. Freeze it, wrapped well in foil, for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can rewarm slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Recipe adapted and inspired from Alice Medrich’s “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts”
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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This is AMAZING! I decreased the sugar to 180g and it was quite sweet enough. I used frozen strawberries that had some freezer burn and so I roasted them in balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and the strawberries were much wetter than raw ones. I used flax egg instead of eggs. The yogurt I used was really loose. All of that made for a cake that took an extra 45 minutes to bake. However, even with all of that the end result was a cake that was out of the world! I have another bag of strawberries and I’m looking forward to using them for your strawberry muffins! THANK YOU!
We are so happy you were able to adjust based on what you had on hand. Thanks for coming back, Lillith.
This cake is the best I have made of this type (vanilla batter with fruit in top) – the vanilla lemon cake part (I didn’t have almond essence but didn’t miss it) has an incredible texture and taste. While I was making it I wondered at the dry texture and difficulty combining the dry ingredients with the butter, sugar and egg, but I think com lining the flour with the fatty ingredients prevents it from going stodgy. The proof of the pudding… is a light and airy crumb, not the slightest bit dry or dense. I made this for friends and they literally wouldn’t stop raving about it. I suspect this will work equally well with apple or blueberries and will try soon!
What happens once the yoghurt and egg whites have been mixed? Look forward to baking the cake? Beanie
Hi there, the egg white and sour cream (or yogurt) are mixed into the batter on low speed. After they are blended into the cake batter, you can bake the cake. (Sorry if this was not as obvious as it could have been. I have reworded that direction to make sure its more clear.)
Fabulous recipes. Combine great flavor, common sense, and streamlined explanations..wonderful site for a seasoned cook, or a novice!
Beautiful, super easy cake! Have made it with both strawberries and peaches. Once was low on sour cream, I made up the difference with heavy cream..Still Great;- then another time, forgot to separate the eggs, just beat them longer, Still Great! Perfect Cake! Thanks!
My grandson said he wanted a strawberry cake for his 4th birthday which is later this month. I am going to bake this cake. Thank you.