Strawberry Cake: the soft, moist dessert recipe made with fresh strawberries

There’s no reason why cooks should be a hassle to make. This fresh Strawberry Cake is an easy dessert recipe perfect for spring and summer. Packed with fresh strawberries, quick to whip up, and delicious to eat—it’s everything you want in a homemade cake.

The flavor is sweet without being too overpowering, while the texture is moist and fluffy, with bursts of fresh fruit. To make it, you’ll need whole, fresh, juicy strawberries which are then topped with a basic cake batter. Serve with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream and get ready for a second helping.

Vanilla Strawberry Cake Ingredients

Eggs – use large eggs that are at room temperature.

Sugar – use granulated sugar.

Milk – use full-fat milk for best results.

Vegetable oil – used instead of butter; creates a moist cake.

Flour – use all-purpose flour, not cake flour.

Baking powder – use baking powder, and not baking soda.

Strawberries – use fresh strawberries, if you want to use frozen strawberries.

How To Make Strawberry Cake

Prepare the cake pan before you start with the cake batter. Grease the tin well, then line with parchment paper. Arrange the fresh strawberries in the bottom of the cake tin. Skip this step if you’re using frozen strawberries.

To make the batter, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon zest, oil, milk, and lemon juice. If using frozen strawberries, carefully mix them in now. The cake might be slightly soggier if using frozen strawberries.

Pour the mixture over the fresh strawberries (if using) and bake at 360°F/180°C for 50 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Can You Decorate Vanilla Strawberry Cake With Frosting?

There are so many ways to decorate and serve this cake. Serve it plain with powdered sugar, or top with frosting such as basic vanilla buttercream, or cream cheese frosting.

If you want, you can also make a chocolate frosting which will work well with the strawberries.

You can even drizzle it with white or dark chocolate!

Tips For Making Fresh Strawberry Cake

To test if your baking powder is still active, mix a cup of hot water with 2 teaspoons of baking powder. If it fizzes immediately, it’s active. If not, it’s time to buy new baking powder!

If you’re frosting the cake, wait until it has cooled completely.

If you like a crispy topping on your cake, you can sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar over the cake before baking.

To prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan, make sure to grease it well and line the bottom with parchment paper.

As an egg substitute, use any of the following:

• 1/4 cup of plain yogurt (use per 1 egg in the recipe),
• 1/4 cup mashed banana (use per 1 egg in the recipe),
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (use per 1 egg in the recipe).

How To Store Homemade Strawberry Cake

Store the cake in a cake tin, or another airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Instructions

Remove the green stems from each strawberry and place them stem side-down in a cake pan.

Whisk in a mixture of eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon zest, oil, milk, and lemon juice.

Pour the batter over the strawberries and bake at 360°F/180°C for 50 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.