This is the PERFECT white cake with a soft texture, moist crumb, and wonderful vanilla flavor; plus, it tastes incredible with creamy vanilla buttercream. Cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream are the secrets to the best texture. The cake batter is my gold standard and I use it as the base for many other cake flavors including strawberry cake, coconut cake, pistachio cake, burnt sugar caramel cake, and more.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Shandra, commented: “This. Cake. Is. Excellent! Thank you, Sally, for such a delicious recipe. For my preference, this hit the spot on tenderness, fluffiness, and taste (which to me means non-eggy). And the frosting is excellent as well! Archived as my #1 white cake recipe. Yum! ★★★★★“
Why This Is My Best White Cake Recipe
This white cake recipe is adapted from my perfect vanilla cupcakes, a longtime reader favorite. The cake is my definition of *cake perfection* and has become one of the most popular cake recipes on my website. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find it printed in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (which is now a New York Times Best Seller!). Here’s why:
- Soft & airy crumb
- Fluffy, but not eggy
- Pure sweet flavor
- Stick-to-your-fork moist & tender
- Completely from scratch
- Easy & approachable dessert recipe
I love this cake so much that I used it as the base for several other cake recipes I have published including espresso chocolate chip cake, pineapple coconut cake, cookies and cream cake, chocolate chip cake, plus more listed below. I even reduced the quantity of cake batter down to make the perfect 1-layer pineapple upside down cake.
It’s my flagship cake recipe, and I crown it with the smoothest, creamiest vanilla buttercream. Rainbow sprinkles add a little glitz and glamour because… what’s cake without sprinkles?
In the past 7 years, I’ve made this cake so frequently that I have the recipe memorized. I’m talking birthday parties, baby showers, summer parties, anniversaries, and even a couple bake sales. There are several success tips I’ve picked up along the way, and I’m thrilled to share them with you so you can enjoy cake perfection on your 1st try.
White Cake Success Tips
- Cream the Butter: To achieve a good rise, properly cream the butter and sugar together. You have the crutch of baking powder and baking soda, but the cake’s crumb truly sings when that creaming process steps in. If you’re new to this technique, this quick tutorial and video walk you through how to cream butter and sugar.
- Use Only Egg Whites: Do not use egg yolks. Using only egg whites not only gives you a pristine white cake, but also it ensures that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. Think about it: lighter confections such as marshmallows and angel food cake require only the egg whites. It’s the same story here. You need 5 large egg whites in this cake.
- Use Pure Vanilla: You need pure vanilla extract for this cake, and a full Tablespoon in the cake batter. You’ll really taste it, so don’t skimp on the amount. If you have a vanilla bean, go ahead and scrape the beans from half of it into the batter for extra flavor, or you can swap the extract for the same amount of vanilla bean paste.
- Sour Cream Instead of Egg Yolks: Sour cream is the cake’s security blanket. While it contains fat like the egg yolks would, it doesn’t really weigh down the crumb. It’s pure moisture and adds the most creamy, tender texture to every bite. It plays the same important role in coffee cake, too.
- You Need Cake Flour: Cake flour is almost 30x finer than all-purpose flour. Using it is a surefire way to achieve a delicate, soft-as-a-pillow texture. It’s sold in the baking aisle and you can use the rest of the box in any of these recipes that use cake flour including my popular confetti cake.
- Room Temperature: Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. When ingredients are the same temperature, they bind together more readily than if you had some cold and some warmer ingredients. Colder ingredients, especially egg whites, will produce a thicker batter and, since it’s cold, will take longer to bake. This changes everything.
Room-Temperature Ingredients
If a recipe calls for room-temperature eggs or any other ingredient such as milk or sour cream, make sure you follow suit. Recipes don’t do that for fun—room-temperature ingredients emulsify much easier into batter, which creates a uniform texture throughout your baked good. Think of cold, hard butter. It’s impossible to cream cold butter into a soft consistency. Same goes for eggs—they add much more volume to the batter when they’re at room temperature. Place your eggs in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes, and you can briefly warm the milk and sour cream (separately) on the stove or in the microwave to bring up the temperature. Here’s my trick for bringing butter to room temperature quickly.
This Is a 2-Layer 9-Inch Cake
You need two 9-inch round cake pans for this batter. This batter does not fit into two 8-inch cake pans (it’s too much). Three 8-inch pans work, as seen here in my fresh berry cream cake, but the layers are thin. If you want to make a 6-inch cake, use this 6-inch cake recipe, which is scaled down from today’s batter. Feel free to visit my cake pans & conversions page if you have any questions about changing the pan size.
Make sure you line your cake pans with parchment paper rounds, to help the cakes seamlessly release from the pan. If you need recommendations for round cake pans, I really like Fat Daddio’s pans and these Wilton cake pans.
White Cake Decoration
While the ingredients in the cake batter don’t leave any room for substitutions, we can have some fun with a variety of frostings. I prefer vanilla frosting, which I include in the recipe below. But I encourage you to play around with chocolate buttercream, rainbow chip frosting, or chocolate cream cheese frosting (also delicious on this zebra cake!). For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing this cake with whipped frosting. Each of these frostings are absolutely remarkable on this lovely cake. The vanilla frosting makes a lot, so expect a thick layer between the cakes.
*Crumb Coat Details*
To ensure the layer cake is stable, it’s important to apply a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting on the exterior of the cake that locks in any loose crumbs and helps stabilize the layers. After you stack the 2 layers with frosting in between, cover the top and sides of the layered cake with a very thin layer of frosting (about 1 cup). If desired, run a bench scraper around the cake to help smooth out the frosting. Refrigerate the uncovered cake for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour to “set” the crumb coat. Then cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. This detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post is a great guide!
Here Are All the Cake Flavors Made From This Perfect Batter
It’s impressive that this combination of ingredients can produce so many cakes. I will ALWAYS turn to this recipe.
- Elmo Cake & Cookie Monster Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cake with Ganache Drip
- Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cake
- Pineapple Coconut Cake
- Fresh Berry Cream Cake
- Burnt Sugar Caramel Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Pistachio Cake
- Strawberry Cake (very popular recipe)
- Reduced batter for 1 layer: Pineapple Upside Down Cake & 1-Layer Sprinkle Cake
To Change the Cake Pan Size:
This batter does not fit into two 8-inch cake pans (it’s too much). Three 8-inch pans work at the same oven temperature, as seen here in my fresh berry cream cake, but the layers are thin.
If you want to make a 6-inch cake, use this 6-inch cake recipe, which is scaled down from this batter.
Yes. Same oven temperature. This batter will fit into a 10 to 12-inch Bundt pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Yes. Same oven temperature. Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan and bake for 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I recommend following my Homemade Wedding Cake recipe as a guide for a tiered cake, and it will be best to use cake dowels and boards for support. The bottom tier of that cake is sturdier than this white cake, though the flavor is pretty identical.
My vanilla cupcakes recipe is essentially this same recipe, only halved. If you want more cupcakes, you can follow this white cake batter recipe and use the baking instructions for the cupcakes.
The Perfect White Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the PERFECT white cake with a soft texture, moist crumb, and wonderful vanilla flavor; plus, it tastes incredible with creamy vanilla buttercream. See various flavors above and all of my recipe Notes below. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (295g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/4 cups (282g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or use clear imitation vanilla for stark white frosting)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, as needed
- optional: sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and then, with the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the milk and beat just until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 24–25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pan, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and then add the cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste; beat in the salt if the frosting is too sweet. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more cream if frosting is too thick, or a pinch more salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Assemble and frost: (For additional help with this step, see this how to assemble a layer cake video & post.) First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place one cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 3/4 to 1 cup 3/4–1 cup (180–240g) of vanilla buttercream in an even layer on top. Top with the second cake layer, upside down, and spread the top and sides with 1 cup of buttercream (240g) in a very thin layer to make the crumb coat. If desired, run a bench scraper around the cake to help smooth out the frosting on the sides. Refrigerate the cake until the crumb coat has set, about 20 minutes. Finish by spreading the top and sides with the remaining buttercream. Decorate the cake with sprinkles, if desired.
- Slice and serve immediately or keep at room temperature for a few hours before serving. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. See this post & video on how to freeze cakes for information on freezing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Fat Daddio’s Cake Pans or Wilton Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula and Bench Scraper (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Amount of Batter: If it’s helpful for using different size cake pan sizes and conversions, this recipe yields about 7 cups (about 1680g) of cake batter.
- Cake Flour: If you can’t find cake flour, here is a DIY homemade cake flour substitute you can use instead.
- Carton Egg Whites: You can use carton egg whites. The carton should give measurements for substituting for fresh egg whites.
- Milk, Sour Cream, Substituting Buttermilk: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. Same goes for a lower-fat milk. If you want to use buttermilk, the best way to do so is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk.
- Other Cake Sizes (6-inch, 8-inch, 9×13-inch, tiered cake, Bundt cake, cupcakes): Please see FAQ above the recipe.
- Almond Cake: If you want to add almond flavoring, I recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract for an almond cake. I usually just do this to the cake, but you could certainly swap some of the vanilla extract in the frosting for almond extract for an even deeper almond flavor. Decorate the cake with sliced almonds, if desired.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’ve made this cake a dozen times, and it turns out great every time! I was wanting to add a little bit of almond flavor, with almond extract to this. How much should I add, and should I keep vanilla extract the same?
Hi Ariel, we’re so happy you enjoy this cake! For an almond cake, we recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract. Happy baking!
Hi, I plan on making this cake for my daughter’s 13th birthday this weekend. Is it possible to make this as a 2 layer 8” cake?
Hi Kathy! Yes, you can use two 8 inch pans instead of 9 inch pans. Bake time may be a minute or two longer. Enjoy!
Hi Sally. I made your vanilla cupcakes recently and they were lovely and fluffy. Tonight I made the white cake in a 9×13 inch pan and it was soft and moist but it came out very flat – only 2cm tall! Any idea why? Thanks.
Hi Georgia, Did the cake not rise and was dense? It’s not a very tall cake. If it was dense then the post How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake should help you troubleshoot. I hope this helps!
Hiv salt
I want to make a 6 ” layered cake but I only have 1 -6″ pan
Will the cake batter stay good while cooking one layer at a time?
Thank you
Meg
Hi Meg, absolutely. Leave the remaining cake batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the other layers to bake. Enjoy!
Hi, can all or part of the butter be substituted with canola oil? Thank you!
Hi Ashley! It’s best to stick with all butter for this cake recipe. Enjoy!
Hi!! Can the vanilla extract be substituted with almond extract?
Hi Ciara, we don’t recommend using all almond extract. For an almond cake, we recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract. Enjoy!
Sorry but this is the worst cake I’ve ever made, yes it’s fluffy what there is of it but it’s as flat as a pancake, I did everything that was in the recipe, followed it to a t, all room temp ingredients etc, so disappointing but I would not recommend this
Hi Sally, I just made the two-layer white cake version. The taste was great but the layers weren’t as high as I expected, and had lots of air holes. What might I do different next time? I followed the instructions and notes, and have been baking a long time, so I’m not sure how to improve for next time.
Hi Bonnie! Over-mixing your cake batter can lead to air bubbles and a more dense crumb. Make sure to only mix until combined! These tips for preventing a dense cake may be helpful for the future as well. Thank you so much for giving this cake recipe a try!
Hi! Wanting to make a small cake using 6 inch rounds – maybe 4 layers. Would this recipe make enough batter for my smaller cake?
Hi Mattie! We suggest following the recipe in this 6 inch cakes post for a three layer 6 inch vanilla cake instead. Or you can reference our cake pan sizes and conversions guide to find out how much batter you would need to adjust this white cake recipe for a 4 layer cake. Happy baking!
Hello! Can I substitute the pure vanilla extract with pure almond extract? And do I use the same amount? Thanks!
Hi Mary Jane, for an almond cake, we recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract. Enjoy!
I made this cake this morning. There were no instructions regarding greasing the pan. I put olive oil in the bottom and the sides of the tin and wipe it down. Then I put parchment paper in. However, the bottom of each cake was dark. What should I have done?
Hi Mary! We recommend lightly greasing the pans (we usually use cooking spray) and lightly flouring for this recipe – see step 1. If there was too much oil in your pans that could cause extra browning.
Do you do anything different for high altitude? I live in Wyoming and we are at about 6000 feet.
Thanks,
Merridy
Hi Merridy, I wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally,
I want to make your Favorite White Cake recipe but I have to bake gluten free. I normally use King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour which is a 1:1 substitute for regular AP wheat flour, I have never been able to find any gluten free cake flour. Should I use your recipe for homemade cake flour substitute with the my gluten free flour, or just use the GF flour as is to make this cake? Thank You!
I want to make your Lemon Blueberry cake using a vanilla cake and lemon curd for the middle in place of lemon cake. I’m wondering if I can use a springform pan, since this is all I have for a smaller pan size, and will the cake be thick enough to hold the blueberries?
Hi Miranda! You can add blueberries to this batter -we recommend 1 cup of fresh blueberries. You can use a 9 inch springform pan – we would bake it in two batches for two layers instead of baking it all at once. You can leave the second half of the batter sitting at room temperature while the first bakes. Would love to hear how it goes!
This cake is everything I was looking for. When I was licking the batter from the bowl while the cakes were in the oven I knew it was going to be good, and as soon as they came out of the oven there was a creamy vanilla scent that wafted through the air, which still happens two days later when I take the cake dome off for another slice. When the cakes were still warm and cooling I levelled them just so I could have a little piece and the flavour and texture blew me away. So soft and fluffy! I frosted it with a raspberry buttercream and served with fresh raspberries, and I know I’ll be making this one again. Absolutely perfect!
This recipe was easy, and the cake baked very well…but it didn’t have a good deep vanilla taste. I used McCormick, a new bottle, and the full amount of 1 tablespoon. From the description, I was expecting a very recognizable vanilla taste, hoping for depth something like a good vanilla ice cream…cuz that was the request of the little kid recipient-to-be.
Can I just add an additional teaspoon or even 2 of the liquid vanilla? Would it improve the strength if I used vanilla paste instead or or in ADDITION to the McCormick liquid? I’ve never mixed vanilla with the sugar so would THAT be an additional move? Thanks very much…I have another request for a vanilla cake coming up, so am wondering now ….
Thanks so much for any information or suggestions you can give me….
Hi Martha, thank you for trying the white cake recipe. To add more vanilla flavor, you could use vanilla sugar. You could also add vanilla paste in addition to the vanilla extract (such as 1-2 teaspoons) or add the seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean. I wouldn’t add more liquid vanilla extract.
I made this recipe this week with “regular” flour and it turned out really well! Delicious!! We topped it with your vanilla buttercream recipe! 🙂
Absolute favorite Cake recipe!! I am making 3 servings for my nephews birthday this weekend. Quick question, can I use liquid egg whites? Not the egg substitute just the preseparated egg whites? I’d really rather not have 15 egg yolks sitting around…
Hi Emily! Yes, you can use carton egg whites. The carton should give measurements for substituting for real egg whites.
Hi Sally! Would you recommend doubling this recipe for a 12×18 pan?
Hi Jennifer! You can reference this handy Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions Guide to find out how much cake batter you’ll need for that pan.
I’m planning on making a blue and red swirl cake for my son’s Spiderman Birthday. Will food coloring mess up this recipe or do you have a specific coloring to reccomend or another cake recipe that will take coloring better?
Hi Amber, this cake will color nicely. We always suggest using gel food coloring as you need to use less to get vibrant colors (adding lots of liquid food coloring could alter the texture of the cakes). Let us know how it goes!
Hi, Sally! Will it be ok if I make this cake and just put it into 3 6″ cake pans?
Hi Zoe, there is too much batter for a 6 inch cake. Use my 6 inch cake recipe instead, which is a lot like this cake batter. (And the cake is pretty soft, too.)
I’m going to be making this for a 9×13″ cake, and your notes are clear as to just adding the batter of 1 recipe to the 9×13 pan….7 cups. But I also looked at your article about batter/pan conversion….and there it lists a 9×13″ pan as 14 cups of batter. Does that mean that the full volume to the top of the pan is 14c…and so you wouldn’t ever put that much INTO a pan?
And then if that were the case, the correct volume of this batter, 7 cups, would be the right amount for a single normal nicely risen 9×13 layer? Sorry, maybe I am creating my own confusion by “too much information”!! Thanks for any response back…Martha T
Hi Martha, the amount listed in the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions guide is the total amount of batter each pan holds, but you usually only fill cake pans halfway (unless otherwise noted in the recipe you are using). So you’re correct — the 7 cups of batter here will be perfect for a 9×13 pan, filling it about half way. Hope this helps!
Oh. My. Goodness!! 🙂 I made this cake yesterday and had it in the fridge overnight and ate it today! It was the most delicious white cake I have ever made! Wonderful flavor(no egg taste since the yolks are omitted) and the perfect texture-not too light and not too dense. I made it into a sprinkle cake and added 1/2 cup of rainbow jimmies to the batter and it was beautiful. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I made and assembled the cake with icing a day in advance. It is refrigerated and I will serve it tomorrow. Should I sit it out for 30 minutes beforehand to come to room temp? Thanks!
Hi Cassie! Yes, that is a good idea to let the cake warm a bit before serving. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi Sally! I made this but mine turned out really dry. (I’m a beginner baker) Any thoughts? Did I overcook it ( the bottom was very dark brown color…)?
Hi Aarti! It could have definitely been over-baked, especially if it was dark brown on the bottom. There’s a chance your oven could run hot; you could try turning it down a bit next time or buying an inexpensive in-oven thermometer. And as always, keep an eye on cakes in the oven to make sure they don’t over bake. Here’s a post about preventing dry cakes as well!
Bar none, the absolute best vanilla cake I’ve ever made/eaten! Room temperature ingredients make all the difference. Will be using this recipe for all future vanilla birthday cake requests!
Am very anxious to try this, it sounds delicious! My son has an egg allergy and I usually use a fake egg substitute (flax egg). Any other better suggestions or allowances for this alteration? Thanks so much!
Hi Shannon! We haven’t tested any egg substitutes in this recipe. Would love to hear how it goes for you!
This. Cake. Is. Excellent! Thank you, Sally, for such a delicious recipe. For my preference, this hit the spot on tenderness, fluffiness, and taste (which to me means non-eggy). And the frosting is excellent as well! Archived as my #1 white cake recipe. Yum!
And on a side note: Your recipes have gradually been taking over my notebook of favorites. Sincerely enjoying how you cook, bake, write and educate. It’s a fun site to explore. 🙂
Cake was good but dense. Any suggestions?
Hi Jill, dense cake can be caused for a few different reasons. Our How to Prevent Dry and Dense Cakes might help you pinpoint the culprit. We’re glad it was delicious nonetheless!
This is my 3rd time making this beauty. Instead of using 2 9in pans I used 3. I want my layers to be a bit on the thinner side. Just took them out of the oven. I plan to put a maple flavored apple compote in between the layers and frost it with a lightly cinnamon SMBC frosting. Everything is ready to go. I’m just waiting on my layers to cool. I can’t wait to eat a piece. Even though my layers are thinner they look FLUFFY! And my batter? It was chef kiss perfection!! Hope you have a great Valentine’s Day Sally. All the best to you and yours… ❤
Sally,
Could you please advise how to incorporate a little strawberry swirl into this cake? I want to make this for my son for Valentine’s Day. I recently discovered your recipes and have converted your Carrot Cake and Strawberry Cake to Gluten Free and Dairy Free because my son has severe food allergies. They came out so delicious! Thank you so much!
Hi Tamela, We are so happy you have been enjoying the cake recipes. I am just seeing this question now, but we have not tested this cake batter with a strawberry swirl. You can definitely use strawberry frosting, or add strawberry sauce between the layers. Let us know if you try anything!