The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add to the best white cake batter.
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
This strawberry cake completely blew me away. After years of mediocre from-scratch strawberry cakes, my expectations were pretty low. It was time to taste test my efforts. Biting into the first pastel-pink forkful was the moment of truth…
I cried tears of joy. Or were those actual tears because I just dirtied every dish with all this strawberry cake recipe testing?
I find it challenging to pack real strawberry flavor into cake without the crutch of fake strawberry flavoring. My goal was to create a strawberry layer cake made entirely from real strawberries. We’re talking strawberries inside the cake and in the frosting as well. With the help of freeze-dried strawberries, I tackled strawberry frosting. I’ll get to that below. But for strawberry cake? Things have always been pretty lackluster in the flavor and texture department.
Strawberry Cake Problems
- Chopping up strawberries and folding into cake batter works, but then you’re just eating vanilla cake with chunks of strawberries.
- Pureeing strawberries and folding into cake batter has potential, but the texture is always off. There’s too much liquid. How about adding more flour to make up for that liquid? Then your cake is too dense. And the flavor is always lacking.
- Strawberry jam could work, but I prefer to start with real strawberries.
So how can we pack real strawberry flavor into cake batter without adding too much liquid? REDUCE THE STRAWBERRIES DOWN. Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
How to Pack REAL Strawberry Flavor Into Cake
- Puree fresh strawberries.
- Reduce down on the stove.
- Let cool.
- Stir into cake batter.
You’ll need a food processor or blender to puree the fresh strawberries, and again when you make the frosting.
Take that strawberry puree—don’t add anything else to it—and reduce it down on the stove. This, my friends, is where all the magic happens. Like I mention above, you want a lot of concentrated flavor within a little amount of liquid. We also do this with champagne in my mimosa cupcakes and champagne frosting. And with Guinness in Guinness chocolate cake, too.
You’ll begin with about 1 cup of hot pink puree and reduce down to 1/2 cup. After 30 minutes, it will be very thick and very red. Add this thick and highly concentrated strawberry flavor to your cake batter, instead of the thinner strawberry puree.
The reduced strawberry puree will go into the cake batter. No need to strain the seeds first—they disappear when the cake is baked.
Because the reduced strawberry puree needs to completely cool down, I suggest getting started the day before. Just let the reduced strawberry puree sit in the refrigerator overnight and make the cake batter the following day.
Strawberry Cake Batter
The cake batter starts from my white cake. This vanilla-flavored cake proved to be the best jumping-off point for a strawberry cake. I kept the majority of the recipe the same, but I removed some of the wet ingredients to make room for 1/2 cup of reduced strawberries. The cake is light, springy, soft, and fluffy.
The reduced strawberry puree will tint the cake batter a lovely pastel pink and, if you want, you can add a small drop of pink or red food coloring to brighten that hue. Not necessary, of course. (I added a single drop of pink gel food coloring.) Expect a velvety and slightly thick cake batter.
- No artificial strawberry flavor.
- Nothing from a box.
- Just pure strawberries.
The Strawberry Frosting
You can taste the fresh strawberry flavor in the baked cake, but the flavor is REALLY brought out when you combine it with strawberry frosting. Like strawberry cake, strawberry frosting has always left me feeling a little defeated. Fresh strawberries were the issue. The frosting would always curdle from the added moisture. And no amount of fresh strawberries could get me the strawberry flavor I craved. Instead of settling for artificial strawberry flavoring, I took a trick from Sally’s Candy Addiction: strawberry dust! Grab some freeze-dried strawberries, grind them up, and mix that magic dust into the frosting.
(I actually added freeze-dried strawberries to cake batter as one of my test recipes. This was an awful decision and an epic fail. The cake was atrocious. Texture, taste, and appearance. Just… no. But freeze-dried strawberries are a YES for frosting!)
- Where to buy freeze-dried strawberries? I find freeze-dried strawberries in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. I’ve also seen them in health food stores. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Target all carry them, as well. Or, you can order them online.
- Baker’s Tip: Do not use “dried strawberries” which are like raisins, dried apricots, and dried pineapple. They have a gummy texture and don’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed.
Instead of a thicker strawberry buttercream, I used my silky cream cheese frosting recipe. Added in the freeze-dried strawberry “dust” and milk and was left with a frosting so pink, Barbie would be jealous!
By the way, this frosting would also be a fantastic filling for homemade eclairs or on strawberry cupcakes.
Let’s Review
The tricks to homemade strawberry cake and frosting made with real strawberries? (1) Reduced strawberry puree in the cake batter and (2) freeze-dried strawberries in the frosting. Have fun baking!
Print
Homemade Strawberry Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours (including cooling)
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add it to the best white cake batter. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries
Cake
- 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
- 1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup reduced strawberry puree (from step 1)
- optional: 1–2 drops red or pink food coloring
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries*
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the reduced strawberry puree first, and let cool: Hull the fresh strawberries and place them in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. You should have a little more than 1 cup (around 270g). Transfer the puree to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it’s reduced to 1/2 cup (about 135g). This usually takes around 25–35 minutes, but could take longer depending on your pan or the ripeness of your strawberries. Remove from heat, pour into a heat-safe bowl, and cool completely before using. I always make the reduced puree the day before so it has plenty of time to cool down. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Allow it to come back to room temperature before adding to the cake batter. (See Notes for additional make-ahead 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.)
- Make the cake: 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. Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides 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 until just combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in the room-temperature reduced strawberry puree and food coloring (if using), making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter should be slightly thick. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake 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 blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. If any larger bits remain, sift the powder through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Taste, then beat in a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. Cover and refrigerate it for 1 hour before using. Yields about 3 cups (720g) of frosting.
- Assemble and frost: (For additional help with this step, see this how to assemble a layer cake video & post.) First, level the cakes: 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 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 3/4–1 cup (180–240g) of frosting in an even layer on top. Top with the second layer, upside down, and spread 1 cup (240g) of frosting all over the top and sides in a very thin layer to make a crumb coat. 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. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Before slicing, refrigerate the cake for at least 20 minutes to set the frosting and help the cake keep its shape when slicing—it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the cake has been in the refrigerator for more than 4 hours, take it out 2 hours before serving so it can mostly come to room temperature.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly and stored at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See How to Freeze Cakes for instructions. You can also make the reduced strawberry puree ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw, bring to room temperature, then use in the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Pink Food Coloring | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula and Bench Scraper (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Cake Flour: I strongly suggest using cake flour in this recipe. If you can’t find it, try this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Whole Milk: If needed, buttermilk works in its place. I don’t recommend a lower-fat milk.
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I always find them in my regular grocery store in the aisle with the dried fruit. Target, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s carry them, and I’ve also found them in some health food stores. You can also buy them online. Do not use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You need FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind into a powder. If you can’t find them anywhere, just leave them out of the frosting and add another 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar.
- Can I use frozen strawberries for the puree? You can use frozen strawberries, but they will take longer to reduce even if you thaw them first.
- 9×13-Inch Cake: Simply pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake pans 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20–22 minutes. Makes 30 cupcakes. For 14–15 cupcakes, follow my strawberry cupcakes recipe, which is adapted from this strawberry cake.
- Food Coloring: If you want, you can add 1–2 small drops of pink or red food coloring to deepen the pink color of the cake. I add 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring.
- No Cream Cheese in Frosting: If you’d like to skip the cream cheese in the frosting, use my strawberry buttercream recipe instead. You’ll have enough for a thin layer of frosting, or you can 1.5x the recipe for a thicker layer.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this cake three times..the first time was pretty good given I don’t bake this type of cake. This last time was the best because I used cake flour and learned along the way about the best consistency for the frosting. Got many compliments! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
The recipe calls for cake flour, not all-purpose flour.
I’d like to make this cake for a half-sheet cake. How do it adjust the ingredients for that? Should I double or triple the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Mary Ellen, We have not tried making a sheet pan cake out of this recipe. The pan capacity for a half sheet pan is probably somewhere between 1.5 and double this recipe (our cake pan sizes & conversions guide should help here, too). We usually caution against doubling cake recipes as it’s too much batter for most mixers to work with and we run the risk of over or under mixing the batter resulting in a dense cake. If you do double it (or make it twice and combine them) and have leftover batter you can use it to make some extra cupcakes!
Can I use mascarpone instead of cream cheese?
Thanks!
Hi Lenke, You can substitute mascarpone for the cream cheese, yes.
I had an issue reducing the purée. It was taking longer than 30 minutes or so and when it finally thickened the color was very brownish red in color. How do I know when it’s reduced sufficiently? I dumped the purée but still want to try again. Thank you.
Hi Monica, I’m sorry to hear that! You want to reduce the puree until it’s about 1/2 cup or around 135g. We recommend keeping a heat-safe measuring cup or a scale with a heat-safe bowl on it next to the stove, and then when you get to 25 minutes, pour/spoon the puree into the measuring cup or bowl to see if you’ve reached that amount. If you still have too much, transfer it back to the saucepan and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Hope this helps for next time!
A WINNER!
I made this for my daughter’s baby shower. We had 16 ladies and the minute they took a bit of this cake they all went crazy. My favorite comment was “this is the best cake I have ever tasted in my life, it is so freaking good”. Everyone thought it tasted so fresh and absolutely loved it. The only bad thing was there was zero left for my husband to enjoy, so I am making it again this week. I made the cakes and icing a day ahead and put it together the morning of the baby shower and it was easy. Thank you so much Sally for such a wonderful recipe.
Hi there! I didn’t get to the May 2025 baking challenge but I did bake Sally’s Strawberry Cake. It’s a perennial hit and one of our very favorite Sally recipes. My husband waits for this time when we go strawberry picking and he can devour the cake. The strawberry flavor is so intense – it just can’t be beat.
I made this strawberry cake for this past Easter. It was loved by all! The frosting is amazing! Had so much decorating with candy eggs and edible Easter grass.
I have loved every one of your recipes I’ve ever tried! Until this one. The flavor of the fresh strawberries I used was wonderful. The flavor of the reduced puree was odd. And not really strawberry. Didn’t add anything to the cake. The frosting was amazing though! Did I do something wrong in the reduction of the puree?
Hi Denise, thanks so much for trying the recipe! The reduced purée can taste a little off if the berries are overcooked. I wonder if that is what happened? So glad you loved the frosting!
Could you follow this recipe but use raspberry’s instead? thanks!
Hi Ana, yes, absolutely! You can use fresh raspberries to make the raspberry puree for the batter and freeze dried raspberries for the frosting.
Hi! Delicious flavor. I’ve made it twice and both times the cake sunk in the middle. How can this be avoided? Thanks so much!
Hi Tania, when cakes sink in the middle, it usually means they are slightly underdone. A few extra minutes in the oven should help for next time!
Hi Sally! I am Dr Gaurav from INDIA and I tried a few of your recipes which came out amazingly good. I wish to know what is the substitute of Egg in the recipes and how can we replace it with a vegetarian/vegan alternative.
Hi Gaurav, happy to hear the recipes have been a hit in India! We don’t test our recipes with egg substitutes, but many readers have reported success with using them–but it really depends on the recipe. If it helps, here are all of our egg-free recipes.
My cake was very dense and dry . The flavor was amazing but the texture was not . HELP what did I do wrong ?? Thank you for any suggestions.
Hi Brenda, we’re sorry to hear that this cake didn’t turn out for you. A dry and dense cake can be caused by many factors; the 2 most likely culprits are over-baking, or over-measuring the flour. You can check out this post on preventing a dry or dense cake for next time if you decide to give it another go. Thank you again for giving it a try and let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
This was good, but when I tried to frost it, the cake collapsed. I think I didn’t wait long enough for it to cool. We just ended up crumbling the cake instead. (Still delicious!). It tastes very natural, since you use fresh strawberries in this recipe. Great recipe.
Thank you for your legacy of strong flavorful recipes. Honestly, this one did not blow me away. The subtle flavor of the strawberries in the cake might’ve been made more powerful if I used strawberries fresh off the vine? I found the tart of the cheesecake frosting to fought with the delicateness of the cake. I don’t mind long complex recipes but the result did not match the effort.
Hi Cynthia! The flavor of the strawberries you start with does make a difference for the cake, yes. The cake flavor is delicate. Thank you for giving this recipe a try and for your feedback!
Can you use plain Greek yogurt?
Hi Ahna, yes, you can use the same amount of plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
This cake was unfortunately very dense, and I was careful not to overmix. I measured the flour using a digital scale for precision. The frosting needs less sugar.
I really love bake, and I started fallowing Sally’s recipes I made a cake for my daughter and was so delicious , also I used her Swiss Meringue buttercream so delicious too , thank you so much to share
This is my all-time favorite strawberry cake recipe – it is fantastic!
Would it be possible to make a cherry cake using the same method (I.e., reducing puree for cake and using freeze-dried cherries in frosting?)
Hi Angela, We haven’t tried this strawberry cake using cherries for the strawberries, but it’s definitely worth a try. We can’t see why it would be a problem. Let us know how it goes!
Is it possible to make this gluten free?
Hi Jackie, we haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Hello! What is the height of each of the 9” cake layers? I like my cake layers to be approx. 1” in height so, just wondering if I should use 10” pans. Thanks!
Hi Irene, we haven’t measured the cake layers. Maybe about an inch and a half or so. 10-inch pans would produce a much thinner layer.
How many cups of batter does this recipe make? Can I make a 2 layer 6 inch cake and a 3 layer 9 inch cake by doubling this recipe?
Hi Alana, This recipe yields about 7 cups of cake batter.
Hello I was wondering if there’s any way cut the recipe ingredients by half to make half the portion size and it would still be just fine also if almond milk would work instead of whole milk before I give this a go, thank you!
Hi Autumn, you can certainly try halving the recipe for a single layer. Almond milk will work in a pinch. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi! What would the best way to make this recipe for four 6” cake layers? How much would I need to scale the batter?
Hi Anonymous, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Hi Sally
I want to make 3 layer strawberry cake. How much of the ingredients do i use?
I made the cake back in Feb. Best cake i have ever bake! Better than chocolate.
Thank you
Hi Judy! For a 3 layer cake, you can make 1.5x the batter to evenly distribute across your 3 pans for thicker layers. Enjoy!
Would this be enough frosting for a 3 layer cake with 8” pans? Thank you!
Hi Holli, you’ll need just a bit more—we’d 1.5x the recipe to be safe.
I’ve made a few days ago and it was dense (but I think I’ve beaten for too long as my toddlers made a mess mid batter making, and I forgot it running)… and frosting was runny (I’ve used the correct cream cheese and butter was kinda cold not super soft and melting) and too sweet. I didn’t use freeze dried strawberries as they are incredibly expensive in my country, so I subbed with more sugar as advised. But it was just sooo sweet. Next time I will make vanilla buttercream frosting I think.
But I’ve come mainly to ask if next time I can use oil instead of butter for the batter. If so, same amount?
Also if I beat the egg whites separately would it make a difference in fluffiness or nah?
Hi Mika, you really need butter for this cake. We don’t find it necessary to beat the egg whites separately here. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Ok thanks.
Now hopefully the last question. I baked it in a bigger pan, all batter in one go, mostly because I don’t have smaller pans.
But if I buy 2 new pans, can I bake one and then the other? Can the batter wait? My oven only has one rack. I’m afraid of baking both on same rack (if they fit) and not baking evenly as they wouldn’t be in the center of the rack. What do you suggest?
Hi Mika, we would suggest baking them at the same time and rotating the pans and swapping their locations in the oven about halfway through baking, so they bake evenly. But if you want to bake one at a time, the batter should be all right to wait for the short amount of time it takes to bake one cake layer. Hope this helps!
I’d like to add ~30g of freeze dried strawberry powder to this recipe to enhance the strawberry flavor. How can I compensate for this? Should I reduce the flour by 30g or is there a better way?
Hi Anndei, we do not recommend adding freeze dried strawberries to the batter. We actually tested it when developing this recipe and were not satisfied with the results. The taste, texture, and appearance were all lacking. Best to stick to the recipe as written for best results!
I love all your recipes that I have tried. They are delicious. The recipes are easy to follow. Keep up the good work.
Can I freeze this cake? If so how do I go about doing so?
See recipe notes, Adele! Here’s How to Freeze Cakes as well.
I made this cake, hoping to use it for my granddaughter’s birthday. The cake was ok, but not worth all of the work! I used Sallys white cake instead.
The frosting, however, is to die for! I also found freeae dried strawberry powder. This saves the mess and waste of using the food processor for the freeze dried berries.
Everyone loved the cupcakes. They quickly disappeared!
The cake was moist and tender with a nice flavorful profile . It wasn’t too sweet or dense. It came out pillowy soft and spongy. Strawberry cr. cheese frosting was a tad too sweet for my liking although I reduced sugar by half cup . However the flavor was still wonderful . This is a fantastic recipe . I learned a lot .
Is there any way to adapt this recipe to fit three 8 inch pans? I don’t have 9 inch!
Hi km, you can use two 8 inch pans. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be slightly longer because the layers will be slightly thicker. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
Wow! This cake was so good and a huge hit with my sister in law for her birthday! The frosting is what really stood out to me – extremely delicious!!!! Need to try the frosting recipe on a vanilla cake next!!!!
This is the third cake I have made from Sally’s. The first was the lemon blueberry; I have never liked lemon cake, but I made it for my boyfriend, and it was phenomenal—the only lemon cake I have ever liked. The triple chocolate cake was so good that I could have eaten it without frosting. This strawberry cake is no good, though. It’s super off in taste to me; I didn’t really taste strawberry. I would have been better off making a vanilla cake and using the strawberry frosting from this recipe.
Hi Samantha, thank you so much for the feedback and sorry you were disappointed. I’m glad you enjoy a couple of my other cake recipes!