Easy Homemade Strawberry Cake Recipe

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This layered strawberry cake is packed with sweet, rich strawberry flavor and offers a soft, moist texture. The soft cake layers are filled with strawberry cream cheese frosting. This recipe’s key ingredient, which works like magic, is the strawberry reduction made from fresh strawberries. This reduction goes into the cake batter for deeper fruitiness and the rest into the frosting for that extra flavor.

This wonderful strawberry cake takes a little longer to be ready because first you need to make the strawberry reduction, then the cake, and finally the frosting, but the one thing I promise is that it is worth every bit of your effort. This layered fruity cake just Italian Cream Cake is ideal for special occasions like birthdays and parties because of its delicious taste and attractive appearance.

Taking a piece of Strawberry cake with Fork

What goes in Strawberry Cake?

Strawberries: Use 452g of fresh strawberries for homemade strawberry puree; you can also use frozen strawberries.
Sour cream: Adds richness and a touch of tanginess, enhancing the strawberry cake’s overall flavour.
Strawberry Reduction: Use in cake batter and in frosting for stronger strawberry flavor and vibrant color.
All-Purpose Flour: Use all-purpose flour, as it provides structure and base. If preferred, you can use cake flour; it also works best with strawberry cakes.
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
Sugar (Granulated & Powdered)
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Whole Milk
Cream Cheese

How to make Strawberry cake?

Strawberry Puree

Blend the strawberry in a blender until it becomes puree.
Pour the strawberries into a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the puree on medium heat, and stir occasionally.
Cook the puree until you are left with ¾ cup. This will take 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your pan or how juicy strawberries you use. You need ½ cup for cake and the remaining ¼ cup for frosting.
Pour the reduced puree into the bowl and allow it to cool completely. I recommend preparing it a day before because it takes plenty of time to cool. Cover it and place it in the refrigerator. Thaw it at room temperature before mixing it into the cake batter.

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl. Whisk until combined, and set aside.

Use a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the sugar and butter for up to 2 minutes on high speed until smooth and fluffy. Scrap down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add the egg whites and beat for 2 minutes until mixed. Then add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat; scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again.
Slow down the mixer speed, add dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated. Slowly pour the milk into it and mix it just until combined.

Mixing Butter, Sugar, Milk and Dry Ingredients in a bowl

Whisk the ½ cup of reduced puree, and make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t over mix and prevent the cake from becoming dry.

Add the food color if desired and stir.
Pour the batter equally into both pans. Bake the cake for about 25 to 30 minutes. To test whether it is baked or not, insert the toothpick into the centre. If it comes out clean, it means your cake is done.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely by placing the pans on the wire rack.
If you don’t want to use it on the same day, wrap the cake layers in a plastic bag and freeze them. Don’t put them in the fridge to retain the moisture.

Frosting

Add the butter to the bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed for about a minute until smooth.
Add cheese cream and beat on medium speed.
Add powdered sugar and strawberry puree, beating on medium speed until soft and light. You can add a little more powdered sugar to make the frosting thicker.

Beating Butter, Sugar, Strawberry Reduction and Cream cheese

Assemble the cake

First, remove the top thin layer of the cake with the serrated knife to flatten the surface.
Place one layer of cake on the cake plate and spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting on top of it.
Top with the second layer and spread the frosting on the cake’s top and sides.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour. This helps it keep its shape during cutting.

Decoration

Slice the strawberries and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess water.
Decorate the cake with whole strawberries.

Decorating Strawberry cake after frosting with whole Strawberry

FAQ’S

My cake is crumbly; what did I do wrong?

A cake may crumble due to using too much flour, not enough liquid, overbaking, or overmixing the batter. To prevent a crumbly cake, measure your ingredients carefully and mix the batter gently.

Can I use another frosting?

Yes, you can use other frostings depending on your preference, but it is best to stick with strawberry-flavored frosting because it complements the cake’s taste.

What strawberries are best to use?

Fresh strawberries or frozen ones both work best with this recipe.

Can I use this for cupcakes?

Yes, you can use this recipe to make cupcakes. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.