This is a from-scratch Strawberry Cake recipe that produces a fresh, tender cake with real strawberry flavor. It’s a family favorite and perfect for celebrations or everyday dessert.
Strawberry Cake is one of our household favorites, and I wanted a version made entirely from scratch. This updated recipe keeps the classic charm but uses fresh strawberries for a natural taste and a delicate pink tint rather than artificial coloring. It’s bright, tender, and perfect for showers, birthdays, luncheons, or any time you want a special dessert.
Strawberry Cake Recipe
This cake is quick to prepare, uses simple ingredients, and yields a soft crumb with bites of fresh strawberry throughout. The strawberry flavor is pleasant but not overpowering, and the texture is light thanks to using pureed fresh berries instead of syrup or gelatin.
Make it for any occasion—it’s especially lovely for gatherings where a fresh, homemade dessert is appreciated.
How to Make Strawberry Cake
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Fresh strawberries, hulled
- Unsalted butter
- Shortening
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla extract
- Natural food coloring (optional)
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (for finishing)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans by brushing with pan release, spraying with nonstick spray, or greasing and flouring them. Remove any excess flour.
Place hulled strawberries in a blender and puree on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, yielding roughly 3/4 cup of strawberry puree. Set aside.
Cream the butter and shortening together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar slowly, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Sift the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, and salt—into a medium bowl. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, buttermilk, vanilla, and the reserved strawberry puree.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the creamed butter and shortening, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes pull away from the edges and spring back to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Once cooled, frost with strawberry buttercream frosting and serve. If you prefer a stronger strawberry flavor, add 1 teaspoon of strawberry extract along with the vanilla. For a deeper pink color, add 1–2 drops of natural pink or red food coloring to the batter.
Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 medium strawberries, hulled (about 144 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226 g)
- 1/2 cup shortening (92 g)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (594 g)
- 5 large eggs, room temperature (250 g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (360 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (0.7 g)
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature (113.5 g)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (113.5 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (9.4 g)
- 1–2 drops natural food coloring (optional)
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 9-inch round pans.
- Puree hulled strawberries in a blender until smooth (about 3 minutes) to yield about 3/4 cup. Set aside.
- Cream butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly between additions. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk milk, buttermilk, vanilla, and strawberry puree together.
- Alternately add the dry and wet mixtures to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Divide batter among pans and bake 30–40 minutes, until cakes spring back and a tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
- Frost with strawberry buttercream and serve.
Notes
For a stronger strawberry taste, add 1 teaspoon strawberry extract with the vanilla. To intensify the pink color, add 1–2 drops of natural food coloring to the batter.
Nutrition (approx.)
Calories: 283 kcal • Carbohydrates: 38 g • Protein: 3 g • Fat: 14 g • Fiber: 1 g
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline.
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published July 2013.