Fresh Strawberry Cake

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Both cake and frosting in this Fresh Strawberry Cake are flavored solely with fresh strawberries, just in time for strawberry picking season.
Both cake and frosting in this Fresh Strawberry Cake are flavored solely with fresh strawberries, just in time for strawberry picking season.
Both cake and frosting in this Fresh Strawberry Cake are flavored solely with fresh strawberries, just in time for strawberry picking season.

Both cake and frosting in this Fresh Strawberry Cake are flavored solely with fresh strawberries, just in time for strawberry picking season.

3-layer fresh strawberry cake on cake stand.
Growing up, there was a local bakery where I would pick up a slice of fresh strawberry cake as an occasional treat. The cake consisted of layers of sponge cake, whipped cream, and fresh strawberry slices.

This is not that cake.

Slice of fresh strawberry cake being pulled out of whole cake.
I came to think that a fresh strawberry cake should be completely strawberry flavored and made with nothing but fresh strawberries.

Nothing against one of my favorite cakes while growing up, but going through sponge cake and whipped cream just to get to the fresh strawberries so that the cake can live up to its name was just too much work.

Overhead view of whole fresh strawberry cake
Just in time for summer and strawberry picking season, I bring you a truly fresh strawberry cake, where both cake and frosting are flavored using only fresh strawberries. In other words, from start to finish, no matter which layer makes it onto your fork, you will be in strawberry bliss.

How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cake

Let’s start with the cake. It’s soft and moist, yet has a tight enough crumb to withstand building a layered cake. To get the strawberry flavor, I used pureed fresh strawberries. I tested the cake by pureeing in a food processor and an immersion blender (this one’s very similar to the one I use) and found that there was no contest against the immersion blender.

Immersion blender in a cup with strawberry puree
You can use a food processor if absolutely necessary, but it just takes a lot more time and bowl scraping to get a uniform puree consistency. Whereas with an immersion blender, just a few blitzes (literally seconds), and you’ve got a beautiful strawberry puree that will blend beautifully with the cake batter and yield that delicate pink color.

Raw cake batter in three round cake pans
Once you have the strawberry puree, the rest is like any other cake – mix the dry ingredients >> mix the wet ingredients >> alternate the dry with the wet ingredients.  

Baked strawberry cake on a cooling rack.
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Frosting

I’ve often seen strawberry frosting made using freeze dried strawberries. Although it adds great flavor, I’ve always thought making strawberry frosting with freeze dried strawberries is such an inconvenience.

Not only is it another ingredient to buy, but depending on where you live, they may not be the easiest ingredient to find.

Fresh strawberry frosting in a stand mixer bowl.
It would just be a lot easier to use the fresh strawberries that you already have on hand!

But the problem is that the liquid content in the strawberries doesn’t usually mesh well with the fat in frosting, making frosting look curdled.

3-layer fresh strawberry cake on cake stand.
It’s all about balance, friends. With enough strawberries, yes, the frosting will look curdled. BUT this recipe only calls for six tablespoons of fresh strawberry puree, which is about ½ cup of whole strawberries. That is just the right amount to produce pure strawberry flavor while also yielding a smooth and fluffy frosting.

Simply add the strawberry puree to creamed butter and confectioner’s sugar and whip until light and airy!

Slice of fresh strawberry cake being lifted out of whole cake.
Again, the immersion blender really comes in handy, so that the frosting is as smooth as possible. Not to mention how painstaking it would be to puree just ½ cup of strawberries in a food processor.

The frosting recipe is enough to frost a 3-layer naked cake like the one shown here, with just about ¼ cup left to spare, which is perfect because you’re going to want to lick the extra ;).

I hope this cake becomes one of your go-to summer cakes to bake!  

Slice of 3-layered strawberry cake in the foreground and a whole strawberry cake on a cake stand in the background.
For all you strawberry lovers out there, make sure to check my other strawberry recipes by clicking on the images below.

Strawberry scone on plate with lemon curd, butter, and milk in the background.

Bursting with strawberry flavor, this Strawberry Tart is loaded with fresh strawberries floating atop a melt-in-your-mouth pate sucrée crust.

Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Yields 1 3-layer cake
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Cooling & Frost1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 3-layer frosted cake
Calories: 11589kcal
Author: Patty K-P

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake

  • 3 cups cake flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature

Strawberry Frosting

  • 1/2 cup quartered fresh strawberries
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Strawberry Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and grease three 9-inch cake pans.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • With an immersion blender* puree the strawberries until smooth. In a small bowl, mix the strawberry puree with the milk and vanilla until combined. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and egg whites one at a time, adding each egg only when a streak of the former egg remains, and scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
  • While on the low speed add half of the flour mixture. Once mostly combined, add the strawberry puree mixture and continue mixing until combined. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl and add the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Remove bowl from the mixer and mix by hand using a rubber spatula until no flour streaks remain.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Run a thin knife or spatula along the rim of the pans and invert the pans to remove the cakes.
  • Frost with strawberry frosting.

Strawberry Frosting

  • With an immersion blender* puree the strawberries until smooth. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Measure out 6 tablespoons of the strawberry puree (most likely all of it) and add to the mixture, followed by the vanilla and salt. Continue mixing on low until combined. Increase the speed to medium for 10 to 15 seconds, until whipped and fluffy.

Notes

*Although I highly recommend an immersion blender like this one for the smoothest puree, a food processor can also be used.

Adapted from The Sprinkles Baking Book: 100 Secret Recipes from Candace’s Kitchen

Note: This page contains affiliate links that help make The PKP Way possible. Should you choose to purchase anything via those links, I will receive a small commission paid by Amazon, not you.

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7 comments

  1. CakePants says:

    5 stars
    This cake looks so light and fluffy, like a strawberry-flavored cloud! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits (or even just one of my favorite foods), but I have never quite perfected the homemade strawberry cake. I’m looking forward to trying this…if I can keep myself from eating all the berries straight from the basket, that is!

    • Patty K-P says:

      I haven’t tried it with frozen strawberries, but I would suggest thawing the strawberries on top of a paper towel to absorb the excess water. Then, follow the recipe as normal. Enjoy!

  2. monika says:

    How many cups of strawberry puree do you ultimately get from 1 1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries? If I know this it will be easier to gauge how many of the frozen strawberries I use! Thanks!

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