Homemade Strawberry Cake

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This strawberry layer cake is truly every strawberry lover’s dream. From strawberry-packed cake layers to strawberry cream cheese frosting, this three-layer cake is absolutely brimming with mouthwatering strawberry flavor from real fruit. It’s the perfect summertime treat.

The Best Strawberry Cake Recipe

Fresh strawberries are one of the best things about summer. I’ve always loved them – eating them fresh or baked into a cake. I love a good strawberry cake mix, but this cake isn’t that. This one is all about the real, fresh strawberry flavor. It can be a challenge to get enough fresh strawberry flavor to flavor a whole cake, but it’s worth it. It took a few renditions to get it right, but this glorious dessert was the final result, and my oh my was it worth it.

Three layers of moist, perfectly tender cake are loaded with strawberry flavor from a strawberry reduction made from fresh strawberries. The layers are filled and frosted with a rich cream cheese frosting that derives its flavor (and it’s lovely pink color) from powdered freeze-dried strawberries. The result is an absolutely delicious, beautiful, festive summertime cake that will have you and your guests coming back for seconds.

Why You’ll Love This Layer Cake

There are many reasons to love this cake. Here are a few reasons I think it’s absolutely outstanding.

• Real strawberry flavor. The strawberry flavor in the cake and the frosting come from REAL strawberries. No artificial flavoring here.
• Texture. The reverse creaming method used in this cake gives it a unique texture. It’s soft, tender and has a lovely density to it that makes it a little more substantial than other cakes. I love it.
• Festive. This is the perfect cake for a spring or summertime celebration. I think it would be perfect for a baby shower because it’s so cute and pink, but it would also make a great dessert for an Easter celebration or a warm-weather birthday party.

What You’ll Need

Here is a list of ingredients needed to make this colorful strawberry cake. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Strawberry Cake

• Quartered strawberries – Make sure your strawberries are ripe, juicy, and flavorful. If your strawberries lack flavor, your cake will too.
• Sour cream – To add extra moisture to the cake.
• Milk – For moisture.
• Eggs – Be sure to use large size eggs.
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour – Feel free to use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour instead.
• Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness, but it also adds moisture and affects the texture of the cake.
• Baking powder and Baking soda – For the perfect rise and texture.
• Salt – To accentuate the flavor of the cake. Don’t leave it out.
• Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature otherwise it will not crumble properly during the reverse creaming process.
• Pink food color – This is optional. It will turn your cake a glorious shade of pink, rather than being kind of brown-ish color.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• Freeze-dried strawberries – Cream cheese frosting tends to be thinner, so I like to use freeze dried strawberries and not thin it out with fresh strawberries. But if you’d prefer not to use freeze-dried strawberries, you can use fresh strawberry reduction instead, similar to my Homemade Strawberry Frosting.
• Cream cheese – It is best if the cream cheese is at room temperature. If it is too cold, you will end up with a lumpy frosting. I also recommend full-fat cream cheese. Reduced fat tends to be thinner and will give you a thinner frosting.
• Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature. If it is too cold, the frosting will be lumpy. If it is melted, the frosting will be runny.
• Powdered sugar – To not only sweeten the frosting, but also to thicken it and give it volume.
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Chopped strawberries – For layering between the cake layers and frosting.

How to Make Strawberry Layer Cake

Ready to make the best strawberry cake you’ve ever tasted? Here’s how to do it. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

To make the cakes

• Make the strawberry reduction. Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender until smooth. Aim for 1 1/2 cups of puree.
• Cook the puree. Bring the puree to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the mixture has thickened and reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir consistently.
• Cool the reduced puree to room temperature.
• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides with baking spray.

• Combine the wet ingredients. Mix together the strawberry reduction, sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Remove about 1 cup of the mixture and set aside.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a standup mixer.

• Reverse cream. Add the butter about 1 tablespoon at a time to the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until incorporated after each addition.
• Add the wet ingredients. Add the larger portion of the egg mixture. Stir on low speed to incorporate. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the remaining egg mixture and the pink food coloring (if using) on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium-high speed until well combined.

• Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 24-26 minutes.
• Cool. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their pans for 2-3 minutes. Transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely.

For the frosting 

• Blend. Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor and grind them into a powder.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
• Sweeten it up. Add half of the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and strawberry powder and mix until smooth. Add some salt, to taste.

• Remove the domes from the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife.
• Layer. Place one cake on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup of strawberry frosting evenly over the cake. Press half of the chopped strawberries into the frosting. Repeat with the second layer. Top with the third layer.
• Frost the outside of the cake and, with the remaining frosting, pipe shells around the bottom and top edges of the cake. Add a few strawberries on top.

What’s The Reverse Creaming Method?

This cake is unique in its use of the reverse creaming method. Normally, when making a cake, you would cream the butter and sugar together, then alternate adding the remaining wet ingredients and dry ingredients. The reverse creaming method is a little different. Here’s how to do it.

• Combine the wet ingredients (aside from the butter).
• Combine the dry ingredients.
• Slowly mix the butter into the dry ingredients until you achieve a sandy texture.
• Add the wet ingredients in two parts, mixing well after each addition.

That’s all! “Why use this method?” you might ask. Well, it’s pretty easy and the resulting cake has a lovely, unique texture. It’s so tender and silky with just the right amount of crumble. It’s a little denser than a traditional cake but it isn’t too heavy. It’s perfect.

Tips for Making Strawberry Cake from Scratch

Layer cakes can seem intimidating but I promise that you can do it. I have compiled a few simple tips and tricks that will help set you up for success. Here they come.

• Get the strawberries right. The vast majority of strawberry flavor in this cake is coming from real, fresh strawberries. So make sure to pick extra sweet, flavorful berries. Otherwise, you won’t get the flavor you are looking for.
• Keep it moving. When reducing the strawberry puree, be sure to stir consistently. The natural sugars in the strawberries are prone to burn. Keeping the mixture moving will help prevent that.
• Be patient. When cooking the strawberry puree, It is important that it reduces to 3/4 cup, otherwise the cake batter will have too much moisture in it. Be patient and don’t forget to measure.
• Start with room-temperature ingredients. The butter in the cake batter as well as the butter and the cream cheese in the frosting must be at room temperature. The butter in the batter will not crumble properly during the reverse creaming process if it is too cold or at all melted. When it comes to the frosting, using cream cheese or butter that is too cold will result in a lumpy frosting. Additionally, If the butter in the frosting is melted, the frosting will end up runny. So think ahead and let your ingredients sit out at room temperature for a bit before using.
• Scrape. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, it is important to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically. This will bring any ingredients clinging to the bowl back into the batter to be mixed in.
• Let it cool. Before stacking and frosting, allow the cakes to cool completely. Otherwise, the frosting will slide right off. No one wants that.

Decorating Ideas

The pink frosting and the fresh strawberries on this cake are pretty enough, but if you are feeling extra festive, here are some decorating ideas that will take this cake to the next level.

• Flowers. I love the idea of adding fresh, edible flowers to the top of this summertime cake.
• Colored frosting. Set aside about 1 cup of frosting before adding the powdered freeze-dried strawberries. Color it with gel icing color and use the colored frosting to pipe shells around the bottom and top edges of the cake.
• Sprinkles. I love a good cake covered in fun sprinkles.

How to Store Leftover Strawberry Cake

If you find yourself with leftover homemade strawberry cake. Store it in an airtight cake carrier. I recommend this cake carrier. You could also wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. Already sliced the cake? Arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. In any case, store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow it to come close to room temperature before serving.

Can I Freeze This?

You can, just be aware that the strawberries in between the layers may get a little mushy. Pop the cake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap and returning it to the freezer. If you already sliced the cake, arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container and place it in the freezer. Whole or sliced, it can stay there for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before serving.

More Strawberry Desserts

It’s strawberry season and I am so excited. This strawberry layer cake is pretty much as good as it gets but here are a few other outstanding strawberry desserts for you to try. Happy baking!

• Strawberry Poke Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake
• Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Strawberry Pound Cake
• No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

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