Easy and simple to make, this beautifully tempting cake is moist, flavorful, and loaded with juicy strawberries.
If you’re one of those who wait for summer to get your hands on some fresh strawberries, then trust me – this cake is worth the wait. As much as I want to apologize for all my strawberry recipes and photos lately, I won’t because once summer arrives, you’ll be thanking me.
Taste and Texture
This strawberry cake really took me by surprise when I first tried it. It was love at first bite. It’s dense, but definitely not overly so, and is kind of melt-in-your-mouth moist, in part because of the fresh strawberries. The cake isn’t supposed to be tall, that way every bite has just the right amount of cake and strawberries. Just know that it works, and don’t be tempted to use a smaller and taller pan. Besides, as you can see, it’s absolutely beautiful with these dimensions.
This cake wasn’t originally flavored with lemon, but it tasted so much better once I tried it that way.
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Strawberries
The star of this cake is (obviously) the strawberries, and there are plenty of them, so use the sweetest and most delicious strawberries you can find. I mix them with a bit of lemon juice and sugar before topping them over the cake, just to give some extra flavor and sweetness. During baking, the strawberries will sink slightly, but not all the way to the bottom. You can arrange them on top however you like. As you can see in the photos, the perfectionist in me like to arrange them symmetrically in circles.
Pro tip: use a strawberry huller or melon baller to remove the stems quickly and easily.
Serving suggestions
If you want to make the strawberry cake extra special, serve it with this vanilla sauce. It’s the easiest sauce ever, and it compliments the flavors well. Even a few more strawberries mixed with a bit of lemon juice and sugar added on top of each slice is a great addition. Otherwise, serve with whipped cream or as-is, which means perfect.
More delicious cakes made with fruit
- Cherry Almond Cake – topped with juicy dark cherries and almond flour in the batter.
- White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake – with juicy raspberries in every bite.
- Blueberry Crumb Cake – buttery, delicious crumble makes this cake perfect.
- Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake – although technically a vegetable, this rhubarb cake is perfectly tart and sweet all at the same time.
Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (200g/7 oz.) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175g/6.2 oz.) granulated sugar
- Lemon zest from ½-1 lemon
- ⅓ cup (75g/2.7 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 ¾ cups (400) g/14 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- Easy vanilla sauce, optional
Instructions
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350℉/180℃. Grease a 10-inch pie dish, or a 9-inch round springform pan. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, toss together ¾ cup (150g) sugar and lemon zest until combined.
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In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and lemon-sugar mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in heavy cream just until combined, followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Do not over mix. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
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In another small bowl, toss strawberries with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar, then arrange them cut-side down on top of the batter, being careful not to press them in.
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Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325F/160C and continue baking for 45-60 minutes, or until cake is golden brown, firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake (and not into a juicy strawberry) comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast while baking, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
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Serve plain, with whipped cream, or with vanilla sauce.
Recipe Notes
Cake can be kept, covered, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
