Perfect Fresh Strawberry Cake

Indulge in the ultimate summer treat with this truly exceptional Strawberry Cake. Far from your average dessert, this recipe masterfully combines the vibrant essence of both fresh strawberries and concentrated freeze-dried strawberries, creating an unparalleled, rich strawberry flavor in every single bite. Baked in a convenient 9×9 inch pan, this delightful cake is then crowned with a luscious strawberry cream cheese frosting and elegantly swirled with a homemade strawberry jam, making it a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Prepare to be enchanted by its tender, moist texture and the exquisite balance of sweet and tangy notes that will leave you craving more.

What sets this strawberry cake apart is its incredible depth of flavor. By incorporating both fresh and freeze-dried strawberries, we ensure a robust, authentic berry taste that shines through. The fresh strawberries provide natural moisture and a delicate sweetness, while the freeze-dried strawberries deliver a concentrated burst of intense strawberry essence, elevating the cake’s profile beyond what fresh fruit alone could achieve. This careful combination results in a cake that is not only packed with flavor but also boasts a wonderfully tender and moist crumb, making it utterly irresistible. The rich and tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting complements the cake perfectly, echoing the classic “strawberries and cream” pairing, while the homemade strawberry jam swirls add a delightful textural contrast and an extra layer of fruity goodness. This isn’t just a cake; it’s a celebration of strawberry season, designed to be the best treat to satisfy your every strawberry craving.

For those who adore strawberry-infused desserts, this recipe promises to become a new favorite. And if you’re looking to explore more delightful variations, be sure to try my strawberry vanilla cake for a different, yet equally enchanting, flavor experience. We’ve included detailed tips, tricks, and process photos to guide you effortlessly through each step, ensuring your homemade strawberry cake turns out perfectly every time.

Expert Tips for Baking Your Perfect Strawberry Cake

Achieving a bakery-quality strawberry cake at home is easier than you think when you follow these essential tips and tricks. These pointers are designed to help you create a cake that’s not only visually stunning but also incredibly flavorful and moist, just like the one featured in this recipe. For even more detailed guidance on crafting the silkiest, most delicious frosting, make sure to consult my dedicated guide on strawberry cream cheese frosting.

• Tip 1: Measure Flour Accurately – The Secret to a Moist Cake: Flour measurement is crucial for cake texture. Avoid directly scooping flour with your measuring cup, as this compacts the flour, adding more than the recipe intends. Excess flour leads to a dry, dense cake. Instead, use a spoon to lightly scoop the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a straight edge like the back of a knife. This method ensures you get the precise amount needed for a perfectly tender and moist crumb.
• Tip 2: Embrace Room Temperature Dairy for Superior Blending: This might seem like a minor detail, but bringing your butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature before baking makes a significant difference. Room temperature ingredients emulsify much better, meaning they combine more smoothly and evenly with each other. This creates a homogeneous batter, which in turn bakes into a cake with a consistently moist, tender, and fine crumb. Plan ahead and take these ingredients out of the refrigerator about 1-2 hours before you start baking.
• Tip 3: Puree Strawberries to a “Salsa-Like” Consistency: For the cake batter, the fresh strawberries should be lightly pureed, not liquified. The goal is a texture similar to a chunky salsa, with small pieces of strawberry still visible. Over-pureeing can introduce too much liquid, altering the batter’s consistency and potentially affecting the cake’s structure. This “salsa-like” puree ensures bursts of fresh strawberry flavor and moisture throughout the cake without making it dense or gummy.
• Tip 4: Master Your Cream Cheese Frosting – Beat Butter First: When making cream cheese frosting, a common pitfall is a split or lumpy frosting. To avoid this, always beat your room temperature unsalted butter on high speed for at least 2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy before adding the cream cheese. This aerates the butter, creating a stable base. Adding cream cheese simultaneously with butter can make the mixture more prone to separating, resulting in a less smooth and desirable frosting. Once the butter is fluffy, add the room temperature cream cheese and beat until just combined and creamy, scraping down the bowl frequently.

Decorating Your Masterpiece: The Finishing Touches

Once your cake has cooled completely, and your frosting and jam are ready, it’s time for the most enjoyable part: decorating! These steps will guide you through creating a beautifully finished cake with those signature swirled jam patterns.

Serving and Storing Your Strawberry Cake

Once your beautiful strawberry cake is ready, you’ll want to ensure you serve it at its best and store any leftovers properly to maintain its delightful freshness. This cake is best enjoyed at room temperature, allowing the flavors of the strawberries, cake, and cream cheese frosting to truly shine. For an extra touch of elegance, garnish each slice with fresh strawberry halves or a sprinkle of finely chopped pistachios. A light dusting of powdered sugar can also add a charming finish.

To store your strawberry cake, cover it loosely with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight cake carrier. Because it contains cream cheese frosting, it should be refrigerated. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze individual slices or the entire cake (if unfrosted) for up to 2-3 months. Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. Thaw frozen cake in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Troubleshooting Common Cake Baking Issues

Even seasoned bakers encounter challenges. Here are answers to some common questions and solutions to potential issues you might face when making your strawberry cake:

• Why is my cake dry? The most common culprit for a dry cake is over-measuring flour or over-baking. Always spoon and level your flour, or better yet, use a kitchen scale for precision. Over-baking can quickly dry out a cake, so start checking for doneness at the lower end of the baking time range.
• My cream cheese frosting is runny/split! What went wrong? This usually happens when ingredients aren’t at the right temperature or are over-mixed. Ensure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Beat the butter until fluffy first, then add the cream cheese and beat only until smooth. If it splits, sometimes gently warming a small portion and slowly incorporating it back in can help, or adding a tablespoon of powdered sugar can thicken it slightly.
• My cake sank in the middle. Why? Several factors can cause a cake to sink: opening the oven door too early, inaccurate leavening (baking powder/soda) measurements, old leavening agents, or incorrect oven temperature. Make sure your oven thermometer is accurate, and resist the urge to peek during the first two-thirds of baking time.
• The homemade jam didn’t thicken. How can I fix it? Jam thickens significantly as it cools. If it still seems too runny after cooling completely, return it to the saucepan and cook it for another 5-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Can I use frozen strawberries? Yes, for the jam, fresh or frozen strawberries work beautifully. For the cake puree, fresh is ideal, but if using frozen, thaw them first and drain any excess liquid before pureeing to maintain the correct batter consistency.

We hope you absolutely loved this fresh strawberry cake recipe! If you tried it and enjoyed it, please consider leaving a star review in the recipe card below. Your feedback helps other bakers discover and enjoy this delicious treat. Don’t forget to share your creations with us on Instagram by tagging @stephaniesweettreats. For more baking inspiration and sweet ideas, make sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Recipe Video

Watch the step-by-step process of making this delightful strawberry cake!

Rating: 5/5 stars from 32 reviews

Fresh Strawberry Cake

This strawberry cake uses fresh strawberries and freeze-dried strawberries to give it the freshest, most vibrant strawberry flavor imaginable. It’s a delightful 9×9 inch cake topped with luscious strawberry cream cheese frosting and beautifully swirled with homemade strawberry jam.

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Prep Time:
1 hr

Cook Time:
1 hr

Decorating Time:
15 mins

Total Time:
2 hrs 15 mins

Servings:
16 slices

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Cake flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 oz Freeze-dried strawberries, ground to a fine crumb
• 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 TBSP Oil, canola or vegetable
• 1 cup White granulated sugar
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• 3 Large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup Lightly pureed strawberries (about half of a container of strawberries)
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk, room temperature

Strawberry Jam

• 2 cups Strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup White granulated sugar

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups Powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup Freeze-dried strawberries, 1 oz ground to a fine crumb
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries, for topping the cake (optional)

Instructions

Strawberry Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9×9 inch baking pan by spraying it generously with baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again to ensure easy release.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, finely grind the freeze-dried strawberries and set aside.
3. Wash the fresh strawberries and lightly puree them using a food processor. The consistency should resemble a chunky salsa; avoid pureeing until completely liquid.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature unsalted butter, canola or vegetable oil, and granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Add the large eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the pure vanilla extract and the lightly pureed fresh strawberries until just combined.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the room temperature buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Stir in the ground freeze-dried strawberries. Mix on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
7. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom, ensuring everything is thoroughly incorporated. Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the hot pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Ensure the cake is fully cooled before attempting to frost it.

Strawberry Jam

1. Begin preparing the strawberry jam ahead of time or while the cake is baking to allow it sufficient time to cool.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the fresh or frozen strawberries and white granulated sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the strawberries have softened, use a fork or potato masher to lightly mash them. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until the jam has thickened to a spreadable consistency.
3. Pour the cooked jam into a heatproof glass measuring cup; you should have approximately 1 cup. If you have more, continue cooking it down. Allow the jam to cool completely to room temperature before using, as it will thicken considerably as it cools.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Then, stir in the finely ground freeze-dried strawberries. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature unsalted butter on high speed for 2 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
3. Add the room temperature cream cheese and beat for 1 minute until the mixture is creamy and no chunks remain.
4. Add half of the powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberry mixture to the butter and cream cheese. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar mixture and continue mixing on low until smooth.
5. Finally, add the pure vanilla extract and beat on high speed for about 30 seconds until the frosting is perfectly creamy and well-aerated.
6. Once the cake is completely cool, use a serrated knife to gently level the top, if needed, by cutting off a thin layer to ensure an even surface for frosting. Spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting generously over the entire top of the cake.
7. Dollop small amounts of the cooled homemade strawberry jam onto the frosted surface. Using the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, gently swirl the jam into the frosting to create beautiful patterns. Be careful not to overmix the jam into the frosting. Optionally, garnish with fresh strawberry slices for a beautiful finish.

Notes

Flour: For accuracy, always spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Alternatively, using a kitchen scale for precise measurement (e.g., grams) is highly recommended. Compacted flour can significantly dry out your cake.

High Altitude Baking: If you are baking at high altitudes, consider adding an extra 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the dry ingredients mixture to help with cake structure.

Dairy Ingredients: Remember to pull out all dairy ingredients (butter, cream cheese, eggs, buttermilk) from the refrigerator at least 1-2 hours before you plan to start baking. This allows them to reach room temperature, which is essential for proper emulsion and a smooth batter/frosting.

Nutrition Information (per slice)

• Calories: 366 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 66g
• Protein: 4g
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 6g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Cholesterol: 50mg
• Sodium: 181mg
• Potassium: 158mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 24g
• Vitamin A: 607 IU
• Vitamin C: 77mg
• Calcium: 50mg
• Iron: 2mg

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