Indulge in the perfect homemade Strawberries and Cream Cake, meticulously crafted from scratch with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting and beautifully garnished with glistening sugared strawberries. This exquisite dessert is an absolute showstopper, ideal for Mother’s Day or any special celebration!

Strawberries and Cream Cake: A Celebration in Every Slice

A beautifully sliced Strawberries and Cream Cake on a plate, revealing its moist pink layers and thick cream cheese frosting, adorned with sugared strawberries.

Prepare to delight your taste buds and impress your loved ones with this incredible Strawberries and Cream Cake recipe. Just in time for Mother’s Day, this dessert is designed to be relatively simple to bake, ensuring a stress-free experience in the kitchen without the complexities of multiple layers or intricate frosting techniques. What sets this cake apart is its exceptional moisture, rich flavor, and generous infusion of fresh strawberries, culminating in a truly beautiful presentation. It’s more than just a cake; it’s a culinary masterpiece that will have everyone asking for the recipe and cherishing every delicious bite.

Imagine your mom’s delighted reaction when she experiences the first bite of this homemade marvel. This isn’t just a cake for one occasion; its delightful pink hue and vibrant strawberry flavor make it incredibly versatile and universally appealing. It’s the perfect centerpiece for a baby girl shower, a charming addition to a pink-themed party, an elegant dessert for Easter Sunday, or a refreshing treat for any spring or summer gathering. Whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or simply a desire for something sweet and spectacular, whenever you need a delicious, made-from-scratch strawberry cake that truly stands out, this recipe will be your go-to choice. It brings together the classic comfort of a homemade cake with the bright, fresh essence of strawberries, all crowned with a luxurious, smooth cream cheese frosting that balances the sweetness with a delightful tang. This combination promises a dessert that is both comforting and sophisticated, making it a favorite for all ages.

Process shots: Beating room-temperature butter until light, mixing in sugar, and briskly whisking eggs in a separate bowl for a homemade strawberry cake.

Crafting Your Homemade Strawberry Cake with Real Strawberries

The secret to an exceptionally flavorful and moist strawberry cake lies in incorporating real strawberries directly into the batter. This recipe doesn’t just stop there; it also features an irresistible topping of sugared strawberries, elevating it into a truly decadent strawberry experience. Let’s delve into the key steps and ingredients that make this homemade strawberry cake so special, ensuring a tender crumb and an explosion of fruit flavor in every forkful.

Essential Ingredients for a Perfect Strawberry Cake Base

Butter and Sugar: The Foundation of Flavor and Texture: Begin by beating room-temperature unsalted butter until it’s visibly light in color and fluffy in texture. This crucial creaming step incorporates air, which is essential for a light and tender cake crumb. Gradually add granulated sugar, continuing to beat for several minutes until the mixture is pale, airy, and well combined. This ensures even sweetness and contributes significantly to the cake’s overall structure and tenderness.
Eggs, Lemon, and Buttermilk: Vital for Moisture and Brightness: In a separate bowl, lightly whisk large eggs before gently incorporating them into the butter and sugar mixture. Eggs provide essential structure and moisture, binding the ingredients together. A splash of fresh lemon juice is a remarkable addition; it acts as a flavor booster, enhancing the natural sweetness and tartness of the strawberries, while also contributing to the cake’s fresh taste and delicate texture. Buttermilk, whether commercially bought (recommended for consistent results) or easily made at home (by adding vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk), is indispensable. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to create a light, airy texture and imparts a subtle tang that beautifully complements the sweetness of the strawberries.
DIY Cake Flour and Leavening Agents: For that Melt-in-Your-Mouth Crumb: To achieve a remarkably fine and moist crumb, we create a “DIY cake flour” by sifting together all-purpose flour and cornstarch. The cornstarch works by inhibiting strong gluten development in the flour, resulting in a softer, more delicate cake. To this dry mixture, we add strawberry Jell-O® mix (used dry, not prepared), baking soda, and salt. The Jell-O mix is key for intensifying the authentic strawberry flavor and achieving that desirable vibrant pink color. Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, creating lift and aeration when it reacts with the acidic buttermilk. Ensure all dry ingredients are thoroughly whisked together before combining with the wet mixture for even distribution.
Gentle Mixing: The Secret to a Tender Cake: Once your wet and dry ingredients are prepared, combine them with a light hand, mixing only until they are just incorporated and no dry streaks of flour remain. Over-mixing is a common baking mistake that can lead to excessive gluten development, resulting in a tough, dense, and less enjoyable cake. A gentle touch ensures the cake remains delicate and moist.
Fresh Strawberries: The Undeniable Star: The final touch for the cake batter is gently folding in finely chopped fresh strawberries. These small bursts of real fruit provide natural sweetness, juicy pockets, and an irresistible fresh strawberry flavor that truly defines this “strawberries and cream” delight. Their inclusion ensures that every slice is packed with authentic fruit goodness.

Baking Perfection: A Quick Tip for Accurate Flour Measurement

Achieving the perfect texture for your homemade strawberry cake hinges significantly on correctly measuring your flour. A common mistake that often leads to a dry, dense cake is inadvertently packing too much flour into the measuring cup. To ensure an accurate measurement and a consistently moist result, always scoop your flour lightly into the measuring cup using a spoon. Once the cup is full and slightly overflowing, use the flat back of a table knife or a straight edge to level off the excess flour. This method prevents compaction, providing precisely the right amount of flour needed for a beautifully light and tender crumb every time.

Process shots: Beating eggs into the butter mixture, adding lemon juice, buttermilk, and optional food dye, then sifting flour and cornstarch separately and adding remaining dry ingredients before mixing.

The Art of Frosting: Perfecting Your Cream Cheese Topping

No Strawberries and Cream Cake is complete without a rich, smooth, and utterly delicious cream cheese frosting. This isn’t just any frosting; it’s the perfect complement to the moist strawberry cake base, bringing together the “strawberry-and-cream” flavor profile beautifully. While the cake bakes and cools, preparing this decadent frosting is a simple yet crucial step. The most critical factor for achieving a flawless cream cheese frosting is ensuring that both the cream cheese and the unsalted butter are at absolute room temperature. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s the golden rule for a perfectly smooth, lump-free, and creamy consistency.

Why is room temperature so important? If your cream cheese or butter is too cold, they will resist creaming properly, leading to a lumpy, inconsistent frosting texture that is difficult to spread. Cold dairy products don’t emulsify well, resulting in a broken or grainy frosting. Conversely, if they are melted or even overly softened (perhaps by microwaving or leaving them out too long in a very warm environment), the frosting can become greasy, oily, and runny, making it impossible to achieve that beautiful, thick, and luxurious finish. The ideal is for both ingredients to be soft enough to blend effortlessly into a homogeneous, velvety mixture, creating the perfect creamy base for your frosting. They should have the same pliable consistency, allowing them to truly emulsify and create a stable, delicious topping.

The “secret” ingredient that elevates this cream cheese frosting to an unparalleled level of deliciousness is vanilla bean paste. Unlike traditional vanilla extract, the paste offers a more intense, complex vanilla flavor profile that stands out beautifully against the tangy cream cheese. Additionally, it introduces tiny, elegant flecks of vanilla bean to the frosting, enhancing both its taste and visual appeal with an artisanal touch. While vanilla bean paste is highly recommended for its superior qualities, pure vanilla extract can certainly be used as a delicious and readily available alternative, still contributing that essential warmth and sweetness to balance the tang of the cream cheese, ensuring a truly delightful frosting.

Process shots: Adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing briefly, then folding in diced strawberries before spreading batter into the pan and baking.

Process shots: Applying a smooth, even layer of cream cheese frosting to the cooled cake, followed by preparing sugared berries by combining sliced strawberries with granulated sugar for topping.

Addressing the Jell-O Question: Enhancing Flavor and Color in Your Homemade Cake

While this Strawberries and Cream Cake is proudly made from scratch, the inclusion of strawberry Jell-O mix sometimes raises questions for purists. Let’s clarify its role and why it’s a cherished ingredient in this recipe. Over years of baking and tasting numerous strawberry cakes, my absolute favorites consistently featured a touch of strawberry gelatin mix. It’s included in this recipe for two primary reasons: it significantly intensifies the authentic, bright strawberry flavor beyond what fresh fruit alone can achieve, ensuring that the strawberry essence shines through in every bite. Secondly, it contributes to that beautiful, vibrant pink color that makes the cake so visually appealing, giving it a joyous, celebratory look. Furthermore, it subtly adds to the cake’s moistness and tender texture, contributing to that irresistible melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Some might consider using a packaged gelatin mix as “cheating” when aiming for a “from-scratch” designation. However, it’s important to remember that most home baking relies on a variety of readily available, pre-packaged ingredients—unless you’re churning your own butter, milling your flour from grain, and making cream cheese from scratch in your kitchen! The Jell-O mix acts as a powerful flavor booster and color enhancer, much like using high-quality cocoa powder in a chocolate cake or pure vanilla extract in countless desserts. It’s an ingredient used strategically to elevate the final product. If you are genuinely concerned about using the packaged gelatin mix, you do have alternatives. You can experiment with strawberry extracts for flavor, or a reduced strawberry puree for both flavor and some color, though the intensity and hue may vary. For those who prefer a cake without any gelatin mix, there are excellent recipes available that achieve strawberry flavor through other means. However, for a vibrant, deeply flavored, wonderfully moist, and beautifully colored strawberry cake, the Jell-O mix is a simple, effective, and perfectly acceptable component within a truly homemade recipe.

More Delicious Strawberry Dessert Ideas:

If you’re a devoted fan of fresh strawberries and delightful desserts, you’ll love exploring these other fantastic recipes that celebrate this versatile and beloved fruit. Each offers a unique way to enjoy the sweet and slightly tart flavor of strawberries, perfect for any occasion:

Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes with Strawberry Sauce: These elegant, bite-sized cheesecakes are topped with a luscious, homemade strawberry sauce, offering a burst of fresh fruit flavor in every delicate bite. Perfect for parties or a sophisticated individual dessert.
Frozen Strawberry Ice Cream Pie: A wonderfully refreshing, no-bake pie that combines creamy ice cream with vibrant strawberry flavors and a delightful crust. It’s an ideal treat for warm weather or when you need a quick yet impressive dessert.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad: A unique and highly addictive dessert that brilliantly balances sweet and salty. It features a crunchy pretzel crust, a rich, creamy filling, and a topping of fresh strawberries suspended in a sweet gelatin layer.
Strawberry Scones: Light, tender, and bursting with fresh strawberry pieces, these scones are perfect for a delightful breakfast, a leisurely brunch, or an elegant afternoon tea. Serve them with a dollop of clotted cream for an extra treat.
Strawberry Milkshake: A classic, creamy, and utterly refreshing strawberry milkshake. Easy to whip up, it’s the perfect simple pleasure for a hot day or a sweet indulgence anytime you crave a taste of fresh strawberries.

A delicious, homemade Strawberries and Cream Cake with cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries.

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Average Rating: 4.71 from 24 votes

Strawberries and Cream Cake

By Chelsea Lords

This made-from-scratch Strawberries and Cream Cake is a dream, topped with rich cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries. The perfect sweet treat for Mother’s Day or any celebration!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Yields: 1 (9 x 13) cake

Video

Equipment

9 x 13-inch baking pan
Hand mixer

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Cake

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 lemon (for fresh juice)
2 cups + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O mix (dry, not prepared)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or homemade, see Note 1)
3 to 4 drops red food coloring (optional, for vibrant color)
2/3 cup finely diced fresh strawberries

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature (not low-fat)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency; typically 3 cups for a thick frosting)
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Sugared Strawberry Topping (Optional)

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

Cake Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan, ensuring all inner surfaces are coated to prevent sticking. Set the prepared pan aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the room-temperature unsalted butter on medium speed until it appears light in color and creamy in texture, which usually takes about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar, continuing to beat for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is exceptionally light, fluffy, and well combined. This creaming process is fundamental for creating a tender cake.
In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the two large eggs. Slowly incorporate the beaten eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition until just combined. Stir in 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Next, beat in the buttermilk (refer to Note 1 for making homemade buttermilk). If you wish for a more vibrant pink color, add 3 to 4 drops of red food coloring and mix until the color is uniformly distributed throughout the batter.
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Sifting helps to aerate the flour and ensures a finer, more tender crumb for the cake. Then, add the dry strawberry Jell-O mix, baking soda, and salt to this flour mixture, whisking gently to ensure all dry ingredients are well combined. It is important to keep the wet and dry ingredients separate until this stage to avoid over-beating the batter, which can result in a dense and tough cake.
Gradually add the sifted dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed with your hand mixer until just combined, mixing only until no streaks of dry flour are visible. Be very careful not to overmix, as this develops gluten and can make the cake tough.
Remove the stems from your fresh strawberries and finely dice them into small, even pieces. Gently fold these finely chopped strawberries into the cake batter using a spatula. This step ensures the strawberries are evenly distributed without being crushed.
Pour the prepared cake batter evenly into your greased and floured 9×13-inch baking pan. Spread it gently with a spatula to ensure a uniform layer. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out completely clean.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. For the best frosting results, transfer the cooled cake to the refrigerator and chill for an additional hour. A thoroughly cooled and chilled cake is significantly easier to frost neatly.

Cream Cheese Frosting Preparation

In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and room-temperature cream cheese together using an electric hand mixer until the mixture is perfectly smooth and utterly creamy, with no lumps whatsoever. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Beat in the vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste for richer flavor) and salt until well incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting reaches your desired consistency – thick, fluffy, and easily spreadable. You can adjust the quantity of powdered sugar if you prefer a thicker or slightly thinner frosting.
Once the cake is thoroughly cooled and chilled, spread the prepared cream cheese frosting evenly over the top using an offset spatula or a butter knife. Ensure an even layer across the entire surface for a beautifully smooth finish.

Sugared Strawberry Topping (Optional)

In a medium bowl, gently stir together the sliced fresh strawberries and granulated sugar. Allow them to stand at room temperature for approximately 20–30 minutes. This resting time will draw out the natural juices from the strawberries, creating a delicious, glistening syrup that enhances their flavor. This sugared topping is best added just before serving the cake to maintain the freshest texture and prevent the cake from becoming soggy prematurely.

Recipe Notes

Note 1 (Homemade Buttermilk): If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk on hand, you can easily make your own. Simply remove 1 tablespoon from your cup of regular milk (dairy or non-dairy works) and replace it with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir gently and allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle slightly and thicken, indicating it’s ready to use as a perfect buttermilk substitute.

Storage: To keep your Strawberries and Cream Cake fresh, store any leftover frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4–5 days. The frosting contains cream cheese and butter, requiring refrigeration. If the cake is unfrosted, it can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, though refrigeration is always safer for baked goods with fruit.

Freezing Instructions: The unfrosted strawberry cake layers can be frozen for up to 2 months. Once completely cooled, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

The following nutrition information is an approximation per serving based on the ingredients listed. Actual values may vary depending on specific brands, ingredient substitutions, and preparation methods.

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 920 kcal
Carbohydrates: 145 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 35 g
Saturated Fat: 21 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 132 mg
Sodium: 506 mg
Potassium: 256 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 111 g
Vitamin A: 1109 IU
Vitamin C: 34 mg
Calcium: 150 mg
Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation. For precise dietary needs, it’s recommended to consult a professional nutritionist or use a trusted nutrition calculator with your exact ingredients.

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