Packed with real strawberry flavor, this fresh strawberry cake is moist, light, and airy. And, frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream this cake is perfect at any time of the year using fresh or frozen strawberries. Make it for the weekend or to celebrate a birthday party, or any special occasion.
Table of Content
It's strawberry season here, so apart from enjoying fresh strawberries, we also make a few strawberry treats from scratch. Yesterday, we had chocolate-covered strawberries with heavy cream. And the strawberries were so sweet and juicy, I knew they would be perfect for this cake.
Why make this cake?
- This cake is very rich, light and airy. Also, it is quite stable and can be used in a tiered cake, as well as covered with fondant.
- And, unlike my oil-based strawberry cake, this one is oil and butter-based cake, which keeps the cake moist and stable.
- Today, I am frosting it with Swiss meringue butercream. But, this is a very versatile cake and can be paired with many variations. Whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, and strawberry buttercream are also a great frosting with strawberry cake.
- The real secret to intense strabwery flavor is to use strawberry reduction. This evaporates the liquid leaving behind a very concentrated mixture.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Strawberries - You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for the strawberry reduction. If you use frozen strawberries you may need to reduce for longer because frozen fruits usually have too much liquid.
- Butter - I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the quantity of salt in my recipe. But, if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe.
- Cake flour - Gives us a soft moist cake with a tender crumb.
- Sour cream - Also contributes to a soft tender crumb. You can make sour cream at home for baking. And, for a quick fix yogurt is also a good substitute for sour cream.
- Vanilla Extract - Always use a good quality vanilla extract. You can use vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste as well as vanilla sugar.
- Food color - Ideally, it is not necessary to use food color in this cake. However, fresh strawberries do not give that intense pink color we associate with strawberry cakes. So, you may not get a pink cake with just the strawberries in a recipe. I've used pink gel food color, some like to use a dash of red food coloring. Having said that, feel free to omit the color if you want. The color does not affect the taste or texture of this cake.
Strawberry cake recipe
Reduced strawberry puree
- Wash, clean, and hull the strawberries. Place them in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pass it thru a sieve to remove seeds.
- Pour into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the strawberry puree has reduced to almost ⅓ of its original volume.
Pro tip - Reducing the puree will concentrate the flavor with less liquid.
Bake cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3.
- Grease and line 2× 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. You can also double this recipe to make 2 x 8-inch round cakes.
Pro tip - I am baking in 2 pans, so I can torte in half to make four. But, you can also use 3 x 6-inch round pans to make 3 layers. That way you don't have to torte. - Dry ingredients - Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – set aside.
- In the bowl of a electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the large eggs, one at a time, at low speed, making sure each is well incorporated.
Pro tip - Adding eggs one at a time will prevent the batter from curdling. - Next, add the flour mixture, sour cream, and strawberry puree in three batches making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Then, add the pink color, vanilla and strawberry extract and combine well.
Pro tip - Do not overmix at this stage as we do not want to activate the gluten in our flour.
- Pour the batter into the two prepared baking pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Pro tip - It is a great idea to use cake strips around my baking pans to prevent a dome. That way you don't lose much height on your layer cakes. - Once baked, leave in the pan for no more than 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Pro tip - Always frost cakes only when they are completely cooled. Otherwise, the frosting will melt.
Prepare Swiss meringue buttercream
- Watch my video on how to make Swiss meringue buttercream.
- Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Pro tip - Make sure the bowl is grease-free. Otherwise, the egg whites will not whip. - Using a whisk, place the bowl over a double boiler and constantly whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F).
Pro tip - You don't need a thermometer, as long as all the sugar has completely melted your eggs are ready to use. - Take the bowl off the heat and whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.
Pro tip - It is best to start whipping eggs at medium speed then increase speed as you go for the best meringue. - Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low speed until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch. Then, gradually add butter, one cube at a time, with the mixer at medium speed.
Pro tip - It is VERY important that the meringue is cooled completely before you add the butter. Otherwise, you will have a soupy mess. - Once all the butter is added, whip on medium-high for 2 minutes. Lastly, add the vanilla and strawberry extract. Combine well until everything is well combined.
Assemble
- Watch this video showing how I level, torte, and fill the cakes.
Pro tip - Make sure the cakes are completely cold. Otherwise, the frosting will melt. Plus, the cakes are more delicate to handle. Chilling the cakes makes them easier to work with. - Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Then, divide each layer in half horizontally so you have four layers (2 x 2 = 4 layers).
- Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
Pro tip - To enhance the strawberry flavor, you can add a few drops of strawberry extract or strawberry puree to simple syrup to make a strawberry syrup. - Next, place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
- Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need. - Spread the remaining buttercream around and the top of the cake.
Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better. - Divide the remaining buttercream in two. Add pink gel food color to one half. Put both colors of buttercream in a piping bag with a star piping tip nozzle
- Pipe swirls around and top of the cake. These swirls are exactly what you would do on a cupcake just smaller in size. Decorate as desired
- Enjoy!
Variations
- Strawberry whipped cream - layers of genoise with whipped cream and fresh strawberries
- Cream cheese frosted strawberry cake - is a wonderful frosting with strawberry cake. My favorite is no-butter cream cheese frosting.
- Strawbery buttercream strawberry cake - perfect when you have fresh strawberries to make strawberry buttercream.
- Strawberry triffle - pieces of strawberry cake layered with pastry cream, strawberry jam. You can also garnish cubes of strawberry jello made with strawebrry gelatin.
More strawberry flavored cakes
- Strawberry Bundt Cake
- Strawberry Red Velvet Cake
- and Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
- Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream
- See all strawberry recipes or see all layer cakes
Frequently asked questions
How long will this strawberry cake keep?
This cake will keep at room temperature unfrosted for 3 to 4 days, frosted for 2 days. And, in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to a month.
Can I use oil instead of butter for this strawberry cake?
No, this recipe works best with butter. But, I do have an oil-based strawberry cake that is very popular too. And, it is frosted with my every popular velvet American buttercream too.
Can I use strawberry fruit powder for this strawberry cake?
Absolutely. You can use ¼ cup strawberry powder + ¼ cup water or milk.
What else can I do with fresh strawberries?
Strawberries are so versatile and can be used in many desserts. And, I have shared many desserts with you on this blog. For example, see here for my 30 plus popular strawberry recipes.
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Printable Recipe
Easy Strawberry Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3.
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 572kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 12 servings
Description
Packed with real strawberry flavor, this strawberry cake is moist, light, and airy. And, frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream this cake is perfect at any time of the year using fresh or frozen strawberries. Make it for the weekend or to celebrate a birthday, or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Reduced strawberry puree
- 8 oz (225 g) Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
For the cake
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) Butter (unsalted room temperature)
- 4 tablespoon (60 ml) Oil (flavorless)
- 2½ cups (310 g) Cake flour
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) White sugar ((divided))
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Eggs large
- ½ cup (120 ml) Strawberry puree reduced
- ½ cup (120 ml) Sour cream
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 drops Pink gel food color ((optional))
Swiss meringue buttercream
- 3 (90 g) Egg whites (3 oz)
- ¾ cup (150 g) White sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cream of tartar (optional) ((optional))
- 8 oz (226 g) unsalted butter ((2 sticks) )
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Extra
- ½ cup (120 ml) simple syrup
Instructions
Reduced strawberry puree
- Wash, clean, and hull the strawberries. Place them in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pass it thru a sieve to remove seeds.
- Pour into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the strawberry puree has reduced to almost ⅓ of its original volume.Pro tip - Reducing the puree will concentrate the flavor with less liquid.
Bake cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3.
- Grease and line 2× 6-inch baking pans with parchment paper. You can also double this recipe to make 2 x 8-inch round cakes.Pro tip - I am baking in 2 pans, so I can torte in half to make four. But, you can also use 3 x 6-inch round pans to make 3 layers. That way you don't have to torte.
- Dry ingredients - Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated. Pro tip - Adding eggs one at a time will prevent the batter from curdling.
- Next, add the flour mixture, sour cream, and strawberry puree in three batches making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Then, add the vanilla and strawberry extract and combine well.Pro tip - Do not overmix at this stage as we do not want to activate the gluten in our flour.
- Pour the batter into the two prepared baking pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Pro tip - It is a great idea to use cake strips around my baking pans to prevent a dome. That way you don't lose much height on your layer cakes.
- Once baked, leave in the pan for no more than 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Pro tip - Always frost cakes only when they are completely cooled. Otherwise, the frosting will melt.
Prepare Swiss meringue buttercream
- Watch my video on how to make Swiss meringue buttercream.
- Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer.Pro tip - Make sure the bowl is grease-free. Otherwise, the egg whites will not whip.
- Using a whisk, place the bowl over a double boiler and constantly whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F).Pro tip - You don't need a thermometer, as long as all the sugar has completely melted your eggs are ready to use.
- Take the bowl off the heat and whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.Pro tip - It is best to start whipping eggs at medium speed then increase speed as you go for the best meringue.
- Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low speed until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch. Then, gradually add butter, one cube at a time, with the mixer at medium speed.Pro tip - It is VERY important that the meringue is cooled completely before you add the butter. Otherwise, you will have a soupy mess.
- Once all the butter is added, whip on medium-high for 2 minutes. Lastly, add the vanilla and strawberry extract. Combine well until everything is well combined.
Assemble
- Watch this video showing how I level, torte, and fill the cakes.Pro tip - Make sure the cakes are completely cold. Otherwise, the frosting will melt. Plus, the cakes are more delicate to handle. Chilling the cakes makes them easier to work with.
- Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Then, divide each layer in half horizontally so you have four layers (2 x 2 = 4 layers).
- Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup. Pro tip - To enhance the strawberry flavor you can add a few drops of strawberry extract or strawberry puree to simple syrup to make a strawberry syrup.
- Next, place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
- Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
- Spread the remaining buttercream around and the top of the cake.Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.
- Divide the remaining buttercream in two. Add pink gel food color to one half. Put both colors of buttercream in a piping bag with a star piping tip nozzle.
- Pipe swirls around and top of the cake. These swirls are exactly what you would do on a cupcake just smaller in size. Decorate as desired.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients especially butter and eggs as these can cause the batter to curdle.
- Add eggs one at a time making sure each is well emulsified before you add the next. This will give a light and airy cake.
Storage
- The cake layers will stay fresh for up to four days at cool room temperature, longer if kept in the fridge.
- The cake layer without frosting can be frozen for up to a month or more.
- The cake once frosted is best kept in the fridge.
- The Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) has egg whites which are considered perishable.
- In good weather, a cake frosted with SMBC can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 572- kcalCarbohydrates: 82- gProtein: 3- gFat: 25- gSaturated Fat: 10- gCholesterol: 73- mgSodium: 261- mgPotassium: 147- mgFiber: 0- gSugar: 65- gVitamin A: 445- IUVitamin C: 12.7- mgCalcium: 41- mgIron: 1.2- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Minha
Hi! Have you altered this recipe? I made this cake in 2019 june and loved it. Wanted to make again and compared what i wrote down then to your website recipe and there are differences. Did i make a mistake or has the recipe been updated with changes?
Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Minha. I do sometimes make changes if I retest the recipe. But, they would usually be small changes. I do have a few Strawberry cake recipes so are you sure you got the right one?
Minha
Hi Veena, yes this is the correct one, Im certain because I recall the same picture and i made it with the same italian buttercream.
Will try your new one this time and see. Thank you.
Penda
Hi Veena, please how far ahead can one make the strawberry puree without it changing color? Thanks
Veena Azmanov
I didn't leave it for long but I think a few hours will be fine.