Strawberry Cake Recipe with Vanilla Buttercream

This moist strawberry cake recipe is an oil-based cake, deliciously moist with a tender crumb. Frosted with my popular velvet American buttercream this can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries.

Spring is here and the weather is getting warmer and strawberries are in season. I love a good strawberry cake, my favorite, of course, is this strawberry cream cake with whipped cream.

Today, I bring you another strawberry cake. This one is an oil-based cake recipe while the previous one was a butter-based cake. And, both are delicious.

This oil-based cake is light, airy and works an absolute treat with light frostings. While the butter-based strawberry cake is perfect fro my tiered wedding cakes and sculpted cakes.

About this cake

This simple and easy recipe makes the most decadently rich, moist, yet light and airy cake.

I have frosted this with my velvet American buttercream. And yet, you can also use my vanilla buttercream frosting or strawberry buttercream frosting. The options for frosting a strawberry cake recipe are endless. And, I have over 30 plus buttercream frosting recipes for you on this blog.

Ideally, it is not necessary to use pink 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. Therefore, I like to use a tiny dab of pink color, so when the customer cuts it looks like a pink strawberry cake. Having said that, feel free to omit the color if you want. In fact, the color does not affect the taste or texture of this cake.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Strawberries - I'm using fresh for this cake because strawberries are now in season. However, during the year I use frozen strawberries - just pulse them in the food processor until smooth.
• Cake flour - Gives us a soft moist cake with a tender crumb.
• Eggs - Use fresh large eggs. Large eggs are about 60 grams each.
• Pink food color - Again, optional, and you can omit it. But, the strawberry puree does not really give the cake a natural pink color. In fact, when baked, the batter turns to a light pale pink.

Step by step instructions  (Save/Pin)

Cake

• Preheat oven to 170 C / 340 F
• Grease and line 2 x 7-inch round cake pans (or 3 x 6-inch cake pans)
• Dry ingredients – in a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt - set aside
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the whole eggs on medium for two minutes
• Gradually start adding sugar one tablespoon at a time whipping constantly on medium speed.
• Once all the sugar is in; turn the mixer to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy – ribbon stage.
• Next, gradually, add the cooking oil. Followed by the strawberry puree and pink food color
• Next, add in the flour mixture making sure you have no lumps. Continue to use the whisk but do not over whip at this time. Or you will lose all the volume in the eggs.
• Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
  Tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
• Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely before you store or decorate.
  Tip - Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for an hour. This will make fewer crumbs when torting and leveling the cake.

American buttercream

• See how I make this velvet American buttercream here
• In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth.
• Add meringue powder, liquid creamer, and approximately two cups of the powdered sugar.
• Mix on medium-low for a minute – scrap the bowl. Add the vanilla and the salt.
• Continue to mix for two minutes more until you have a light and sticky consistency.
• Tip - the meringue powder will add a bit of stickiness to the buttercream.
• Now, add the remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time. Followed by the butter one cube at a time.
• Once all the butter is in – run the mixer on medium-high for about 3 minutes until you have a light and fluffy buttercream that resembles the consistency of whipped cream.
• The cream in the mixture will whip and give you almost stiff peaks.
  Tip- If the buttercream is too soft, you haven't whipped enough. However, If the butter is melting chill the bowl for 10 minutes then whip again. (this can happen in warmer temperatures)

Assemble

• Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.
  Tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
• Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers
• Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
• 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.
• Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
• Add more frosting on top and sides, use a bench scraper to smooth the sides and an off-set spatula for the top.
• Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
  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.
  Tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.
• Use to remaining buttercream to pipe borders.
• Garnish fresh strawberries or similar

Frequently asked questions

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