Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe

With farmers markets in full swing, and plenty of strawberry picking already done, there are loads of strawberries in our fridge, and plenty of strawberry dessert ideas in our head. The first dessert that comes to mind is a fresh strawberry cake. Since there are not a lot of fresh strawberry cake recipes out there, we were excited to grab our pints of strawberries and get to experimenting with this recipe. This light pink colored cake, with the subtle taste of strawberry, was a perfect treat to pair with our cream cheese frosting.

Before You Get Started Making Fresh Strawberry Cake

Prepare the strawberry puree - we suggest to start making the strawberry puree in advance as the whole process takes some time

Measure/Weigh all the ingredients

Take butter, milk, and eggs out beforehand to come to room temperature

Grease/flour cake pans and line with parchment paper

Fresh Strawberry Cake Ingredients and Amounts (Yields three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans)

For Strawberry Puree

24 oz (680g) ripe strawberries

2 tsp (8g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (59g) water

Note: Read below for directions and begin the puree process before preparing to make the cake.

For Strawberry Cake

2 1/4 cup (300g) cake flour

4 tsp (14g) baking powder

1 tsp (5g) salt

1 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (121g) whole milk

6 (180g) egg whites

2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract

1/2 cup of strawberry puree

Fresh Strawberry Cake Step-By-Step Directions

To Make Strawberry Puree

1) Hull and cut strawberries into pieces. Add 2 tsp of sugar, stir and set aside for an hour. The sugar will help draw the juices out of the strawberries.

2) After the strawberries have sat for an hour, add the strawberry/sugar mixture to a saucepan and add 1/4th cup of water. Simmer the strawberries for 20 minutes.

3) Next, using a fine mesh strainer, strain the juice from the strawberries into a bowl. Using a spatula, mash the strawberries around to get the maximum amount of juice from them.

4) Place the juice you collected back into the saucepan and reduce this on med-high heat for about 25 minutes. The strawberry puree will get thick and turn a deeper red color. You will be left with 1/2 cup of puree. Let the puree cool.

To Make Fresh Strawberry Cake

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2) In a bowl, combine milk, eggs, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Whisk and set aside.

3) Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl, and then add in the sugar.

4) In your stand mixer, on low speed, mix the dry ingredients for 15 seconds.

5) Add in the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low. The consistency should be of moist crumbs or a sandy-like texture.

6) Next, add the wet ingredients from step 1 slowly to the dry ingredients on low speed.

7) Once the wet ingredients are incorporated, mix on medium speed for one minute and then on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the cake batter is combined well.

8) Pour batter into pans and level.

9) Bake for about 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Depending on the size of the cake pan, it may require longer or shorter time. In our experience, our 6-inch cake pans baked in 30 minutes and cupcakes in 16 minutes.

10) Once the cakes are done, cool in the cake pans for twenty minutes and then turn over onto a cooling rack. Once your cake is completely cooled, ice your cake and enjoy. If you need some icing tips, check out Craftsy for a free online tutorial on icing a cake.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Sweet Notes

You can use frozen strawberries if you choose, just thaw the strawberries before following the steps for making strawberry puree

The fresh strawberry cake bakes to a light pink color, if you would like a more intense pink color, you may want to add a drop or two of food coloring. Note: the color of the cake can change depending on the ripeness of the strawberries

We like to pair the fresh strawberry cake with our cream cheese frosting recipe

Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride