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How to Make a Fresh Strawberry Cake at Home

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This fresh strawberry cake is moist and tender, stacked with a strawberry cream cheese frosting that tastes like summer on a fork. I love that every bite is packed with real fruit and zero fake flavors—it’s pure, simple, and honestly hard to stop eating.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 oz fresh strawberries, very ripe
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp – lightly indents when tapped, not melty at all
  • 1 ¾ cup white sugar
  • 4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated – room temp
  • ¼ cup whole milk, room temp
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cup cake flour, sifted after measuring
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting

  • 6 tablespoons strawberry puree, use leftover puree from cake
  • 12 tablespoons regular butter, firm
  • 12 oz cream cheese, slightly cold
  • 24 oz confectioner’s sugar, or 1.5 lbs.
  • Optional: thinly sliced fresh strawberries for garnish

Instructions

    • Hull and slice fresh strawberries.  Toss with 3 tsp sugar and cover.  Let sit in fridge overnight, until they become macerated and juicy.  Blend strawberries with short pulses, just until pureed.  Do not over blend.
    • Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle.  Line bottom of two 8- or 9-inch round pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour the paper and sides of pans.
    • Beat butter and sugar in stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium high, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
    • Add milk, yolks, vanilla, and 3/4 cup of strawberry puree – save remaining puree for frosting, filling, or other use. Blend just until combined.
    • In separate bowl, whisk together:  sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the butter mixture with rubber spatula, just until wet/dry ingredients are fully incorporated.  Do not over mix.
    • In a clean bowl, using electric mixer, beat egg whites just until still peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the cake batter with rubber spatula, softly folding until combined.
    • Divide batter evenly among the two pans.  Give the pans a gentle shake to level out the tops.
    • Bake 20-25 minutes just until toothpick inserted in center has a few tender crumbs attached.  Watch carefully so it does not over bake and become dry. 
    • Let cakes rest at room temp for 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks.  Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

    • In stand mixer using paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until it is light, pale yellow, and fluffy.  Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined.
    • Add the strawberry puree and mix just until combined.  Place frosting in fridge for at least an hour before use. 
    • Frost cake as desired; add thinly sliced fresh strawberries for garnish if desired. Frosted dessert should be kept in fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

  • Always use very ripe strawberries for this cake. The riper, the better, as they will be sweeter and more flavorful. Try to use ones without much white on them. If a lot of white needs to be cut off, you’ll need more strawberries. 
  • Make sure your butter is at room temperature and not melty at all. This will help it cream with the sugar properly and give your cake a light, fluffy texture.
  • This frosting is best suited for spreading rather than piping, as it is smooth and creamy soft.
  • Be careful not to over-mix your batter. Only fold until the wet and dry ingredients are fully incorporated to avoid a tough cake.

Find it online: https://thefrugalones.com/how-to-make-a-fresh-strawberry-cake-at-home/