Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting

This moist and fluffy Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting is naturally flavored with real strawberries. It’s topped with a strawberry whipped cream frosting that is full of sweet strawberry flavor. This gorgeous pink cake is perfect for summer!

Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting

Strawberries are one of those things that just immediately transport me to summer. So when these bright, juicy berries are in season, I just can’t seem to get enough of them. I really wanted to incorporate that classic sweet and slightly tangy strawberry flavor into this cake.

This light and refreshing cake tastes like summer. Both the cake and frosting are naturally flavored with real berries so it’s packed with strawberry flavor. This colorful cake really does make for a stunning summer dessert.

The strawberry whipped cream frosting is my cream cheese whipped cream frosting made with freeze-dried strawberries. It’s rich, creamy, and adds a punch of strawberry flavor to the cake.

I seriously cannot get enough of this frosting. It can make it with either cream cheese or Mascarpone cheese. Using cream cheese will give the frosting a bit more tang, whereas the frosting will be milder if you use Mascarpone cheese. I’ve done both and I promise it’s equally amazing either way. 

What Makes This Cake So Good?

There are so many reasons why I love this cake. Some of my favorite things about this recipe are:

• It’s full of real strawberries
• It has a moist and fluffy texture
• Both the cake and frosting are full of incredible strawberry flavor
• It’s bright and colorful

Ingredients for Strawberry Cake

Are you ready to start baking? This cake is made using pretty simple ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for the fill list of Ingredients.

• Fresh Strawberries: These will be reduced to make a sauce
• Vegetable Oil: Using oil will make the cake moister than if you used just butter.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds flavor
• Eggs
• Sour Cream: Adds thickness and moisture to the cake. Substitute with plain or Greek yogurt
• Vanilla Extract
• Grandulated Sugar
• Flour: I recommend using all-purpose flour for this cake. I have not tested it with alternative flours
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Salt
• Milk: You can use whatever type of milk you want for this recipe.
• Pink Food Coloring: This is optional, but using it will add color and brightness to the cake.

How to Make the Strawberry Cake

There are a few steps to making this strawberry cake, but once you try it you’ll realize that it’s worth the extra work. 

Step 1: Make the strawberry reduction

You can either do this right before you make the cake or ahead of time (just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator).

1. Just rinse the berries and pulse them in a food processor until it turns into a puree.
2. Then, cook the puree over medium-low heat, stirring until you see the mixture until it becomes a slow and rolling boil (this should take 20-30 minutes and the sauce should be very thick).
3. Once ready, transfer the sauce to a bowl so that it can come to room temperature. 

Step 2: Prepare the Cake Batter

1. Prep your equipment. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line and grease three baking pans for the three cake layers. 
2. Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the oil, eggs, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Make sure that they are very well combined. Then, add the sugar, beating until combine.
3. Next add the strawberry puree and pink food coloring. Remember, that the pink food coloring is optional, but I love how vibrant it makes the cake.

4. Mix the remaining dry ingredients. Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. When you’re ready, alternate adding this mixture to the batter along with the milk, doing half at a time. Beat the batter until it’s just well combined and then stir with a spatula to make sure that it is well mixed.

5. Bake the cake. Divide the batter as evenly as possible between the three pans. Bake the cake for 18-20 minutes at 350°F (your kitchen will be filled with an amazing strawberry aroma). Make sure that you let the cake cool completely before you assemble it.

Strawberry Frosting Ingredients

There are also a few extra ingredients for the frosting. You can refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full amount.

• Freeze Dried Strawberries: You can find these at most grocery stores, Trader Joe’s or Target.
• Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese: Make sure you are using full-fat and cold cheese.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Keep this cold before making the frosting. 
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Powdered Sugar

How to Make the Strawberry Frosting

1. Make a strawberry powder. Pulse the freeze-dried strawberries in the food processor so that they grind into a fine powder.
2. Prep your equipment. Place your mixing bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes before you start making this frosting.
3. Beat the cream cheese. Cut the cream cheese into 1-inch cubes and beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it’s smooth and free of any lumps. Make sure to occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. Remember, you can also substitute mascarpone for a milder frosting. 
4. Add the whipping cream. Once the cream cheese is ready, slowly add in some of the whipping cream and continue beating until the cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture. Then, continue adding the rest of the whipping cream and beat on medium-high. You’ll know you’re done this step once you notice soft peaks forming. 

5. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat. Add the powdered strawberries, vanilla, and sugar to the bowl. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks start to form. 

Assemble & Decorate the Cake

Now that you’ve done all of the hard work to make the cake, this is the part where you can have fun and be creative. Since the frosting is a whipped cream base, do your best not to over handle it.

Level the cakes. Once cooled, cut the domes off of the top of the cakes with a cake leveler. Scoop a dollop of frosting onto the cake board and place the first layer of cake on top (this will limit the cake’s ability to slide around on the board). 

Frost between the cake layers. Add some of the frosting to a piping bag with a large and open round tip (you can also just cut off the end of the piping bag). Pipe a layer onto the leveled cake, starting with the outside edge and working towards the middle like a spiral. Spread the frosting evenly with an offset spatula. Add the second layer and repeat, then add the third layer on top (do not repeat this step on top of the third layer).

Make a rough crumb coat around the cake. Use the piping bag to fill in any gaps that you notice between the cake layers and create a rough crumb coat. Use an offset spatula to wipe any excess frosting, you only want just enough to cover the outside of the cake. If the excess frosting has cake crumbs in it, make sure that you do not mix it back into your frosting.

Decorate and garnish. Use the remaining frosting to frost and decorate the outside of the cake. Fill a large piping bag with frosting and cut off the edge. Then, working from the bottom up, decorate around the outside of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Decorate and garnish with fresh strawberries. 

Recipe Tips for Success

Three-layer cakes can be intimidating, but they don’t have to be. Even though this recipe may have a lot of steps, it’s actually pretty easy to make.  Here are some extra tips to help you nail this recipe:

1. Make the strawberry reduction ahead of time: This step is just easy to make ahead of time and it reduces the amount of prep work once you start making the cake. Just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use. 
2. Do not overmix the cake batter: Overmixing the batter will result in a tougher, more chewy consistency. Keep this cake light and fluffy by only mixing until just combined. 
3. Don’t make the frosting ahead of time: This is best to work with when it’s made fresh. So while you can prepare the layers in advance (and frost the next day), wait until you are ready to assemble to make the frosting.
4. Wait for the cake to cool completely before assembling: You do not want to cut your cake before it’s cooled. Since the cake is still super moist when it’s hot, cutting it before it’s cooled will result in a mess. 
5. Do not skip leveling the cake: If you skip this step, your layers will look sloppy and the cake may not stay up. Make sure that you have a strong, sturdy, and pretty cake by leveling the layers first!

How to Store a Frosted Cake

Unless you’re serving this cake at a big party, you’ll probably want to store some of this for later. While some cakes can be left out once frosted, this one does need to be stored in the refrigerator. I recommend placing it in an airtight container before storing it. Try using my favorite cake carrier.

Can I Freeze Extra Slices?

Yes, you can freeze extra slices of this cake! Just make sure that the cake is completely cooled before you start to freeze it. I recommend that you cut any extra cake into individual slices so that they are easier to thaw once you’re ready to eat them. Then, wrap the slices in plastic wrap or parchment paper and add them to a freezer-safe container. This cake can be frozen for up to three months. 

To defrost, either thaw the cake for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. If you have smaller pieces of cake you can also just thaw them for a few minutes at room temperature.

How to Turn this into Cupcakes

This recipe will make 24 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes for approximately 15-18 minutes. Cool completely then frost. Once frosted, these need to be stored in the refrigerator.

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