Fresh Strawberry Cake

Sweet, a little rustic, and just right with a scoop of vanilla ice cream—this is the strawberry cake recipe you’ll come back to all season long.

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT70M

Total time: PT85M

Rating

4.85 stars (789 reviews)

Keywords

strawberry cake

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, (softened, plus more for greasing the pan)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, (divided)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk ((low-fat is fine))
About ¾ lb strawberries, (hulled and halved)

Cuisine

American

Steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9-in (23-cm) deep dish pie pan (or 9-in/23-cm round cake pan).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: the batter will be thick.)
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the strawberries on top, cut side down, so they completely cover the batter, using more or less as needed. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.
Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C) and bake until the cake is lightly golden and a tester comes out clean, about an hour. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
The cake can be stored at room temperature for several days, loosely covered.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 241 kcal
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 38 mg
Sodium: 185 mg
Sugar: 25 g

Reviews

Anita. Macphee on 2026-06-09 (5 stars):
Thank you Jennifer for this strawberry cake recipe. It was so delicious and a huge hit with my family; it is a recipe I will use over and over again. I make so many of your recipes, all with amazing results. I change nothing and follow all the directions, and Voila… perfection every time. Anita
Penny Ollard on 2026-06-09 (5 stars):
Am going to make this but what do you mean by "all purpose flour" Plain or self-raising? Thank you
Susan Harf on 2026-06-08 (5 stars):
Jen, strawberries are not really my favorite fruit, but the write-up sounded so good. I decided to make it anyway. This strawberry cake is absolutely fabulous! Everyone loved it, including me! And it’s so beautiful. I served it warm with vanilla ice cream, and it was delicious! This is my new favorite cake!!
Gordon on 2026-06-02 (5 stars):
I made this yesterday using iffy strawberries and it came out great. My wife liked the crunchy top from the sugar. It’s moist, something I always have trouble with as I’m prone to overbaking, but I caught it at the perfect moment. We’ll see how it holds up over a few days. I’m tempted now to try this same batter using other berries or stone fruit. I’ve never creamed sugar with a handheld mixer before, a chore I usually do using a stand mixer. I wasn’t really sure I’d mixed it well enough but in the end the cake came out fine.
LeAnn H on 2026-06-02 (5 stars):
Absolutely delicious. I have made this 4 times in the past 2 weeks. I top it with cream cheese frosting and the family loves it.
Lizanne Driskill on 2026-06-01 (5 stars):
Hi Jen, Love all your recipes and knowledge.. thank you for sharing. I always give these to my daughter in NYC! Quick question on the strawberry cake that I’m making for the first time.. what is the ETA of the second part of the baking? I know the toothpick needs to come out dry, but just wondering if you have a general idea of timing! Thank you!
Mandie on 2026-06-01 (5 stars):
I rarely comment on recipes and I tend to love all of the recipes from this site, but this cake is fabulous. It's like a fancy strawberry shortcake that looks very labor intensive, but is super simple and looks beautiful. I served to 6 boys who tend to be picky eaters and everyone licked their plates clean. I served with homemade whipped cream. Will be making this on repeat!