A delicious, made-from-scratch, best-ever Strawberries and Cream Cake with a thick cream cheese frosting and garnished with sugared strawberries. The perfect cake for Mother’s Day!
Strawberries and Cream Cake
Right in time for Mother’s Day, I’ve got you covered for dessert! 🙂 This Strawberries and Cream Cake is relatively simple to make (no worrying about different pans and layering cakes with frosting in between), moist and flavorful, packed with strawberries, and it’s beautiful! I mean, who could ask for more?! And after your mom absolutely flips over this cake, then you’ll want to use this recipe for all kinds of occasions – a baby girl shower, a pink-themed party, Easter Sunday, a gorgeous spring/summer cake…there are so many times when you’ll need a delicious-from-scratch pink strawberry cake!
How Do You Make a Strawberries and Cream Cake with Real Strawberries?
The base of this cake has real strawberries in it! It also has an amazing topping of sugared strawberries–making this cake quite the delicious strawberry treat!
- Special ingredients: To make this cake, you’ll start by beating the butter until smooth and then adding in the sugar. You’ll add some lightly beaten eggs to this mixture and then some lemon juice. Why add lemon juice to this cake? A bit of lemon is as good as a dash of salt in bringing out the flavors. It really intensifies the delicious strawberry flavor, all while keeping things tasting fresh and light. The acidity of the lemon is also important for the final texture of the cake. And then you’ll add in the buttermilk. You can definitely make your own buttermilk (Remove one tablespoon from one cup of milk and replace that tablespoon with vinegar or lemon juice), but I do think this cake is best with a good store-bought buttermilk.
- Keep it light: To keep this cake from being over-mixed (and thus resulting in a denser cake) you’ll combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. You’ll sift together the flour and cornstarch a few times which is going to give you a bit of a “DIY cake flour.” You’ll get a finer crumb and a moister cake without it being too dense. Then you’ll mix in the dry Jell-O®, baking soda, and salt. Once this mixture is combined, you’ll add it to the wet ingredients and beat the two until JUST combined. Again, you don’t want to over-mix the cake batter here.
- Strawberries: Finally, you’ll fold in those *real* finely chopped strawberries!
- Frosting: While the cake bakes, you can make the delicious cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries that will finish off this cake beautifully.
Quick Tip
MEASURING FLOUR: The most important measurement in this recipe is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour, which will yield cakey and less-flavorful results. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. Scooping and packing the flour is not the way to go!
How Do You Frost a Strawberries and Cream Cake?
This scrumptious treat has a delicious strawberry cake base and then a perfect cream cheese frosting to top it all off, making it a “strawberry-and-cream” flavored dessert. I’ve talked a lot about making the cake, so let’s quickly cover that cream cheese frosting. The most important thing for the cream cheese frosting is to make sure the cream cheese and the butter are both at room temperature. This will give you the perfect smooth and creamy base for the frosting. You don’t want the cream cheese or butter melted, microwaved, or softened, which makes the frosting greasy; yet you don’t want it chilled, which is hard to mix smoothly. They should both be at the same room temperature for best results.
The one “secret” ingredient to my cream cheese frosting that I think makes it the best is vanilla bean paste
. The paste has a more intense vanilla flavor and adds gorgeous flecks of beans to the frosting. I love what the paste does for this frosting, but pure vanilla extract also is delicious in its place.
More Strawberry Desserts:
- Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes with Strawberry Sauce
- Frozen Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Strawberry Scones
- Strawberry Milkshake
Strawberries and Cream Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons white flour
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons strawberry jell-o mix, dry (not prepared)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk mixed with lemon juice--check notes)
- Optional: 3-4 drops red food coloring
- ⅔ cup finely diced fresh strawberries
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 package (8 oz.) full-fat cream cheese at room temperature, don't use low fat
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (OR 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
- 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency; I usually use 3 cups)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
- 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- 1 ½ tablespoons white granulated sugar
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.
- Beat the room-temperature butter with a hand mixer until light and creamy. Slowly add in the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs; add to the butter mixture and mix. Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat in the buttermilk (See Note 1.). If desired, add in the red food coloring and mix that in.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch and then add in the Jell-O mix, baking soda, and salt. It is important to use separate bowls so the cake isn't over-beaten-- which will result in a dense cake.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat at low speed until just combined.
- Remove the stems from the strawberries and chop finely. Add the finely chopped strawberries to the cake batter.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Cool the cake for at least one hour and then refrigerate for another hour.
Frosting:
- Beat the softened butter and room temperature cream cheese until completely creamy. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth and your desired consistency.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cake.
Sugared Strawberry topping (optional)
- Stir together the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Let them stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes to develop the syrup. Add them to the cake ONLY when serving and not beforehand.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just substituted a 1:1 gluten free flour and the mixed cake is super thick not “runny” like boxed mixes. Is that how it normally comes out???
It shouldn’t be super thick. I wonder if the gluten free flour is causing such a difference.
Thanks for your feedback Mariette! 🙂
Will this recipe double well? I have a friend who wants a large strawberry sheet cake and this recipe sounds tasty! 🙂
I’m sorry Diana, I’ve never tried doubling this recipe so I really don’t know. However I think just the regular recipe could spread well in a 9 x 13 for a sheet cake. I’m not certain though without trying it. Wish I could be of more help. :/
What type of flour? Brand and all purpose or self rising?
All purpose 🙂
Does this cake do better in the fridge or just covered?
I personally like it best chilled in the fridge (tightly covered). Either way just make sure it’s well covered!
Regarding the substitution for buttermilk – have you tried this with baking? I have found this substitution before but haven’t had an opportunity to actually try it.
Yes I have! 🙂 Works great!
I was wondering if you have tried making this cake with thawed frozen strawberries? Thanks for any help!
I haven’t…hopefully someone can comment and answer your question 🙂
I regularly use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones when baking strawberry cupcakes (although I have not yet tried this recipe). I set them out in a bowl or measuring cup and then mash them when they are thawed (I use the bottom of a clean glass). Even if you don’t mash them, you probably won’t get the same texture as fresh but I have found that frozen tend to add more color than fresh, especially when used in frosting.
Made it for my 15 year old son’s birthday today. Made a layer cake (2 layers) and since my son doesn’t like sweet frosting of any sort I made a whipped cream frosting and it turned out beautifully. Rave reviews and second helpings!
Oh yay!! So thrilled to hear this! I’m glad it was so well enjoyed! 🙂
I would like to make this a layer cake too. What size pans did you use? 8 or 9 inch rounds? Thanks
9 inch! 🙂
Hi, maybe a silly question but is it all purpose flour or cake flour?
All purpose 🙂 Not silly at all!
CAn i replace butter with oil. If yes thn by how much
I haven’t tried that particular substitution so I can’t say without further recipe testing. Sorry to not be of more help!
Does this cake remain soft in refrigerator or have to keep out of refrigerator for some time for regaining softness, the for help
Made this for hubby’s birthday and he loved it. Thinking about using all of the jello mix next time instead of only 3 TB per the recipe as the cake didn’t have a lot of strawberry flavor, even with the strawberries in it as well. The batter was a very light pink color and then when cake was cut found that it was white. Where did the pink go??? Also only used 2 cups powdered sugar for the frosting and that was plenty.
Well I’m glad your husband loved it! 🙂 I’m not sure at all, mine was very pink! Definitely feel free to add it all in next time and maybe even a few more strawberries 🙂