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This Fresh Strawberry Cake is the perfect dessert year-round. Loaded with strawberry flavor in both the cake itself as well as the frosting, it’s perfect for a family get together or anytime you find yourself with extra berries!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients in Fresh Strawberry Cake
- Can I Use Other Berries?
- Cake Texture
- Fresh Strawberry Cake Frosting
- Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
- Make it a Chocolate Strawberry Cake
- Frequently Asked Questions about Fresh Strawberry Cake
- Looking for more tasty summer desserts like this Fresh Strawberry Cake? Try these!
- How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe
This Fresh Strawberry Cake is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh strawberries. I find myself making this dessert often in the summertime when berries are in abundance, but it’s truly an incredible dessert any month of the year. It’s very similar to strawberry shortcake but with even more strawberries in the cake batter and the fluffy frosting on top. This cake is SO easy to whip up and it is always a crowd-pleaser. Even my husband who doesn’t really like fruity cakes LOVED this one! The frosting is light and creamy and brings out all that fresh strawberry deliciousness.
Ingredients in Fresh Strawberry Cake
Take some help from the store with this recipe! Grab a box of cake mix and that takes a lot of the work out of a homemade cake. Here’s what you need:
FOR THE CAKE:
- White cake mix – one box dry, unprepared cake mix. This flour mixture has all of the dry ingredients you need (baking powder, salt, all purpose flour, etc.) and it so much easier than baking from scratch.
- Strawberry gelatin – one 3-ounce box dry, unprepared mix
- Fresh strawberries – one cup of strawberry puree, blended using a blender or food processor.
- Vegetable oil – one cup
- Buttermilk – half a cup. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own! Just add one tablespoon of white vinegar and enough milk to make one cup.
- Eggs – Four large eggs. Crack each large egg, one at a time and use the paddle attachment to incorporate each egg on low speed until completely mixed together.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Cream cheese – 16 ounces, or two packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
- Fresh strawberries – blend another ¾ cup of fresh strawberries into a strawberry puree, either with a food processor or blender. blended
- Powdered sugar – about two cups, sifted and measured. Set aside some extra if you want a bit thicker frosting.
- Cool Whip – one cup. If the tub has been in the freezer, make sure to thaw in the refrigerator before mixing into the stand mixer. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the yummy goodness mixed in.
Can I Use Other Berries?
If you are not a strawberry fan, you can easily sub out a different type of berry and change this fresh strawberry cake into a totally different flavor. Some fruits that would work well instead of strawberries are:
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Huckleberries
Cake Texture
This cake is a moist, dense cake. It’s not quite as airy as some versions, but that’s thanks to the fresh strawberries added in. The cake will still puff up in the oven, but you will need to make absolutely sure the cake is done baking or it may fall once it cools.
Fresh Strawberry Cake Frosting
- Cool whip and cream cheese serve as the base for this yummy frosting, along with blended fresh strawberries.
- When making the frosting, you need to make sure both the cool whip and the cream cheese are at room temperature or you risk the frosting separating.
- For extra pink color, whisk in a drop or two of red food coloring.
- If you prefer, you can use whipped cream in place of the cool whip. Again, just make sure it is at room temperature before mixing, and whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
- You can make this more of a buttercream frosting by substituting one cup of unsalted butter in for one of the 8-ounce packages of cream cheese. Strawberry buttercream is so yummy on this cake as well!
- Frost the cake using an offset spatula.
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
This fresh strawberry cake recipe makes for awesome cupcakes as well. To convert this recipe into a cupcake, simply pour the batter into cupcake liners rather than the pan. You will need to adjust the cooking time down to baking for 15-20 minutes—just check for doneness before pulling the cupcakes out. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Make it a Chocolate Strawberry Cake
If you are a chocolate lover, this cake also works incredibly well as a chocolate strawberry cake. Just sub out the white cake mix and instead use a chocolate cake mix. Nothing else in the recipe changes.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fresh Strawberry Cake
Yes! Store this cake in the refrigerator to help the whipped frosting keep its shape. The heat will melt and break the whipped cream if it’s kept out for too long. Plus the berries will stay fresher longer when refrigerated.
It is best served immediately! The cake needs refrigeration because it contains whipped cream and cut strawberries. It will last for about 1 to 2 days.
If refrigerated properly, the cake shouldn’t get soggy for at least the first couple of days. After that, however, the berries will cause the cake to become soggy.
READ NEXT: 30+ Strawberry Recipes
Looking for more tasty summer desserts like this Fresh Strawberry Cake? Try these!
- Slow Cooker Peach Crisp: Want a warm dessert without having to heat up the house? This is the perfect solution. This peach crisp is SUPER easy to make and you don’t have to turn on a hot oven. Just throw it all in the crockpot and forget about it. Tastes best a la mode!
- Raspberry Almond Fudge Ice Cream Cake: What do you get when you combine fruit, chocolate, ice cream, and a touch of almond? Pretty much the most amazing Summer dessert ever. Everything that makes a delicious, refreshing Summer dessert all in one easy recipe.
- Pink Lemonade Ice Cream Pie: We had this ice cream pie all the time growing up. It is so easy to make and as kids, we LOVED it. We all loved pink lemonade when we were kids (still do) and this was just like Pink Lemonade but in ice cream form and served like pie. WIN. WIN. The sweet and tangy flavors taste just like Summertime – if Summertime had a taste.
- Orange Pineapple Cake: This is another favorite fruity cake but instead of the highlight being berries, this has a more citrus, island-y twist. This is a great one for any island-themed summer parties. So so easy to make and deliciously refreshing.
- Hawaiian Wedding Cake: OK this is called Hawaiian wedding cake but I am 100% sure that no one has had this for their wedding cake in Hawaii. Maybe as a side dish cake? I don’t know. This is another great cake for an island summer party. Light, refreshing, and cool (as in, chilled).
- Raspberry Lemon Cake: This cake is a little bit berry, a little bit citrus. Reminds me of a raspberry lemonade in cake form! Whenever we make this cake for potlucks it ALWAYS gets polished.
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cake
Fresh Strawberry Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 Glass Pan
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 1 box white cake mix dry, unprepared
- 3 oz box strawberry jello dry, unprepared
- 1 cup fresh strawberries blended
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 eggs
Strawberry Cream Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup fresh strawberries blended
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cool whip thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place strawberries in blender and puree well (one pint size package of fresh strawberries was about right for both the cake and frosting).
- Combine cake mix and strawberry gelatin in large bowl.
- Mix in 1 c. blended strawberries, oil and buttermilk.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Pour into a 9×13 inch pan lined with cooking spray.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Cream Frosting
- Mix together cream cheese and ¾ c. blended strawberries until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar. Mix well.
- Fold in cool whip.
- Pour over cooled cake.
- Garnish with additional fresh strawberries if desired.
- Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- This fresh strawberry cake recipe makes an awesome cupcake as well. To convert this recipe into a cupcake, simply pour the batter into cupcake liners rather than the pan.
- You will need to adjust the cooking time down to baking for 15-20 minutes—just check for doneness before pulling the cupcakes out. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
- If you are a chocolate lover, this cake also works incredibly well as a chocolate strawberry cake. Just sub out the white cake mix and instead use a chocolate cake mix. Nothing else in the recipe changes.
Love everything about it
I love using the blended strawberries in this! So good! Perfect for our Sunday Family dinner. Thanks for another great recipe!
This cake is delicious and looks absolutely beautiful!
Hello, I have baked this cake several times-YUM! I would like to make this recipe into cupcakes. Do you know how many it will make? What would the baking time be, and @350 degrees right?
Thanks! Love your recipes!
I love everything about this cake. It’s so amazing!
Amazing cake recipe! Perfect for summer time!
My favorite dessert of all time! I used to eat this straight out of the pan with my roommates in college!
This cake is AMAZING!! So easy and festive and fun! Thanks for sharing!
What a light and fluffy cake for summer! This will be great to serve for the 4th of July! Delish!
I found that 1 cup of oil is just way too much with the 4 eggs.. I will cut that back if I ever make this again.
Also, only 2 cups of powdered sugar left the frosting very runny.
I was not happy with the frosting being so wet.
I bake often and a lot of variety and found the results of this recipe to be too heavy, too oily, and the frosting to be too sweet and runny.
I don’t think you could ever make this into a 2 layer cake or even turn the sheet cake out onto a serving platter because the frosting would ooze everywhere.
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. It is supposed to be on the heavier side. It definitely won’t work as a 2 layer cake. Hope this helps!
Can you use frozen strawberries/thawed?
Yes, frozen strawberries will work in this recipe as long as the strawberries don’t have ice/frost built up on them. If they do, be sure to dry the extra moisture with a paper towel before placing them in the blender. Thank you for asking! Great question!
It’s really a Cup of oil? Does it matter what kind?
Yes, it is a cup of oil. If you want to limit the oil in the recipe, you can use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce. You will want to use a mild-flavored oil so it doesn’t change the taste of the cake. Canola oil works best. Thanks for asking!
What does blended strawberry means? I’m little confused on that step.
You just put them in a blender or food processor. Hope this helps!
Love his! Made it for Father’s Day…so moist and tasty. Our new family favorite!
2(8oz) cream cheese? So 16oz?
yes. That is right 🙂
How does the frosting work on cupcakes….do I add more powder sugar?
Yes, that would be a great idea! Add a little at a time to thicken it up little by little.