A strawberry cake mix recipe that makes box mix taste almost as good as homemade!
The best strawberry cake mix recipe! I'm obsessed with a good strawberry cake from scratch but sometimes I just don't have a lot of time and need a good strawberry cake recipe FAST! This is my go-to strawberry cake mix recipe with lemon easy buttercream!
What's the best strawberry cake mix?
I personally prefer Duncan Hines box mixes. I think they taste the best and are very moist. Their strawberry box mix is already super tasty but I add in a few ingredients to make it taste even better.
Adding these ingredients to your strawberry box mix will make the cake a little denser and better for stacking. You can even cover this cake in fondant or stack multiple tiers for a birthday or wedding cake. Just make sure you chill your cakes first to harden the butter that's inside the cake before you try to stack the cake layers.
For more information on learning to make your first cake, check out my how to make your first cake tutorial.
Can you add fresh fruit to box mix?
I have experimented a few times with adding fresh fruit to box mix and it generally works really well. Strawberries work best if you use a reduced puree or fruit preserves so that you aren't adding too much liquid into the cake recipe.
I tried adding chopped strawberries one time and it turned out ok but the strawberries got a little soggy inside the cake and turned grey around the edges.
Adding strawberry puree to the box mix results in beautiful pink layers!
How do you make a strawberry layer cake?
After you mix up your cake batter, divide it into three 8" cake pans. If you only have one pan, you can bake one at a time and leave the leftover batter in the fridge until you need it.
Let your cake layers cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. You can speed this process up by putting the rack plus the cakes in the freezer for about an hour. Then they will be ready to frost.
I decided to frost my strawberry cakes with lemon buttercream! But any kind of buttercream would work like cream cheese frosting, stabilized whipped cream or fresh strawberry buttercream.
To make my easy buttercream into lemon buttercream, I just added in some fresh lemon curd, lemon extract and lemon zest, then mixed it all together. You can leave the lemon curd out if you don't have any but it is pretty yummy and easy to make!
Fill your chilled layers of cake with the lemon buttercream. I shoot for about ¼" of buttercream between my cake layers. Repeat with all the cake layers then cover the entire cake with a thin coat of buttercream. This is called the crumb coat and seals in all the cake crumbs.
Put the cake into the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up the crumb coat. Then you can put your final layer of buttercream on the cake and decorate it any way you like! I decorated mine with sweetapolita sprinkles. This is the "Twinkle" sprinkle medley! One of my favorites!
I love how easy this strawberry cake mix recipe is! I hope you love it too! Happy baking!
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake Mix Recipe
- 1 box strawberry cake mix or white if you can't find strawberry
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream room temp
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup milk
- ¾ cup strawberry puree
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion or extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Lemon Easy Buttercream Frosting
- ¾ cup pasteurized egg whites
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ cup lemon curd optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
Strawberry Box Mix Cake Ingredients
- The instructions for this cake are super easy. Basically, put it all into a bowl and mix it for 2 minutes! Voila! Cake batter is ready.
- Pour batter into three 8" cake pans prepared with cake goop or your preferred pan release. Bake at 350ºF for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
Easy Buttercream Frosting
- Place pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on low until combined and then bump up to high and whip for 3 minutes. It will look like royal icing, not meringue.
- Add in your salt then your butter in small pieces while mixing on low until combined, then bump up to high. Whip until light, white and fluffy and it doesn't taste like butter anymore. This can take 10-15 minutes.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15 minutes to smooth buttercream and reduce bubbles (optional)
- Mix in your lemon curd, lemon zest and extract until combined.
- Frost and decorate your cake as desired
Video
Notes
- Three 6" cakes - baked and cooled
- Easy Buttercream (one batch)
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
- Strawberry filling (optional)
Julia says
I was making 2 dozen cupcakes for children at a community event, They requested strawberry. I wanted to make them something special, other than a box mix. I found this recipe and followed the cupcake recipe to a "t" (didn't use the frosting). I used Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix, I found the emulsion at Michael's in the baking section, I used Bonne Maman preserves. Let me tell you they are AMAZING! So moist and full of flavor. I'm sure the kids will love them. Using this recipe I got (29). cupcakes.
Sabrina says
Hi Liz! I'm a fan of your doctored cake recipes. My son just requested exactly this combination for his upcoming birthday. Question is: Can I cover this cake combo (w/the lemon buttercream) with your marshmallow fondant? or do you suggest I only use the lemon buttercream for the filling only? Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
yes you sure can!
Amanda Durham says
I have made this a couple of times for cupcakes and it is AH-MAZING and I get lots of compliments. Do you think this would work well for a bundt cake? Thanks!!
Tyler says
Hello,
I want to try this recipe but need it to be egg free. Any recommendations on how to do this recipe with an egg replacement. Thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
You can try using one of the many egg replacers on the market and see how they work for you.
GigiLuv says
Can I use yogurt in place of sour cream? Thanks! I have followed you for EVER! You have great tips!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Kenzie says
How many count of cupcakes does this make?
Elizabeth Marek says
About 36
Eri S says
Made this into mini cakes for my staff as a thank you and they loved them! Everyone raved and asked for the recipe 🤭
I didn’t have strawberry puree or emulsion so I subbed good quality strawberry preserves, which worked out well.
Paired it with a simple cream cheese buttercream mixed with preserves. Only thing I would do differently next time is to make more!! Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Jessica Sorensen says
I didn’t have strawberry purée or time to make it but I had strawberry jam so I blended it with some fresh lemon juice to thin a bit and make less sweet and came out perfect
Peggy says
I disagree that you used too much yellow food coloring in buttercream. It was beautiful and bright and that’s what caught my attention! I’m going to make for Galentines brunch I’m having. Thanks!
Renee Session says
Made this cake. It was totally delicious. Thank you for sharing
Ann Nessa says
This looks great and I plan on making it for my grandsons birthday. He has asked for strawberry and it is the middle of winter. One question before I start is it really 3 cups of butter for the frosting? Thanks for your help.
Jackie G says
I can't find strawberry puree in my grocery stores and strawberries are not in season right now. Can I use 1. strawberry preserves or 2. strawberry puree drink mix (like for daiquiri)? Also same amount of time for cupcakes? Thanks!
Sugar Geek Show says
Hi, I recommend using my strawberry puree recipe. Preserves or daiquiri mix would add too much sugar. https://sugargeekshow.com/strawberry-puree/ And I'm not sure about cupcakes, I haven't tried it yet. But I would say about 15-20 minutes. Start with about 15 minutes and keep an eye on them after that.
Sara says
Hello! I am so excited to try this cake! The recipe says to use three 8" cake pans, but the notes say three 6" and three 6" boards. Will this recipe fill 8" pans or do I need to make more batter? Best! -Sara
Elizabeth Marek says
It will fill two 8"x2" pans or three 6"x2" pans.
Dany says
Since this filled three 8” pans, can I use this same recipe for two 10” round pans or do I have to increase it?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can use two 10" pans
Joan says
I have used this recipe many times and it never lets me down. Everyone LOVES it!!
can I do the same thing with a chocolate cake mix? Would I add chocolate syrup or melted chocolate to replace the strawberry puree?
Elizabeth Marek says
I have a chocolate WASC recipe! Check it out 😀