This is the best fresh strawberry cake made with real strawberries. The secret is adding a fresh strawberry reduction to your cake batter and mixing the rest into your buttercream frosting for a fresh strawberry cake recipe that tastes like real strawberries!
Many strawberry cakes are made with imitation flavors or Jell-O, but not this cake! This uses real fresh or frozen strawberries and lemon to bring out the strawberry flavor. This cake takes a bit more time to prepare because we have to make the strawberry reduction first then make the strawberry cake but I promise its worth the effort!
What's In This Blog Post
Why This Is The BEST Strawberry Cake Recipe
This is definitely one of my all-time favorite cake recipes. I have never worked so long and hard on one recipe. SO many failed attempts and I almost gave up. I tried adding chopped-up strawberries to my vanilla cake recipe, and the cake turned out very wet, dense, brown, and most of the strawberry flavor was gone.
Next, I tried that recipe where you add Jell-O. Let me tell you, that was the weirdest-tasting cake I have ever tried! I don't know how anyone can call that flavor strawberry but if you like it, more power to ya haha!
I also tried grinding up freeze-dried strawberries and adding them to my dry ingredients. That cake turned out a little better, but I still wanted to figure out a way to use fresh strawberries. I finally nailed this recipe using a strawberry reduction (boiling pureed strawberries until they are thicker and have less liquid) and a high-quality strawberry emulsion!
- Fresh strawberry flavor made from REAL strawberries
- No Strawberry Jell-O mix
- No boxed cake mix
- Moist crumb
Ingredients
This is the BEST strawberry cake recipe you'll ever have and it may seem intimidating but I promise it will all be worth it! First, we will make the strawberry reduction and then bake it into the strawberry cake. Here's a little overview of the most important ingredients in this recipe and why we're using them.
For The Reduction
The most important part of this whole recipe is the strawberry reduction. Strawberries naturally have a TON of water in them and we want to reduce that water while still keeping as much flavor as possible. This recipe will make enough stawberry reduction for the cake and the buttercream.
- Sugar - Adding some sugar intensifies the flavor of the strawberry and helps thicken it.
- Lemon - Adding in the zest and the juice of a lemon helps the strawberry reduction keep its color.
For The Cake
Make sure you have all your ingredients ahead of time!
- Strawberry Emulsion - It's like strawberry extract but very, very concentrated. If you can get it ahead of time, it really adds the best strawberry flavor. If you don't have time to order it, using regular strawberry extract is better than nothing! I got my strawberry emulsion from Michaels in the cake decorating aisle.
- Flour - A lot of my recipes use cake flour, but we're using all-purpose flour for this recipe because it is SO moist. I did some tests with cake flour, and it just didn't hold up.
- Egg Whites - Are used because if you include the yolks it will give the strawberry cake a weird orange-y color. You can separate the egg yolks from the egg whites manually or use liquid egg whites. One egg white equals one ounce.
- Butter - Use a good-quality butter (you can even make your own). I prefer Kerrygold for the flavor and high fat content. Lower-quality butter has more water and can affect how the cake bakes.
- Oil - I use canola oil most of the time because it doesn't have much flavor but keeps the cake moist and delicious. You can use any oil you prefer. Just keep in mind that some oils, like olive might impart a flavor.
- Lemon - This isn't for flavor, it's more for color. Strawberries turn a muted grey-ish purple when they are cooked because their natural red pigment, anthocyanin, is unstable and turns purple in neutral or alkaline environments. Adding an acid, like lemon juice, helps maintain the red color by keeping the pH level low
- Pink Food Coloring - Even after everything we do to keep that pink color, it still dulls down a bit after baking, so adding in a couple of drops of pink food coloring, you get a gorgeous strawberry pink color.
For The Buttercream
- Egg Whites - The base of this buttercream frosting uses pasteurized egg whites, so they have already been heat-treated and are safe to eat. When mixed with powdered sugar, it creates a sort of mock-meringue.
- Powdered Sugar - Add sweetness and body to the buttercream.
- Butter - Creates creaminess, cuts the sweetness of the sugar and helps the buttercream stay soft.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Remember to use a kitchen scale to measure out all your ingredients for accuracy and so your cake turns out perfectly. Everything is by weight, even the liquids.
For The Strawberry Reduction
- Place your thawed strawberries into a blender and pulse a few times until they are liquid.
- Pour the blended strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly reduce until berries begin to break up and the mixture has reduced and looks like a thick paste. This can take a while. Mine takes between 40-60 minutes! I know this sounds like a long time but low and slow is the best for keeping all the flavor. Just give it a stir every now and then.
- Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning. You should end up with about 1 cup of thick strawberry reduction that looks like tomato sauce. Transfer it to another container and let it cool before use.
- You will use some of the reduction for the cake batter, some for the frosting, and the rest for filling between the cake layers for extra flavor.
For The Cake
- Bring your butter, egg whites, milk, and strawberry reduction to room temperature and prepare the rest of your ingredients. For the best success, use a food scale to weigh your ingredients. Converting this recipe to cups could lead to failure. Read my blog post on how to use a scale for more information.
- Grease two, 8" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release and preheat the oven to 350ºF/176ºC.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the milk, oil, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion (or extract), vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink food coloring. Whisk it together and set it aside.
Pro-tip – I use Americolor electric pink food coloring to get my beautiful pink color. It may seem like cheating, but if you don't add it, the color from the strawberries will bake out and your cake will turn out gray. - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
- Add room temperature butter to the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. I'm using my Bosch Universal Plus mixer for this, but you can use any KitchenAid stand mixer or a hand mixer. If you use a hand mixer, you might have to mix for longer.
- Gradually sprinkle the sugar into the butter while mixing on medium, and beat until the mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes.
- While mixing on medium, add in the egg whites one at a time, beating 15 seconds between. Your mixture should look cohesive at this point. If it looks curdled and broken, your butter or egg whites are too cold.
You must use egg WHITES for this recipe, the yellow from the egg could turn the inside of your cake peach. - While mixing on low speed and add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter.
- Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If it looks like ice cream, you did it right!
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. I use a spoon to make a divot in the center so that the cakes bake up flatter. Bake cakes at 350ºF/176ºC until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 30-35 minutes.
- Place pans on top of a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then flip your cakes onto the racks and cool completely.
- Once cool, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate before assembling your cake. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or freeze for up to 1 week.
- You can turn this strawberry cake recipe into cupcakes by dividing the batter into a cupcake lined pan and baking for 18-20 minutes at 350ºF. This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.
Strawberry Buttercream Step-By-Step
- Place the pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the whisk attachment and combine ingredients on low, then whip on high for 5 minutes.
You CANNOT use fresh egg whites for this buttercream. Egg whites from a box are pasteurized (like your milk) so they are safe to eat without cooking.
- Add in your butter in chunks and whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. It may look curdled and yellow at first, but this is normal. Keep whipping.
- Add in the strawberry reduction, salt, and vanilla extract, and continue whipping until incorporated.
Pro-tip – If your buttercream looks curdled, it's too cold. Take out ½ cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave until it's just barely melted. About 10-15 seconds. Pour it back into your whisking buttercream and it will become creamy.
- Optional: Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles. This isn't required but if you want really creamy frosting, you don't want to skip it.
- Refrigerate the leftover buttercream for up to a week. If you are not going to use buttercream for more than a week you can freeze it for 6 months or more.
Decorating
I like to layer the extra strawberry reduction in between the layers along with strawberry buttercream for maximum strawberry flavor. If you want more tips on how to decorate your first cake, check out my cake decorating tutorial for beginners.
FAQ
Strawberry jam is just blended strawberries with sugar, so it will not work for this recipe. If you absolutely cannot get fresh strawberries, you can use blended strawberry preserves, but it will be much sweeter. A reduction is needed for this recipe to have the right consistency and amount of strawberry flavor.
If you leave out the emulsion/extract, the strawberry flavor will not be as pronounced. I like to use LorAnn's strawberry emulsion for a really strong flavor or the wild strawberry emulsion from Amoretti.
Yes I have used it under fondant many times. Just be sure to not use cream cheese frosting underneath the fondant, or it will melt.
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Cups of Batter Needed
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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
Equipment
- 2 8" cake pans
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction
- 32 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries thawed
- 4 ounces sugar optional
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
Fresh Strawberry Cake Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 ounces granulated sugar
- 6 ounces egg whites room temperature
- 4 ounces milk room temperature, whole milk is best
- 6 ounces strawberry reduction room temperature
- 2 ounces vegetable or canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- zest one lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoon strawberry emulsion or extract, I use LorAnn oils bakery emulsion
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Pink food color I use Americolor electric pink gel
- 14 ounces all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 16 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces strawberry reduction room temperature
Instructions
Strawberry Reduction Instructions
- I recommend making this reduction the day before you're ready to make your cake.
- Place your thawed or fresh strawberries into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the strawberry puree, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly reduce the puree until you have two cups of liquid and the mixture is very thick like tomato sauce. This can take between 40-60 minutes. Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning.
- You will use some of the reduction for the cake batter, some for the frosting and the rest for filling between the cake layers for extra moisture. Leftover reduction can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for 6 months.
Strawberry Cake Instructions
- NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and not cold or hot.
- Make sure to take your strawberry reduction out of the refrigerator 1 hour before making your cake so that it comes to room temperature or microwave it for about a minute so that it's warm.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC.
- Grease two 8" cake pans with cake goop or preferred pan release
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink food coloring.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add room temperature butter to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg whites one at a time, beating 15 seconds in between. Your mixture should look cohesive at this point. If it looks curdled and broken, your butter or egg whites were too cold.
- Mix on low speed and add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter.
- Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If it looks like ice cream, you did it right!
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake cakes at 350ºF/176ºC until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 30-35 minutes.
- Place pans on top of a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then flip your cakes onto the racks and cool completely.
- Once cooled, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze before assembling your cake.
Buttercream Instructions
- Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Attach the whisk and combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes
- Place pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the whisk attachment and combine ingredients on low, then whip on high for 5 minutes.
- Add in your softened butter in chunks and whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. It may look curdled and yellow at first, this is normal. Keep whipping.
- Add in strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping until incorporated.
- Optional: Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles.
Video
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (egg whites, milk, butter, reduction) are room temperature or a little warm so that your batter doesn't curdle.
- For the best success, use a food scale to weigh your ingredients. Converting this recipe to cups could lead to failure. Read my blog post on how to use a scale for more information.
- I use Americolor electric pink food coloring to get my beautiful pink color. It may seem like cheating, but if you don't add it, the color from the strawberries will bake out and your cake will turn out gray.
- I'm using my Bosch Universal Plus mixer for this, but you can use any KitchenAid stand mixer or a hand mixer.
- You must use egg WHITES for this recipe, the yellow from the egg could turn the inside of your cake peach.
- I like to use LorAnn oil's strawberry bakery emulsion, but you can also use extract.
- When making your reduction, the goal is to get as much liquid out as possible without burning the strawberries. The mixture should look like thick tomato sauce and will have reduced by half.
- You will use some of the reduction for the cake batter, some for the frosting and the rest for filling between the cake layers for extra moisture. Leftover reduction can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for 6 months.
- Make sure your frosting is very light and white before adding in the puree. Give it a taste, if it still tastes like butter, keep whipping it until it tastes like sweet ice cream.
- If your buttercream looks curdled, it's too cold. Take out ½ cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave until it's just barely melted. About 10-15 seconds. Pour it back into your buttercream, and mix until creamy.
Nutrition
More Strawberry Recipes
Traditional Strawberry Shortcake
Amanda says
Hi, I had already made a strawberry cake before I found your recipe, but I did use your recipe for the strawberry frosting. It was delicious! I just had a quick question, in the video it says to divide in 3 8" pans, but the recipe says it makes 2 8" pans. Please let me know as I would like to try your cake recipe for the next strawberry cake.
Elizabeth Marek says
It's up to you how many layers or cake pans you have. I divided into three pans because I have three pans and I like the look of three layers. I hope that makes sense.
Shealyn says
What amendments would have I have to make if I don't have lemon or strawberry extract? Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
Your cake is not going to have much of a strawberry flavor without it so just keep that in mind
Brenda G Martin says
can you pipe the buttercream frosting on this cake.
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can pipe it but it does have bits of strawberry in it
Susan Summers says
What is the altitude in which the recipe was created? I live a a very low altitude and want to make sure I don’t need to adjust the recipe. Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
I don't know my exact altitude but I live in the Willamette Valley so not high up
Marigrace says
Hi! Going to try to make this cake for my sister tomorrow. I only have 9" cake pans and checking the target in my area, they are out of stock. Would this work with 2 9" pans?
Elizabeth Marek says
Definitely! No problem at all.
Holly Jackson says
Hello! I don’t have any pasteurized egg whites. Can I use anything to substitute? Can I use tempered egg whites?
Elizabeth Marek says
I assume you mean for the buttercream, you can make my SMBC recipe and use that in place of the regular buttercream and just add in the strawberry puree
Rachel says
Hi, can I make this into a 13x9 sheet cake? How would that change the baking times?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can bake any cake recipe into any size pan that you desire. The baking time will depend on the size of the pan. Larger pans take more time. Just set the timer for the normal time and check for doneness. The cake is done when it springs back in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.
Trish says
Awesome recipe...especially the frosting! Easier way to get that Swiss meringue buttercream! I’ve used this frosting recipe for multiple cakes! Friendly tip for everyone... bring egg whites to room temp before first step otherwise it takes about 10+minutes to get the right consistency prior to butter!
Madison B says
The frosting ingredient lists 1/2 tsp of salt, yet the directions for the frosting doesn’t say when to incorporate it... Just wondering if it matters when I add the salt in the buttercream frosting?
Thanks!
Love the recipe 🙂
Elizabeth Marek says
Sorry about that! I updated it for you. It can go in at any time 😀
Wendy R Foca says
I am soooo excited about this cake! I'm not a baker so your detailed instructions are VERY much appreciated!! I made the cake yesterday and will icing it today. Quick question on the icing. You were very clear to have the cake ingredients at room temp. I was curious if the butter, egg whites and strawberry reduction should be at room temp for making the icing??
Elizabeth Marek says
The butter must be room temp or it wont be able to be whipped into the egg/sugar mixture. Eggs don't need to be room temp because by the time you are done mixing the frosting they warm up. Strawberry reduction definitely needs to be room temp to mix into the buttercream.
Sheila says
I did make this cake and I recieved very very positive feedback. Sadly i used strawberry jam as I couldn't find strawberries at the time but still it was mwaaaah, only thing it didn't turn out a perfect pink hue probably due to the kind of jam I used. Im sure to make this again this time with fresh reduction.Thank you Liz
Beth Ann says
Hi there! I’m actually making your lemon blueberry buttermilk cake today, but have a question. On this recipe I noticed you have some small glass pinch bowls. I’ve looked for a glass set & can’t seem find them. Do b you know where you got them? Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
I got mine from New Seasons but they also sell them at kitchen kaboodle or Amazon
Tracye Carter says
Followed the directions as given, from beginning to end. 3 lovely 6” layers. The strawberry reduction is EVERYTHING! This was my first time using egg whites in a buttercream frosting and was a bit apprehensive, however, I was taught by my mother follow directions, so I did. I absolutely loved the consistency of the frosting, it was extremely easy to work with. Needless to say I’d give this recipe a 10 if I could. Elizabeth, bravo to you! I’m going to post a pic on my IG and FB page. Thanks again and Happy Mother’s Day!
Kristy says
Does this cake freeze/unthaw nicely? I would like to make it a few days before I am going to use it in order to save time.
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can bake ahead and freeze.
Felicia says
Pretty good recipe. I needed something to use up the last of a batch of strawberries before they went bad. The strawberry reduction seemed to take forever, but was well worth it! My only issue was the omission of the egg yolk. The recipe worked, but I find it a little dry. I think I’ll do this again some day, but adjust for including the yolk.
Elizabeth Marek says
The egg yolk is removed because if you leave it in, it makes the color peach inside. You can always add a little simple syrup to the cake or an ounce or two of oil.
Brad Blackwell says
Superior recipe!!
Angela Lowe says
Do you buy the pasteurized egg whites by themselves? I know sometimes you can find the eggs that are in a carton.
Elizabeth Marek says
Pasteurized egg whites come in a carton in the egg section (in the USA) and that is what I used. For the cake, you can use regular egg whites separated from the whole egg because we are baking the cake. For the buttercream you would have to use the kind from a box since it is not cooked.
Sandy T. says
Would adding pulverized freeze dried strawberries lend the same flavor in lieu of strawberry extract? If so, how much should be added? I’m worried the extra dried ingredient (powder) will make the cake drier in texture and tart in flavor.
Elizabeth Marek says
It will definitely make the cake dryer. I have a strawberry cake that uses freeze-dried strawberries if you want to try it out 🙂 https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/strawberry-cake-from-scratch/
Kathryn says
Dying to try this but I need a way to remove all the strawberry seeds? Or do they blend into nothing? I’m a bit concerned because the last thing I want it to bite a seed while eating delicious cake, also my children are VERY fussy and if they spit the seed they won’t enjoy it
Elizabeth Marek says
Hey there, I have never noticed a seed at all. Have you ever eaten a fresh strawberry? Do you notice any seeds? I'm not sure how you could even remove the seeds without removing the pulp of the strawberry.
Jacqueline barcenas says
About how many people can this cake feed??
Elizabeth Marek says
24 people
Jess says
So excited to try this! I was curious if you could just add the strawberry reduction into cake mix from a box. Have you tried it before?
Elizabeth Marek says
I haven't tried that but I bet it would be delicious!
Anne Ambrose says
I have made this several times and it is wonderful! The strawberry reduction makes all the difference. Yes, it takes time to make the reduction but so worth it. I make it and freeze it when I have extra strawberries on hand just to have it ready when needed. Thank you Liz for another recipe for my collection!
Monica Del Rio says
How many eggs are for 6 oz of egg whites?
Elizabeth Marek says
6 egg whites
Uma G says
Hi there, may i use cake flour instead of AP flour?
Elizabeth Marek says
I felt in my testing that cake flour was too delicate 🙂
Hillary says
Can I use three whole eggs instead of 6 egg whites? I don’t mind a peach color, just trying to conserve eggs here
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you sure can