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I spent days testing this homemade strawberry cake to get it just right—because you deserve a strawberry cake that actually tastes like strawberries. I tried every method: strawberry purée, reduction sauce, freeze-dried powder—and found that the boldest flavor came from combining the last two.
After adjusting the moisture levels for the perfect texture and measuring the batter by volume for consistent layers, this cake is bakery-worthy but made for home bakers. You can trust this one—it’s been thoroughly tested and is ready for your kitchen.
After years of baking from scratch and developing trusted dessert recipes, I set out to create a homemade strawberry cake that actually tastes like fresh strawberries—not artificial extract or boxed mix. I tested this recipe over several days, carefully adjusting the ingredients and ratios to get that perfect texture and bold berry flavor. Early versions were too gummy and wet, so I reduced the sour cream and oil to balance moisture without sacrificing tenderness.
To build the flavor, I tested three methods: strawberry puree, a cooked strawberry reduction, and freeze-dried strawberry powder. Purée alone didn’t pack enough punch, but when I combined the strawberry reduction with freeze-dried powder, it created a double hit of intense strawberry flavor—rich, vibrant, and unmistakably fresh. This cake isn’t just pink—it tastes like real strawberries.
I also tested the batter by volume to help you succeed whether you’re making a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For two layers, you’ll use 3 cups of batter per pan; for three layers, it’s 2 cups each. And the strawberry cream cheese frosting? Bright, tangy, and perfectly sweetened with even more freeze-dried strawberries for that zippy finish.
This recipe was tested with both regular and gluten-free flour to make sure every home baker can experience strawberry cake at its best. If you’ve been burned by bland or artificial-tasting strawberry cakes before, let this be the one that wins you back. I’ve done the work so you can bake with confidence.
Key Ingredients & Their Purpose
Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. These key ingredients are key to success with this fresh strawberry cake recipe:
- Fresh strawberries (reduced) – One full pound of fresh strawberries gets cooked down into a concentrated reduction, packing real strawberry flavor without adding excess liquid. This step is key to making a strawberry cake that doesn’t taste bland or artificial.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – Used in both the cake and frosting, freeze-dried strawberries provide a second layer of intense berry flavor and a gorgeous natural pink hue—no food coloring needed. During testing, I found the best results came from combining this with the reduction.
- All-purpose flour + cornstarch – This duo mimics cake flour, delivering a soft, tender crumb with structure. Cornstarch lightens the texture without sacrificing stability in the layers.
- Egg whites only – Using just egg whites keeps the crumb light and lets the strawberry flavor shine through without the richness of yolks muddying the taste or color.
- Butter + oil – Butter brings flavor; oil ensures a moist texture that lasts for days. It’s the best of both worlds and a balance I fine-tuned through multiple test rounds.
- Sour cream + whole milk – Sour cream adds richness and helps with the cake’s tight, tender crumb, while milk thins the batter just enough to keep it pourable and even.
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting – This dreamy frosting gets its bold flavor from freeze-dried strawberries, which dissolve right into the mix. Combined with tangy cream cheese and softened butter, it’s smooth, pipeable, and full of zippy strawberry flavor.
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Cake
My easy strawberry cake recipe walks you through making an impressive layer cake at home, with no baking experience required.
For the Strawberry Reduction Sauce
- Prep strawberries. Wash and hull 1 pound (16 oz) of fresh strawberries.
- Puree strawberries. Blend or puree the strawberries until smooth—you should have about 2 cups of strawberry puree.
- Cook strawberry puree. Pour the puree into a medium saucepan. Set over medium-low heat.
- Finish puree. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25–30 minutes. The puree should gently bubble and reduce in volume.
- Reduce puree. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 ⅓ cups. It will coat the back of a spoon.
- Cool puree. Cool the reduction to room temperature before using. For this recipe, you’ll need ⅔ cup (163g) of the reduced sauce.
To make the Strawberry Cake
- Prep oven and pans. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two or three 8 inch springform pans with butter (butter the sides and bottom) and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.
- Blend freeze-dried strawberries. Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and strawberry powder.
- Begin combining wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Mix in remaining wet ingredients. Add in the egg whites, sour cream, and milk.Beat with the electric mixer.
- Mix in strawberry reduction. Add in ⅔ cup strawberry reduction sauce, mix to combine.
- Mix in flour mixture. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
- Evenly divide the cake batter among the pans. If using 2 pans, that’s 3 cups of batter per pan, if using 3 pans, that’s 2 cups of batter per pan. If you have bake even cake strips, soak them, then secure them around the outside of the pans.
- Bake. Bake 2 pans for 35-45 minutes or 3 pans for 27-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans, then use a small spatula to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Blend freeze-dried strawberries. Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.
- Whip butter and cream cheese. Place the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium speed and beat together for 1-2 minutes, until whipped and fluffy.
- Mix in remaining ingredients. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and 4 cups of powdered sugar, beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.
- Adjust as needed. Taste the frosting and if you prefer it more sweet, add in 1 more cup of powdered sugar.
- Mix in strawberry powder. Add in the freeze dried strawberry powder, beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Assemble the Cake
- Level cakes. If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake levered or serrated knife.
- Frost and assemble. Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate / stand, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. Measure 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.
Strawberry Layer Cake Tips
For best results, follow these tips:
- Use a bake-even strip. To promote even baking, use bake even strips. You can create your own DIY bake-even strip using a towel or an old t-shirt cut to match the size of your pan. Soak the strip in water, wring out the extra moisture, and wrap it around the pan, fastening it in place with a safety pin.
- Don’t let the cakes cool too long in the pan. It might seem like letting the cakes cool longer would help with removal, but it actually has the opposite effect. The ideal cooling time is around 20 to 30 minutes.
- Making smooth sides. For sleek, bakery-style sides on your cake, use a bench scraper to gently smooth out the frosting along the edges.
- Adding the perfect finishing touch. I used fresh strawberries (whole and slices) to decorate this cake, but edible flowers, other fresh berries, lemons, or piped frosting would be pretty, too!
Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe Variations
Looking for ways to change up your strawberry layer cake? Try these variations:
- Add a flavorful filling: Try using lemon curd, custard, or a berry compote between the cake layers as an alternative to frosting.
- Switch up the frosting: Both cream cheese frosting and traditional vanilla buttercream pair wonderfully with the strawberry flavor!
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake: I have had great success making cakes gluten-free by using King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Simply swap it in as a direct one-to-one substitute for regular flour.
How to Store Layered Strawberry Cake
You can keep this cake at room temperature for up to three days. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or place any leftovers in an airtight container.
Can I Freeze Strawberry Cake?
Yes, strawberry cake can be frozen. To freeze a whole cake, place it uncovered on a baking sheet in the freezer until the buttercream is firm. Then, wrap it tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and return it to the freezer.
For leftover slices, store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. If stacking, separate the pieces with parchment paper.
When you’re ready to serve, let the cake thaw in the refrigerator. If thawing a whole layer cake, loosen the plastic wrap slightly to prevent it from sticking to the frosting during thawing.
More Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad
- Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Cake
- Homemade Strawberry Reduction Sauce
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
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Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, reduced down to ⅔ cup
- 1 oz (28g) freeze dried strawberries
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups (347g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
- ½ cup (114g) sour cream
- ½ cup (118ml) milk, I used whole milk
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz (452g) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-6 cups (454–680g) powdered sugar
- 2 oz (56g) freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
Strawberry Reduction Sauce
- Wash and hull 1 pound (16 oz) of fresh strawberries.1 pound fresh strawberries
- Blend or puree the strawberries until smooth—you should have about 2 cups of strawberry puree.
- Pour the puree into a medium saucepan. Set over medium-low heat.
- Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25–30 minutes. The puree should gently bubble and reduce in volume.
- Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 ⅓ cups. It will coat the back of a spoon.
- Cool the reduction to room temperature before using. For this recipe, you’ll need ⅔ cup (163g) of the reduced sauce.
Strawberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two or three 8 inch springform pans with butter (butter the sides and bottom) and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.
- Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.1 oz (28g) freeze dried strawberries
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and strawberry powder.2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, ¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
- In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy.¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cups (347g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- Add in the egg whites, sour cream, and milk.Beat with the electric mixer.5 large egg whites, ½ cup (114g) sour cream, ½ cup (118ml) milk
- Add in ⅔ cup strawberry reduction sauce, mix to combine.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
- Evenly divide the batter among the pans. If using 2 pans, that’s 3 cups of batter per pan, if using 3 pans, that’s 2 cups of batter per pan. If you have bake even cake strips, soak them, then secure them around the outside of the pans.
- Bake 2 pans for 35-45 minutes or 3 pans for 27-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans, then use a small spatula to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.2 oz (56g) freeze-dried strawberries
- Place the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium speed and beat together for 1-2 minutes, until whipped and fluffy.16 oz (452g) full fat cream cheese, 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and 4 cups of powdered sugar, beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.4 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp salt, 4-6 cups (454–680g) powdered sugar
- Taste the frosting and if you prefer it more sweet, add in 1 more cup of powdered sugar.
- Add in the freeze dried strawberry powder, beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Assemble the Cake
- If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake levered or serrated knife.
- Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate / stand, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. Measure 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.
