Strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream is a soft, buttery two-layer cake dotted with fresh berries and covered in a pink frosting that tastes like real strawberries. It is the cake for a spring birthday, Mother’s Day or any week when the berries at the store look good.
How to make strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream: Fold finely chopped, blotted fresh strawberries into a vanilla butter cake batter and bake it in two round pans at 350°F for 40 to 44 minutes. Cool the layers completely, then frost them with buttercream flavored with powdered freeze-dried strawberries.
Why You’ll Love It
- Strawberries in both parts. Fresh berries go in the cake and freeze-dried berries go in the frosting.
- No cake mix and no gelatin. The flavor and the pink color come from the fruit.
- A frosting that holds up. The strawberry powder adds flavor without adding liquid, so the buttercream stays thick and smooth.
- Feeds a crowd. Two layers cut into 12 slices.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. The dry mix for the cake. Whisk them together first so the baking powder is spread evenly.
Unsalted butter. You need 2 cups in all: 1 cup for the cake and 1 cup for the buttercream. Soften it to room temperature so it beats up light.
Eggs. Three large eggs plus 1 large egg white, all at room temperature.
Milk. One cup at room temperature for the batter, plus a little more milk or cream for the frosting.
Fresh strawberries. Chop them finely to make 2 cups, then blot them dry. They go in the cake only.
Freeze-dried strawberries. One cup, processed into a fine powder. They go in the buttercream only. Look for them near the dried fruit.
Powdered sugar. Start with 4 cups and keep the fifth cup close in case the frosting turns out thin.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 cups strawberries, finely chopped, then blotted dry
For the strawberry buttercream
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, processed into a fine powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
How to Make Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
1. Prepare the pans. Set an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the cake butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the cake vanilla.
4. Add the eggs and milk. Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, letting each one mix in before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the cake milk.
5. Add the fresh strawberries. Blot the finely chopped strawberries dry, then gently fold them into the batter by hand. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
6. Bake and cool. Bake for about 40 to 44 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Cool the cakes completely in their pans on a wire rack before removing and assembling.
7. Make the buttercream. Process the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Beat the frosting butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, frosting vanilla and milk or cream. Add the strawberry powder and frosting salt, then beat on medium until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add more milk if it is too stiff or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
8. Frost the cake. Trim the cooled cake layers to make flat surfaces. Set one layer on a plate or cake stand and spread buttercream over it. Add the second layer cut-side down, then frost the top and sides.
Which Strawberries Go Where
This cake uses two kinds of strawberries, and each one has its own job. Fresh berries go into the batter. Freeze-dried berries go into the frosting. Keep them in their own lanes and both parts taste like strawberry.
The fresh berries are chopped finely and blotted dry before they are folded in, so they bring fruit to the cake without loose juice. The freeze-dried berries are ground into a fine powder, which flavors and colors the buttercream without any fresh purée going into the frosting.
| Part of the cake | Strawberries to use | How to prepare them |
|---|---|---|
| Cake batter | Fresh | Chop finely, blot dry, fold in by hand |
| Buttercream | Freeze-dried | Process into a fine powder, beat in with the salt |
If the buttercream is not right after the last beating, fix it in small steps. Too stiff to spread: beat in a little more milk. Too thin to hold on the sides: beat in more powdered sugar.
Tips for Success
Why blot the strawberries?
The recipe calls for blotting the chopped berries dry before they go into the batter. Press them between paper towels until the towels stop picking up juice, then fold them in gently by hand so they stay in pieces.
How do I know the cake is done?
A tester pushed into the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Start checking at 40 minutes.
Why does my frosting slide off?
The layers were still warm. Cool the cakes completely in their pans on a wire rack before you take them out and frost them. The recipe gives no set time for this, so plan for it on top of the 64 minutes total on the card.
Why is my buttercream gritty?
The freeze-dried strawberries were not ground fine enough. Process them until they are a fine powder, then beat the frosting on medium for the full 3 minutes until it is completely smooth.
Is Buttercream Good on Strawberry Cake?
Yes. A butter-and-powdered-sugar frosting is sturdy enough to fill and cover two layers, and it takes on strawberry flavor easily. Here the buttercream is strawberry too, so the cake and the frosting match instead of one covering the other.
Variations
Pan size. The recipe works in either 8-inch or 9-inch round pans. Use two of the same size.
Milk or cream in the frosting. Either one works. Use 1/4 cup to start and go up to 1/3 cup if the buttercream needs loosening.
Other strawberry frostings. Strawberry buttercream can also be made with jam, fresh purée or a cooked strawberry reduction. Those are separate methods with their own amounts, so they are not a straight swap for the powder used here.
Storage & Reheating
This cake is served at room temperature or chilled, so there is nothing to reheat. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F. Put leftover cake in a covered container in the refrigerator promptly and use it within 3 to 4 days.
To freeze, wrap the unfrosted layers or the frosted cake well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
If your house loves berries, the double strawberry cake and the no-bake strawberry cream cheese icebox cake are good next bakes. For a party table, add the 4-ingredient slow cooker strawberry cheesecake dip or a warm slow cooker vintage strawberry cobbler. When blueberries are the better buy, try Bea’s blueberry sheet cake or the lemon blueberry cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put fresh strawberries in the buttercream?
This recipe does not. The frosting gets its strawberry flavor from freeze-dried berries ground to a powder, and the fresh berries stay in the cake.
Can I make the cake layers ahead?
Yes. Wrap the cooled, unfrosted layers and freeze them for up to 2 months, then thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
Can you make strawberry cake with strawberry frosting?
Yes, and that is what this recipe is. Fresh chopped berries flavor the cake and powdered freeze-dried berries flavor the buttercream, so both parts taste like strawberry.
Can I leave the cake on the counter?
Only while you serve it. Follow the FSIS guidance and get leftovers into the refrigerator within 2 hours.
Final Notes
I grind the freeze-dried strawberries before I start the cake, so the powder is ready when the layers are cool. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
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Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour for the cake
- 4 teaspoons baking powder for the cake
- 1 teaspoon salt for the cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature; for the cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar for the cake
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the cake
- 3 large eggs room temperature; for the cake
- 1 large egg white room temperature; for the cake
- 1 cup milk room temperature; for the cake
- 2 cups strawberries finely chopped, then blotted dry; for the cake
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries processed into a fine powder; for the buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature; for the buttercream
- 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar for the buttercream
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream for the buttercream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the buttercream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt for the buttercream
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the cake butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the cake vanilla.
- Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, letting each one mix in before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the cake milk.
- Blot the finely chopped strawberries dry, then gently fold them into the batter by hand. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
- Bake for about 40 to 44 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Cool the cakes completely in their pans on a wire rack before removing and assembling.
- Process the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Beat the frosting butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, frosting vanilla and milk or cream. Add the strawberry powder and frosting salt, then beat on medium until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add more milk if it is too stiff or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
- Trim the cooled cake layers to make flat surfaces. Set one layer on a plate or cake stand and spread buttercream over it. Add the second layer cut-side down, then frost the top and sides.
