This tender strawberry cake recipe is packed with fresh strawberries that sink into the batter as it bakes. Serve plain or with freshly whipped cream!
You will love this fresh strawberry cake with its tender, light crumb. Before baking, we press fresh strawberries into the top of the cake batter so they fall slightly into the cake as it bakes. Thanks to the hot oven, the strawberries reduce a bit, get a little saucy, and become even more sweet.
This strawberry cake is stunning on the table and absolutely delicious (especially with a dusting of powdered sugar on top) For more strawberry desserts, see our homemade strawberry shortcake or this incredible fresh strawberry pie!
Key Ingredients
- Strawberries: I love fresh strawberries in this cake, but frozen strawberries and overripe berries will also work. For a cake with blueberries, see our lemon blueberry cake!
- Butter: I use butter to make the cake batter, which makes our strawberry cake taste rich and flavorful.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar for the cake batter and sprinkle a little extra over my strawberries before baking in the oven.
- Eggs: To get the perfect texture, I separate the eggs. The yolks are beaten into the butter and sugar, while the egg whites are gently mixed in at the end. I’ve tried making this cake with whole eggs like in other cake recipes, but the batter rises too much and overflows the pan. By gently stirring in the egg whites (unbeaten), we limit the air in the batter and prevent it from overflowing in the oven. We do the same when making our pineapple upside down cake.
- Baking Powder: This helps the cake rise.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but you can substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend if needed.
- Sour Cream: This makes the cake tender and moist. Plain yogurt works well if you don’t have sour cream.
- Spices: I use a combination of lemon zest, vanilla, almond extract, and salt, which makes the cake taste incredible.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make a Strawberry Cake
Tip 1: Cream the butter and sugar. Use a hand-mixer or stand mixer to beat softened butter with sugar and lemon zest until fluffy. It takes 2 to 3 minutes, and it helps to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to really get everything mixed well.
Tip 2: Add the vanilla and egg yolks. Next comes the extracts (vanilla is a must, almond extract is optional) and the egg yolks. You will save the egg whites for later.
Tip 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Whisk (or sift) the dry ingredients together, then fold them into the butter mixture. At this point, the batter will be thick, but we’ll add a bit more moisture in a moment.
Tip 4: Fold in the sour cream and reserved egg whites. To finish the batter, add the sour cream and egg whites. You aren’t beating them in, just stirring until they are blended into the batter.
Tip 5: Top with strawberries and sugar. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and add a layer of fresh strawberries. After sprinkling some extra sugar over the strawberries, bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Serving Suggestions
The strawberries soften, release some juices into the cake, and sink a little. This cake is incredible, with some powdered sugar dusted over the top and served plain. Or, add one of these:
- Homemade Whipped Cream (my favorite)
- Zabaglione (an Italian egg custard)
- Ice Cream
More Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Yogurt Muffins
- Chocolate Strawberry Muffins
- Strawberry Muffins
- Browse all of our strawberry recipes
Easy Strawberry Cake
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
You will love this simple, light, and lovely homemade strawberry cake recipe! We bake halved fresh strawberries into a batter with lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Serve slices of cake plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
You Will Need
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (225 g)
8 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter (113g)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for strawberries (200 g)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (195 g)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup sour cream or plain thick yogurt (125 g)
Directions
1Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan at least 2 inches tall.
2In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).
3Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat until smooth.
4In another bowl, whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. On low speed, mix half of the flour mixture into the butter and egg yolk mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain, then mix in the remaining flour.
5Add the (unbeaten) egg whites and sour cream, and mix on low speed until blended.
6Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Arrange the strawberry halves, cut-side down, on top of the batter, covering the cake. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the strawberries.
7Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack, then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, with powdered sugar dusted on top or whipped cream.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: You can refrigerate the leftover cake for up to 3 days. Freeze it, wrapped well in foil, for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can rewarm slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Recipe adapted and inspired from Alice Medrich’s “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts”
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
No matter what recipe I make from inspired taste, it’s always perfect. This was no different. I followed exactly but used frozen strawberries. Light and delicious. Like a pound cake with berries. Just wonderful.
You made our day with this review! 🙂
Made a double batch, which was 24 large cupcakes, then crushed a few berries for a small layer of strawberry buttercream frosting on top for 5 year old birthday and was a huge hit with both children and adults. It’s actually hard to find a strawberry cake recipe that doesn’t contain jello or strawberry cake mix, so this recipe, which I made with organic flour and grass-fed butter, made mom happy. Thanks for another keeper!
We are so happy you (and others) enjoyed the cake so much. Also, happy birthday to the 5-year-old 🙂
I made some tweaks hah I omitted the lemon zest and almond extract, just not a fan of either. I added in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and doubled the vanilla. Went light on the sour cream since for what ever reason when I bake with sour cream the middle never gets done before the edges dry out. I also diced up the strawberries and mixed them into the batter to get strawberries throughout the cake 👌🏻 turned out top notch! I made homemade whipped cream to top it with. I highly recommend
made two cakes for my husband’s office and the reviews are raving good! by the way this recipe doubled very well.
thank you for an easy, yet so lovely recipe! dr
Yay! Thank you so much for coming back to leave such a wonderful review 🙂
Awesome recipe, thank you. Can I substitute the sour cream with coconut milk? And if so, would it be the same quantity? Thank you in advance x
Hi there, I have not done this myeself, so this is theory. I’m thinking that you could use the full-fat coconut milk, but it won’t be quite as thick or tangy as sour cream. Use the same amount, and be sure to shake the can well so it’s fully combined. The texture will still be good, just slightly different. Let me know how it turns out.
Delicious cake. Making it for second time today. I did put in a little less sugar. This time will cut up the strawberries and maybe push them down a little. Baked it at least 40 minutes.
This is AMAZING! I decreased the sugar to 180g and it was quite sweet enough. I used frozen strawberries that had some freezer burn and so I roasted them in balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and the strawberries were much wetter than raw ones. I used flax egg instead of eggs. The yogurt I used was really loose. All of that made for a cake that took an extra 45 minutes to bake. However, even with all of that the end result was a cake that was out of the world! I have another bag of strawberries and I’m looking forward to using them for your strawberry muffins! THANK YOU!
We are so happy you were able to adjust based on what you had on hand. Thanks for coming back, Lillith.
Great cake, though I found the strawberries did sink to the bottom of the cake. Still tasted fab though 😋
This cake is the best I have made of this type (vanilla batter with fruit in top) – the vanilla lemon cake part (I didn’t have almond essence but didn’t miss it) has an incredible texture and taste. While I was making it I wondered at the dry texture and difficulty combining the dry ingredients with the butter, sugar and egg, but I think com lining the flour with the fatty ingredients prevents it from going stodgy. The proof of the pudding… is a light and airy crumb, not the slightest bit dry or dense. I made this for friends and they literally wouldn’t stop raving about it. I suspect this will work equally well with apple or blueberries and will try soon!
What happens once the yoghurt and egg whites have been mixed? Look forward to baking the cake? Beanie
Hi there, the egg white and sour cream (or yogurt) are mixed into the batter on low speed. After they are blended into the cake batter, you can bake the cake. (Sorry if this was not as obvious as it could have been. I have reworded that direction to make sure its more clear.)
Fabulous recipes. Combine great flavor, common sense, and streamlined explanations..wonderful site for a seasoned cook, or a novice!
Beautiful, super easy cake! Have made it with both strawberries and peaches. Once was low on sour cream, I made up the difference with heavy cream..Still Great;- then another time, forgot to separate the eggs, just beat them longer, Still Great! Perfect Cake! Thanks!
My grandson said he wanted a strawberry cake for his 4th birthday which is later this month. I am going to bake this cake. Thank you.
I will be baking this 2 and a half days before serving. Can I freeze it right after I bake it to keep it fresh?
Hi Dana, yes you can.
Took 1hr15 to cook but delicious! The strawberries didn’t sink as you said they would though, just sat at the top. Still delicious. I don’t know if I didn’t something wrong.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe….my granddaughters and I love to bake and are looking forward to try this one, ( as they love strawberries)! I will be looking at this site again. Bless you both! Marilyn
Lovely cake, thank you
Just wanted to say thank you for providing this wonderful site. All your recipes are so descriptive and I love the tips you give us. Thanks again.
I made this today for the first time. I has turned out really well. I used Shipton Mill plain flour (here in the U K) which I usually use to make cakes and pastries. The only problem I had was the time it took to bake. I baked on 160 electric fan oven and after 35 minutes as recommended I inserted a tooth pick and it was still very very soft in the middle. I therefore cooked it for a further 15 minutes and its cooked just a little bit too much on the outside but still very lovely. I think I might put a tiny bit more flour next time or perhaps a little less yogurt. Thank you for this recipe. I will make it again and again. Would recommend !!!
Can I use a nine inch cake pan? Thank you. MK
Yes you can.
Just made this for my husband’s birthday. So tired of store bought cakes and ice cream cake. WOW!! The new family bday cake!! It was delicious served with homemade whipped cream. I discovered your account in IG and have made several of your recipes. Not a single fail yet. They are all easy and delicious. Gonna do a Julie and Julia thing and make your bakes goods!! I have impressed everyone with my mad baking skills. LOL ? Thanks Inspired Taste ❤️
Saw this and had to try. As I was mixing the ingredients, the smell was incredible! Looks very promising 🙂
Recipes sound good. Would like to try the strawberry cake.
This is absolutely delicious! So easy..why i ever bought box cake mix, idk.i used smart balance for butter and light sour cream. Incredible even with lower fat substitutions.
Looks and sounds fabulous! If I make it a day ahead, should I refrigerate it overnight? I plan to make it for my Mom’s birthday and won’t have time the day of. Thanks
Hi Kathleen, Since the cake does not have any icing or frosting on top, you can keep it on the counter. That said, keeping it in the fridge is fine, too.
I’ll make this next spring with farm strawberries. Have you tried raspberries or blackberries?
Hi Diane, We have not, although both raspberries and blackberries would be excellent.
Love all your recipes! THANKS! THIS CAKE sounds delish. I was wondering if I could use frozen strawberries? Would I partially thaw them?
Hi Norma, I’d thaw them and drain them of the extra liquid.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes and videos. You are such a blessing and I look forward to learning from you. Wishing you joy and happiness