Strawberry Layer Cake
This pretty-in-pink cake is made 100% from-scratch with fresh strawberries and frosted with a cream cheese buttercream.
10 years ago today I hit “publish” on my very first blog post— chocolate chip cookies. And the rest, as they say, is history. Almost 1,000 recipes later and I’m still here and loving it. When I first realized this big milestone was coming up, I wanted to do something big and special. So I’m giving away a stand mixer (the something big) and I baked us this lovely strawberry cake (the something special).
And this cake is so special! With layers of homemade strawberry cake made with puréed fresh strawberries, a strawberry-cream cheese filling, sliced fresh strawberries, it may be the most strawberry-y cake ever. There’s so much wonderful strawberry flavor going on here. I frosted the entire cake with the creamiest cream cheese frosting and decorated it with fresh roses and chamomile flowers to make it a little extra-fancy for the occasion. Of course, you can dress this cake up or down however you like. It’s a simple, yet elegant cake all on its own.
I wish I could share a slice with each and every one of you! Thanks so much for 10 amazing years here on the internet. Think we can go for another 10?
Recipe Notes
- This cake uses quite a bit of strawberry purée to get a clear strawberry flavor in the finished cake. You’ll need a food processor or a high-powered blender to purée the strawberries. Lots of other recipes also have chopped strawberries in the batter, but I opted for thinly sliced fresh strawberries in between the cake layers for even more bright strawberry flavor.
- You don’t need to use any food coloring, but I found that using just a bit of pink gel food coloring helps bring out the color.
- This cake can be baked in either 8 or 9-inch round pans. 8-inch will be taller, 9-inch will be wider and shorter. You can use 2 or 3 pans, depending on the look you’re going for: double layer (2 pans), triple layer (3 pans), or quadruple layer (2 pans, then slice each layer in half). Baking times will vary slightly, and cakes are done with the edges pull away from the pan, the top has just started to brown, and the center springs back when gently pressed. These are the pans I use.
- I recommend cake flour for this recipe for the best texture. However, I have tested it with all-purpose and it was still a good cake, just more dense. You can also make your own cake flour— measure 1 cup all-purpose flour and remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and sift together. Use 1:1 for cake flour.
- For extra help with your layer cake, see my tutorial how to build a layer cake. It includes tips on how to prep cake pans and how to bake flat even cake layers.
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Strawberry Layer Cake
This pretty-in-pink cake is made 100% from-scratch with fresh strawberries and frosted with a cream cheese buttercream.
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams), softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pink gel food coloring , optional
- 3 cups cake flour (360 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup strawberry purée (310 ml), see Notes
Cream Cheese Buttercream:
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese (1 brick, 226 grams), softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 113 grams), softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar (455 grams), sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Strawberry Filling:
- 1 cup of cream cheese buttercream , above
- 1 tablespoon strawberry purée
- 1-2 cups thinly sliced fresh strawberries , depending on how many cake layers you have
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8 or 9-inch round cake pans (see Notes) and line the bottoms with parchment paper. See my full tutorial on how to prep cake pans.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down at least once.
- Add eggs once at a time, mixing and scraping after each. Then add vanilla, almond extract, and food coloring (if using). Mixture will look curdled.
- In a separate bowl sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add it to the mixer bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the strawberry purée, and ending with the flour mixture. Batter will be thick.
- Divide batter among prepared cake pans and bake until the edges pull away from the pan and the tops spring back when lightly touched, 30-35 minutes.
- Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove carefully and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can use the cake layers at room temperature, or chill them in the fridge for easier assembly.
- Make ahead: Cake layers can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or double-wrapped in the freezer for up to several months. If frozen, let thaw in their wrappings in the fridge overnight.
To make the buttercream and filling:
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer on low until combined. Turn speed up to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until smooth, light, and creamy.
- To make the filling, remove all but 1 cup of the buttercream from the mixer bowl and set aside in another bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of strawberry purée and beat on low speed until smooth.
- Make ahead: Buttercream can be stored in the fridge for 1 week and in the freezer for at least a month. Let come to room temperature and beat until smooth before using.
To assemble the cake:
- Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with strawberry filling. How much you use will depend on how many cake layers you have— use all, or divide in half or thirds.
- Arrange sliced strawberries on top of filling.
- Place another cake layer on top and repeat filling, strawberries and additional cake layers as needed.
- Cover cake with cream cheese frosting and frost as desired. See my full tutorial on how to frost a layer cake.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving and store any leftovers in the fridge. Cake will keep for several days.
Notes
NOTES:
- You'll need approximately 10-12 ounces (283-340 grams) of fresh strawberries to make the purée for the cake and filling. Add to a high-powered blender or food processor (what I used) and blend until smooth.
- You can use frozen strawberries for the purée. Thaw and drain to remove excess liquid before blending.
- This cake can be baked in either 8 or 9-inch round pans. 8-inch will be taller, 9-inch will be wider and shorter. You can use 2 or 3 pans, depending on the look you’re going for: double layer (2 pans), triple layer (3 pans), or quadruple layer (2 pans, then slice each layer in half). Baking times will vary slightly. These are the pans I use.
Calories: 695kcal, Carbohydrates: 98g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 136mg, Sodium: 281mg, Potassium: 168mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 74g, Vitamin A: 1042IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
Hi Annalise,
This looks amazing! I’m going to tackle it this weekend!
Question: Do you use 2″ or 3″ cake pan heights?
Thanks,
David
I use 3″ deep pans 🙂
I’m planning to make this cake for my 5 year old daughter but she has requested a mixed berry cake (blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.) Do you think I could substitute the strawberry puree and filling with mixed berries? Do I need to make sure it’s smooth before adding it? Thanks so much
That probably will work, though I haven’t tested it so I couldn’t say for sure or recommend any changes. I’d probably strain out the seeds because I’m not a fan of raspberry seeds, but that’s my own personal preference. If you do give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Can this be frozen successfully?
Yes, I freeze cake layers all the time! I’ve got a how-to here. As far as freezing the whole frosted cake, I know some bakers who swear by it but I’ve never tried it myself. I’d do a google search and see what instructions you can find. Hope this helps!
If I wanted to make a 10 inch cake, should I double the recipe or so 1 and 1/2?
It’s always a gamble when I try to scale up recipes, there’s not a hard and fast rule. I would probably double it, and then the worst that could happen is the cake layers and resulting cake are a bit taller than they would be for an 8 or 9-inch cake. Hope this helps!
Would this refrigerate well after making the whole cake to be sued the next day? If so, do you bring it out a bit beforehand so it’s not so cold?
Yes! You can absolutely assemble and refrigerate the day before. Take it out of the fridge 20-330 minutes before serving to take away the chill. 🙂
This cake looks dreamy? want to try it so hard!
Sorry for saying this but, could I ever use oil instead of butter? ? Looking for less calories especially with cream cheese frosting.
Thank you for sharing
I haven’t tested this recipe with oil so I can’t give any recommendations. Sorry!
Is there a recipe for the strawberry puree? Did I overlook it or do you only just blend them in a food processor?
Instructions are in the recipe notes. And yes, it’s just strawberries blended in a food processor or blender. 🙂
Hi! Is there a substitute for cake flour by chance?
Is this cake suppose to come out moist ? Because mine came out really moist and I used two cake pans two thin ones ?
I tried this over the weekend and the cake was just very dense and lacked flavor. Not sure what I did wrong? The strawberries could have been riper that’s for sure! It also seemed like I didn’t have enough filling for the amount of cake.
Can I put chopped fresh strawberries in the cake batter or will it make it to wet?
Hi Grace! It’ll change the cake texture for sure, but you can always give it a try. I haven’t had a lot of success with putting chopped strawberries in a tender cake like this without them sinking to the bottom, which is why I went with puree in the cake and fresh strawberries in the filling.
Hello! I wanted to make this cake in 2 layers, using 2 heart shaped pans. Will that work? Will there be too much batter you think? And would it taste okay if I used vanilla instead of almond extract? Thanks
The volume of the heart shaped pans is likely different, so you may have batter left over. Only fill cake pans halfway full, or you rise overflow. And if you have leftover batter you can always make a few cupcakes! Yes, vanilla instead of almond extract will be fine.
Will this cake batter work without the strawberry purée in it?
This recipe has been developed with these specific ingredients and amounts. You can’t just leave out an ingredient like this and not need to make other adjustments, unfortunately. If you don’t want a strawberry cake, do a search for what you do want. Happy baking! 🙂
Is the baking time listed for 3 8-inch pans?
I’m really excited to try this! My niece has a nut allergy. What should I substitute (if anything) for the almond extract? Would browned butter work?
You can just use vanilla extract. 🙂
This cake is excellent…great recipe!