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Homemade strawberry layer cake with fresh strawberries and cream cheese frosting

Strawberry Layer Cake

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This pretty-in-pink cake is made 100% from-scratch with fresh strawberries and frosted with a cream cheese buttercream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Assembly Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Calories 695
Author Annalise

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.

Nutrition

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