Strawberries and Cream Cake made from scratch with thick cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries—perfect for Mother’s Day!

A slice of Strawberries and Cream Cake on a plate
Strawberries and Cream Cake

Right in time for Mother’s Day, I’ve got you covered for dessert! ๐Ÿ™‚ This Strawberries and Cream Cake is relatively simple to make (no worrying about different pans and layering cakes with frosting in between), moist and flavorful, packed with strawberries, and it’s beautiful! I mean, who could ask for more?! And after your mom absolutely flips over this cake, then you’ll want to use this recipe for all kinds of occasions—a baby girl shower, a pink-themed party, Easter Sunday, a gorgeous spring/summer cake…there are so many times when you’ll need a delicious-from-scratch pink strawberry cake!

Process shots: Beat room-temperature butter until light; mix in sugar; briskly whisk eggs in a separate bow.

How Do You Make a Strawberries and Cream Cake with Real Strawberries?

The base of this cake has real strawberries in it! It also has an amazing topping of sugared strawberries–making this cake quite the delicious strawberry treat!

  • Special ingredients: Mix butter until smooth, then stir in sugar. Add eggs, lightly whisked, and a splash of lemon juice to boost the strawberry flavor, freshness, and texture. Stir in buttermilk (store-bought is best, but homemade works too by adding vinegar or lemon juice to milk).
  • Keep it light: Shift flour and cornstarch to make “DIY cake flour” for a finer crumb and moist texture. Stir in Jell-O®, baking soda, and salt. Stir everything together with the wet ingredients until just combined—don’t over-mix.
  • Strawberries: Stir in gently finely chopped strawberries.
  • Frosting: While the cake bakes, prepare the cream cheese frosting and sweetened strawberries to finish the cake.

Quick Tip

MEASURING FLOUR: The flour is the most important thing to measure right in this recipe. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour, which can make the cake dry and bland. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife.

Process shots: Beat eggs into the butter mixture; add lemon, buttermilk and food dye; sift flour and cornstarch separately; add in remaining dry ingredients; mix to combine.

More Strawberry Desserts:

4.71 from 24 votes

Strawberries and Cream Cake

This made-from-scratch Strawberries and Cream Cake is a dream, topped with rich cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries. The perfect sweet treat for Mother’s Day or any celebration!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 1 (9 x 13) cake

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O mix dry, not prepared
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk or milk mixed with lemon juice, see note 1
  • 3 to 4 drops red food coloring optional
  • 2/3 cup finely diced fresh strawberries
Frosting
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature; not low fat
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar depending on desired consistency; I usually use 3 cups
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sugared Strawberry Topping (optional)
  • 1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
  • Beat room-temperature butter with a hand mixer until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs; add to butter mixture and mix. Add 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat in the buttermilk (see note 1). If desired, add the red food coloring and mix it in.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch, then add the Jell-O mix, baking soda, and salt. It is important to use separate bowls so the cake isn’t over-beaten, which will result in a dense cake.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat at low speed until just combined.
  • Remove stems from the strawberries and chop finely. Add finely chopped strawberries to the cake batter.
  • Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 30–40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
  • Cool the cake for at least 1 hour, then refrigerate for another hour.

Frosting

  • Beat the softened butter and room-temperature cream cheese until completely creamy. Beat in vanilla and salt. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until smooth and your desired consistency.
  • Spread the frosting evenly over the cake.

Sugared Strawberry Topping (optional)

  • Stir together the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Let them stand at room temperature about 20–30 minutes to develop the syrup. Add them to the cake only when serving and not beforehand.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If you don’t have buttermilk, remove 1 tablespoon from your milk and replace it with fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.
Storage: Store leftover frosted cake in the fridge for 4–5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 920kcal | Carbohydrates: 145g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 506mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 111g | Vitamin A: 1109IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.71 from 24 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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152 Comments

  1. Helen Neufeld says:

    How long would I bake if I split it into 2 8 in pans?

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Sorry I haven’t ever tested this recipe in different sized pans; baking is finicky I can’t guarantee it will work the same!