Home > Desserts > Strawberries and Cream Cake Strawberries and Cream Cake May 8, 2017 | 152 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. A delicious, homemade-from-scratch best ever strawberry cake with a thick cream cheese frosting and garnished with sugared strawberries. The perfect cake for Mother’s Day! Right in time for Mother’s Day, I’ve got you covered for dessert 🙂 This strawberry 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! And after your mom goes crazy over this cake, then you’ll want to use this recipe for all kinds of occasions – a baby shower (for a girl), a pink-themed party, a gorgeous Spring/Summer cake…there are so many times when you’ll need a delicious-from-scratch pink strawberry cake! How do you make a strawberry cake with real strawberries? The base of this strawberry cake has real strawberries in it! It also has an amazing topping of sugared strawberries making this cake quite the delicious strawberry treat! To make this cake, you’ll start by beating the butter until smooth and then adding in the sugar. You’ll add in some lightly beaten eggs to this mixture and then some lemon juice. Why add lemon juice to this cake? A bit of lemon is as good as a dash of salt in bringing out the flavor in this cake. It really intensifies the delicious strawberry flavor all while keeping things tasting fresh and light. The acidity of the lemon is also important for the final texture of the cake. And then you’ll add in the buttermilk. You can definitely make your own buttermilk (remove 1 tablespoon from 1 cup of milk and replace that tablespoon with vinegar or lemon juice), but I do think this cake is best with a good store-bought buttermilk. To keep this cake from being over-mixed (and thus resulting in a denser cake) you’ll combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. You’ll sift together the flour and cornstarch a few times which is going to give you a bit of a “DIY cake flour”. You’ll get a finer crumb and a more moist cake without being overly dense. Then you’ll mix in the dry jell-o, baking soda, and salt. Once this mixture is combined, you’ll add it to the wet ingredients and beat the two until JUST combined. Again, you don’t want to over-mix the cake batter here. Finally, you’ll fold in those *real* finely chopped strawberries! The cake gets baked and meanwhile you can make the delicious cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries that will finish off this cake beautifully. How do you make strawberry cream cake? I call this a strawberries and cream cake because it’s got a delicious strawberry cake base and then a perfect cream cheese frosting to top it all off making it a “strawberry and cream” flavored dessert. I’ve talked a lot about making the cake, so let’s quickly cover that cream cheese frosting. The most important thing for the cream cheese frosting is to make sure the cream cheese and the butter are both at room temperature. This will give you the perfect smooth and creamy base for the frosting. You don’t want the cream cheese or butter melted, microwaved, or softened. They should both at the same room temperature for best results. The one “secret” ingredient to my cream cheese frosting that I think makes it the best is vanilla bean paste. The paste has a more intense vanilla flavor and adds gorgeous flecks of beans to the frosting. I love what the paste does for this frosting, but pure vanilla extract also is delicious in it’s place. How do you make a strawberry cake from scratch? This strawberries and cream cake is from scratch, but I am aware that using a strawberry jell-o mix could be considered by some to be cheating 🙂 Honestly, I’ve tried dozens of strawberry cakes over the years and my favorites always have strawberry jell-o mix in them (which is why my recipe includes it as well). If you’re concerned about using the jell-o mix, you can use strawberry extracts or a reduced strawberry puree. Here is a recipe that does not include strawberry jell-o mix. More strawberry desserts: Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes with Strawberry Sauce Frozen Strawberry Ice Cream Pie FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Strawberries and Cream Cake 4.72 from 25 votes - Review this recipe A delicious, homemade-from-scratch best ever strawberry cake with a thick cream cheese frosting and garnished with sugared strawberries. The perfect cake for Mother's Day! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Strawberries and Cream Cake 4.72 from 25 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe A delicious, homemade-from-scratch best ever strawberry cake with a thick cream cheese frosting and garnished with sugared strawberries. The perfect cake for Mother's Day! Course Dessert Cuisine American Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 9 x 13 cake Calories 312kcal Author Chelsea, adapted from MyRecipes IngredientsStrawberry Cake▢ 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature▢ 2 cups (385g) white granulated sugar▢ 2 large eggs▢ 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice▢ 2 cups + 3 tablespoons (275g) white flour▢ 5 tablespoons (43g) cornstarch▢ 3 tablespoons (37g) strawberry jell-o mix, dry (not prepared)▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt▢ 1 cup (235g) buttermilk (or milk mixed with lemon juice--check notes)▢ Optional: 3-4 drops red food coloring▢ 2/3 cup (105g) finely diced fresh strawberriesFrosting▢ 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter softened▢ 1 package (8 oz.; 226g) full-fat cream cheese at room temperature, don't use low fat▢ 2 teaspoons pure 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 fine sea saltTopping▢ 1 and 1/2 cups (220g) sliced strawberries▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons (20g) white granulated sugar InstructionsCake:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.Beat the room temperature butter with hand mixers until light and creamy. Slowly add in the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then add to the butter mixture and mix. Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat in the buttermilk. If desired, add in the red food coloring here too and mix that in.In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch and then add in the jell-o mix, baking soda, and salt. It is important to 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 the stems from the strawberries and finely chop. Add in the finely chopped strawberries to the cake.Pour the batter evenly in the prepared 9 x 13 pan.Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.Cool the cake for at least one hour and then chill in the fridge for another hour.Frosting:Beat the softened butter and room temperature cream cheese until completely creamy. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Slowly beat in the 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 for about 20-30 minutes. Add them to the cake ONLY when serving and not beforehand. Video Recipe Notes*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. Nutrition FactsCalories: 312kcal We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
This cake looks amazing, I adore the color of it! I couldn’t agree with you more about a sugared strawberry/cream cheese frosting combo… best thing ever! Happy early Mother’s Day! Reply
Interesting that you used jello mix, the cake looks very vey good, and I love anything pink especially when it involves cream cheese and is in cake form. the strawberries now are so fresh and fragrant that this would really be the perfect cake for mother’s day. Reply
Strawberry is by far my favorite fruit flavor when it comes to bakes good and ice cream. This cake screams summer, and is so darn pretty! Happy Mother’s Day to you dear! Reply
wow what a gorgeous and flavourful cake, Chelsea!! I hope you have a great Mother’s day, my dear! Reply
This cake looks sooo good! I just love cream cheese frosting! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day Chelsea! Reply
This is not just perfect for Mother’s day. It’s perfect for the spring season! The cake is amazing! I can see that it’s so moist and soft. And the strawberries are so delightful! This is just so mouthwatering! Reply
What a beautiful post! Delicious strawberry cake… looks like I’ll be making this sometime this summer 🙂 Reply
this cake is really tasty and the combination of the cream and strawberries is good but my big complain is the color. It just doesn’t get pink only with the jello mix and some strawberries. How did you do it? Reply
Yep – the strawberries and jello mix is all I added for this recipe! When I edit my photos I do increase saturation of the colors, so perhaps that is the difference in color you are seeing. If you are hoping to get a brighter color perhaps a food coloring or dye could help? Reply
Have you made this cake without the jello? I am looking for a recipe without any artificial color or sweetener. Just wondering how it would turn out and if you had experimented with it? Reply
This looks incredible. Forgive me but do I have to use the dry jelly powder? I never buy it – is it the color or the taste that we are looking for here? Or both? Thank you. Reply
I refuse to cave to the pumpkin mafia just cuz it’s October. I’d like to make strawberry cupcakes for work. Do you think this recipe would work for cupcakes? Reply
Hahahaha!!! You know, I’m not sure since I haven’t ever tried converting this recipe to cupcakes. If you do try it, I would just make sure to bake them for 15-20 minutes at the same temperature. Sorry to not be of more help 🙁 Reply
I know you posted this a long time ago and have probably since tried it but for anyone else seeing this recipe and wondering the same thing – I have only made this recipe in cupcake form and they are a MASSIVE hit, absolutely delicious. I get requests to make them all the time. 15-20 mins bake time is accurate. 🙂 Reply
I love strawberries. Nothing tastes like freshly picked strawberries. Their fruity kick and sweetness add a lovely touch to bakes, drinks, salads and more. This is a lovely cake- sharp, creamy and sweet. This is as pretty as it is delicious. Thanks for sharing, Chelsea. Do you have more strawberry recipes? Reply
I couldn’t agree with you more! I LOVE freshly picked strawberries 🙂 Thanks so much for your sweet compliment and for trying out the cake! 🙂 I do have a few more! Here are some to try out next: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/homemade-strawberry-cream-cheese-toaster-strudels/ https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/strawberry-orange-sweet-bread-with-a-strawberry-glaze/ https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/strawberry-and-avocado-spinach-salad-with-candied-pecans/ Reply
It means either 4 cups or 4 and 1/2 cups — just based off of how thick or thin you like your frosting..sometimes I’ll add an extra 1/2 cup to make it a bit thicker 🙂 Reply
I haven’t personally tried it, but I’m not sure why not! I just couldn’t tell you if it will make 2 or 3 round cakes.. I’m leaning towards 3 🙂 Reply
I loveee cakes with fresh strawberries. This looks delicious!! Thanks! Erica @ thebigredpatchhouse.com Reply
Hi Chelsea, I have just did your strawberries and cream cake this morning for the Valentine’s Day and my boyfriend loved it! I did not have the strawberry jell-o mix (no idea what it is here in Belgium :), so I used a red colorant instead… very good cake!! Thank you for the recipe 🙂 Reply
So happy to hear that!! 🙂 Thank you so much for trying the cake and leaving a comment, I’m so glad it was enjoyed 🙂 Reply
Can’t wait to try this my hubbys birthday Feb 17, we are both big strawberry cake fans, I googled recipies for homemade strawberry cake recipies and I keep coming back to this one, cannot wait to surprise my husband Wed when he gets home from work, thank you sooo much! Reply
The cake was absolutely wonderful! My hubby and I loved it, made a wonderful birthday cake! I will make it again!?❤️ Reply
Made this for hubby’s birthday and he loved it. Thinking about using all of the jello mix next time instead of only 3 TB per the recipe as the cake didn’t have a lot of strawberry flavor, even with the strawberries in it as well. The batter was a very light pink color and then when cake was cut found that it was white. Where did the pink go??? Also only used 2 cups powdered sugar for the frosting and that was plenty. Reply
Well I’m glad your husband loved it! 🙂 I’m not sure at all, mine was very pink! Definitely feel free to add it all in next time and maybe even a few more strawberries 🙂 Reply
I haven’t tried that particular substitution so I can’t say without further recipe testing. Sorry to not be of more help! Reply
Does this cake remain soft in refrigerator or have to keep out of refrigerator for some time for regaining softness, the for help Reply
Made it for my 15 year old son’s birthday today. Made a layer cake (2 layers) and since my son doesn’t like sweet frosting of any sort I made a whipped cream frosting and it turned out beautifully. Rave reviews and second helpings! Reply
I would like to make this a layer cake too. What size pans did you use? 8 or 9 inch rounds? Thanks Reply
I was wondering if you have tried making this cake with thawed frozen strawberries? Thanks for any help! Reply
I regularly use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones when baking strawberry cupcakes (although I have not yet tried this recipe). I set them out in a bowl or measuring cup and then mash them when they are thawed (I use the bottom of a clean glass). Even if you don’t mash them, you probably won’t get the same texture as fresh but I have found that frozen tend to add more color than fresh, especially when used in frosting. Reply
Regarding the substitution for buttermilk – have you tried this with baking? I have found this substitution before but haven’t had an opportunity to actually try it. Reply
I personally like it best chilled in the fridge (tightly covered). Either way just make sure it’s well covered! Reply
Will this recipe double well? I have a friend who wants a large strawberry sheet cake and this recipe sounds tasty! 🙂 Reply
I’m sorry Diana, I’ve never tried doubling this recipe so I really don’t know. However I think just the regular recipe could spread well in a 9 x 13 for a sheet cake. I’m not certain though without trying it. Wish I could be of more help. :/ Reply
I just substituted a 1:1 gluten free flour and the mixed cake is super thick not “runny” like boxed mixes. Is that how it normally comes out??? Reply
Is the batter supposed to be thick? I didn’t alter anything, as far a i know. It baked a little strange looking,but the taste was Amazing. Reply
It is a little thicker than typical cake batter, but nothing too crazy! As long as the taste is great I wouldn’t worry about it 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it! Reply
Hi Chelsea, I am currently baking the cake right now and i’ve baked it for like 45 minutes now but there are like pink parts that are still soft and mushy. Some parts are fine but like I said there are mushy pink parts. Is this normal? Do I keep cooking it? Reply
That doesn’t sound normal. Do you know if your oven is calibrated? It sounds like parts of your oven may be running hotter than other parts? Reply
I just made this cake for the first time and am waiting for it to cool. I am not a baker, but pretty proud of myself for duplicating your creation. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to share it with family and friends! Thanks for the recipe Chelsea! Reply
Hey Heather! Thank you so much for the comment, I’m so glad that you tried this recipe 🙂 You are so welcome! Reply
I was searching for a strawberry cake recipe to make for my husband for our anniversary today. It’s currently in the oven and is a gorgeous deep pink (I used sugar free jello mix but not on purpose). My house smells amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Reply
Happy Anniversary Mindy! So glad you gave this cake a try and have been enjoying the smell of it 🙂 Hope you love it!! Reply
I want to make this for my daughter’s birthday. We live at 7500 ft., so I know some altitude adjustments should be made. Any ideas? Reply
Has anyone tried baking round layers using this recipe, and then cover with fondant? Wondering if, with the high acid content in the strawberries, it would “bleed through” the fondant or cause any puckering with the fondant… sounds like a delicious recipe and I want to try it! Reply
Tried my hand at your cake for my boyfriend’s birthday. This was only my second ever cake from scratch and it was to die for. thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I doubled your recipe and used round cake pans to make a 4 layer cake. https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSHrqDgIUR/?taken-by=jennimparks Reply
I’m so thrilled you loved this cake!! Your photo is stunning — you did an amazing job! Love it! Reply
So yummy! Made this cake for my sons first birthday. The adults had seconds and the kids gobbled up their piece. Everyone raves over it. I used 5tbsp of jello after reading comments about the colour not being bright enough. The colour was beautiful. I also made a layered cake. Thanks for the great recipe! Reply
Hey Kat! Thanks so much for your comment and review; I’m so thrilled this cake was a huge hit! 🙂 Reply
How fine should the strawberries be chopped. Im concerned that if I chop them too much the juice may add more liquid. Did you chop by hand or use processor? Reply
Do you think this recipe would work with cupcakes? If so, any suggestions on altering the baking time? Is the frosting a good consistency for piping? I want to do this for my 2 year olds birthday in cupcake form 🙂 Reply
I’m not totally certain if the cupcakes will work since I’ve never tried with this recipe, but if you do try I would bake them around 17-22 minutes. I think you’ll want a different frosting though or just add extra powdered sugar to make it a little thicker. Good luck Amanda! 🙂 Reply
This cake is decadent, rich, memorable, tasty (very), yummy, sweet and so many more descriptive adjectives! Made this for mothers day this year then again for the 4th of July and one word comes to mind, scrumptious! Thank you so much Chelsea for sharing! Take care ? Reply
Hi Mariama! So thrilled this cake was such a huge hit! 🙂 I can’t thank you enough for your kind comments! Reply
I just made this cake for my sons birthday. His favorite is strawberry! ?It tastes great, but sank in the middle.? What did I do wrong? Thanks! Reply
So happy to hear that! 🙂 I’m glad the taste was good! As far as the sinking; are you at a higher altitude? Are your baking agents fresh? And did you for sure measure all the ingredients correctly (particularly the flour)? Reply
I’m planning on making this cake for New Years Eve, but just wanted to check, on the frosting did you mean 1 8oz package of cream cheese? Thx Reply
Yes, sorry Carol! I just switched to a new kind of recipe box and it changed the formatting on some of the recipes; it was supposed to read 1 package (8 ounces). I’ve updated it now. Thank you! Reply
Hi, can anyone tell me please what is jello, I am in the uk not sure if we have it here, what could I use instead , thankyou xx Reply
Instead of buttermilk or regular milk combined with lemon juice do you think I could used condensed milk? Reply
That looks amazing! There is nothing better than strawberries and cake. I love how the cake is very pink. It make it look that much tastier! Reply
I made this for a coworker’s birthday. I wanted to change the layers, and this recipe makes three perfect 6”-round layers! I frosted mine with homemade white chocolate-vanilla ermine buttercream. And let me tell you, this was so unbelievably delicious. I discovered halfway through that I was out of lemon juice, but I threw in a tablespoon or so of crushed freeze-dried raspberries, and that really brought out the strawberry flavor too. I had tried a different recipe the night before, and the failure was so humiliating that I almost didn’t want to try again. Then I found this recipe, and I’m so glad I did. I think it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted, and I’m not that big a fan of strawberry. Absolutely wonderful, thank you so much! Reply
Can you make this cake without egg. What would you substitute the eggs with? For someone with an egg allergy. Thank you Reply
I’m sorry I don’t think this cake would turn out without the eggs. Wish I could be of more help. Reply
I am going to make this cake tomorrow to bring to my co workers on Monday. It says to cool the cake for an hour and then another hour in the fridge. Do I take it out of the pan to cool or in pan? After I frost it does it have to go back in the fridge since I am not serving it the same day? Looking forward to baking this cake and to your suggestions!! Reply
I made this tonight for my boyfriend’s birthday. It was WONDERFUL—it got rave reviews from everyone. I’m definitely keeping this recipe. Thanks so much! Reply
Made this cake and while the taste was delicious, it is dense, more like a “cake” brownie than light and fluffy as a cake should be. Next time I will try using purchased cake flour to see if it can be lightened up. Reply
It’s definitely a denser cake! Sorry it wasn’t for you, but hopefully store bought cake flour can get you the result you’re looking for 🙂 Reply
I’ve twice made this cake in abbreviated form, cutting down the ingredients to about 1/4 total recipe and baking in individual-serving ramekins. As my family only includes 3 of us, I didn’t want to have leftover cake, so this is how I generally modify recipes. It baked up beautifully and was such a hit at Easter that I repeated for Mother’s Day, again, getting rave reviews from my husband and son. I did add a touch of strawberry extract and a drop or two of red coloring to the frosting to make it extra pretty and served with fresh strawberries and Reddi-Wip on top. Such a pretty dessert, and so perfect for spring events! Reply
So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this cake! What a great idea to cut it down into individual sized servings 🙂 Thanks for the comment Karen! Reply
I haven’t ever tried making this in an 8 x 8 pan or any other way. Unfortunately a 9 x 13 doesn’t perfectly halve so I’m not sure what to recommend without further testing. Reply
I’ve made this cake 4 times now. First time was perfect and amazing! Next 3 times (were in a different oven) and sunk every single time! Why? Please help!! Reply
Did you move (different altitude?) Have you had your new oven calibrated? (Potentially your oven is running cooler or unevenly) Reply
I made this recipe twice and it came out bad both times. I don’t blame the recipe but I don’t know how to make it right. The cakes kept sinking in the middle and sticking to the pans. The middle of the cakes almost had a hole from sticking to the pan. Do you know why that happened? Reply
Shoot I’m so sorry; would love to trouble shoot with you though!! Do you live at a high altitude? Did you make ANY changes to the recipe? Reply
The jell-o mix adds lots of the strawberry flavor and color, so I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out unless you don’t mind a very muted flavor Reply
My moms birthday is Friday, the day after Thanksgiving!! I am making her a Strawberry cake for her bday and taking it tomorrow 🙂 I will be using your recipe! I can’t wait to try it out!! Thanks for sharing, it sounds wonderful!! Reply
I want to use this recipe in a layer bay cake. Is it safe to say double recipe for 2 9″ rounds? Reply
Hi! I want to make this for a friend’s birthday party set for the weekend, but I wanted to ask, how many days in advance can I bake the cake layers since it has fresh strawberries in it? Thank you. Reply
This is my favorite cake to make! Everyone loves it! Question: if I wanted to make cupcakes (12) at a time how long should I set a timer? Reply
You say the flour and cornstarch gives you DIY cake flour but If you have cake flour can you use that ? If so, how much? Reply
Sorry I haven’t ever tested this recipe in different sized pans; baking is finicky I can’t guarantee it will work the same! Reply
