If you’re looking for an easy strawberry cake recipe, this is it! This extra-moist cake starts with a boxed cake mix, but is anything from ordinary. Top with homemade strawberry frosting that tastes like a milkshake.
Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe
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During one of our Facebook Live shows recently one of you asked for a strawberry cake recipe. The doldrums of winter are setting in and we’re all craving a little bit of summer. This easy strawberry cake recipe will satisfy that craving!
Best Strawberry Cake
We decided to make a strawberry cake recipe using cake mix for those of you who need a quick, easy and moist strawberry cake. We’ll be working on a 100% from scratch strawberry cake over the next few weeks for those who like completely homemade recipes.
But I’ll have to say…this cake is hard to beat. It’s the best strawberry cake recipe I’ve ever made.
Can I put fresh strawberries in cake mix?
Yes! This cake starts with a cake mix, but uses fresh strawberry puree to give it the a fresh strawberry flavor. Take the strawberries and run them through a food processor to puree them. Use 1 cup of the strawberry puree, juice and all, in this cake recipe.
How do you make strawberry cake?
This is a dump-and-go style cake. Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and mix well. Here are a few hints:
- Although this strawberry cake starts with a boxed cake mix, it does have fresh strawberries in it. You’ll add 1 cup of pureed strawberries to the cake batter. Just enough to add a fresh flavor and extra moisture.
- You’ll also add a small box of strawberry gelatin to the batter. If you can find a strawberry boxed cake mix, you may be able to use that and skip this step. But add strawberry gelatin to a white cake mix for a huge strawberry flavor boost.
- I normally like to try to use butter in cake recipes. I tested this recipe three times and everyone definitely preferred the cake with oil over butter. The texture was simply amazing, and since strawberry is the main flavor, you won’t notice the butter taste missing.
- To make a 9×13 cake, prepare the cake as described above. Pour the cake batter in a greased 9×13 cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake bounces back when you touch it.
- To make a 2 layer cake, divide the batter between 2 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 29 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when you touch it.
How do you make strawberry buttercream?
I desperately wanted to use fresh strawberries for the frosting. But I just couldn’t get the texture right. The fresh strawberries were reacting with the butter and sugar, which caused the frosting to be a little lumpy and not as smooth as I liked. I decided that flavor and texture trumped using fresh strawberries.
So what gives this homemade strawberry frosting it’s flavor? Strawberry jam. I used Welch’s Natural Strawberry Spread. The combination of butter, jam, sugar, vanilla and a little cream makes this frosting taste like you are drinking a strawberry milkshake. Even those in the family who don’t care for frosting couldn’t say no.
Need a little summer in your cloudy day? Try this easy strawberry cake recipe. It’s quick. It’s foolproof.
You’re going to love it.
TOOLS TO MAKE THIS CAKE
- Stand Mixer: A hand mixer will work, but I always find it easier to make frostings with a stand mixer.
- Beater Blade with Scraper: The best invention ever!
- 9” Round Cake Pan: These are my favorite pans!
- Cake Flour:A must-have for anyone who loves to bake from scratch.
- Cake Spatula: To get that frosting nice and smooth.
- Wire Cooling Racks:This will help your cakes cool more quickly.
- Cake Plate: I have this cake plate and everyone loves it! It comes with the cute server too.
Other Strawberry Cake Recipes
Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (16.25 ounces)
- 1 package strawberry flavored gelatin (3 ounces)
- 1/2 cup milk 2%
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup fresh strawberry puree
Strawberry Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed)
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, gelatin, milk, oil, eggs and fresh strawberry puree.
- Beat on low speed until mixed, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans (*see instructions below for 9x13 cake pan*).
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 29 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when you touch it.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter for 1-2 minutes until nearly white in a appearance.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract. Beat on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the heavy cream* and another 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the last 2 cups of powdered sugar and the strawberry jam. Beat on low speed until mixed, then beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until the frosting is creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
To Frosting the Cake:
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate.
- Spread frosting on top of the first layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting.
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the layer cake.
- Optional: Decorate the top middle of the cake with a few tablespoons of strawberry jam and fresh strawberries.
- Store at room temperature until serving, then store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup strawberry jam ****The calorie count for this cake is based on the two layer cake cut into 15 pieces with 1 piece of cake as a serving.
Nutrition
I have just finished making this delicious strawberry cake and I have to say it is truly the BEST I have ever eaten and I have been making strawberry cakes for over 50 years….I am 73 years old…..This will certainly be my go to from now on. Love the icing using the strawberry spread by Bama……Thanks for sharing your recipe
A friend tipped me to your strawberry cake recipes and I’m excited to try it out! I can’t find strawberry jello where I’m at that doesn’t use artificial colors or flavors. I was thinking of making the strawberry reduction you use in the scratch recipe. Think I could get by without using the gelatin? Tips to make it work?
Could you make the purée out of frozen strawberries? I can’t find any fresh that don’t have green at the tops.
Got to try it
Hello!! Thank you for the recipe! Just made this cake it turned out beautiful however we are not eating it till tomorrow I already put the strawberries on. Maybe that was a mistake. How should I storw this cake? Thank you!!
Thanks for the recipe. I just finished making this cake as a test run. I used a 6″ topsy turvy cake pan and an 8″ round pan and a few minutes out of the oven, both fell. I watched your video and noticed your puree wasn’t as liquidy as mine and my batter turned out really runny and wondered if that might be the reason. The cake tasted wonderful and I would love to use this recipe for a cake I’m doing for Friday. Any ideas on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
This recipe turned out great!! I made a birthday cake for my daughter and everybody including myself loved it! Wish I could attach a pic on here to show how awesome it turned out! But great job on the recipe and thanks so much for sharing!
I used one less egg, dried the fresh strawberries thoroughly, used apple cauce instead of oil And 1/2 and 1/2 instead of milk. Came out perfectly bouncey and the frosting with strawberry jam worked real well, stability wise. Thank you!
I use flavoured gelatine in powder form. Do I use it as it is or I have to melt it first? Thanks.
I can’t wait to make this for my daughter’s birthday but was thinking of doing cupcakes. Do you think it would work as cupcakes and how long should the baking time be? Thanks!
Will the icing work with strawberry Simply Fruit spread? Thank you!
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes?
What exactly is the reason for the strawberry jello? I went today and got everything to make it, haven’t made it yet ,I already had the strawberry cake mix but was going to do it just like your recipe ,but now I’m to tired and it is to late for me to start it tonight, but when I do I’ll definitely let u know how it turns out ,the picture is amazing, can’t wait to make my own
I just made this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly using white cake mix and it was perfect!!! I’ve never had such a perfect amount of frosting to amply cover a layer cake without doubling and having tons left over! This is new new go-to!
I made this last night. The strawberries in Germany are particularly good right now, so I was able to make fresh puree.
Moist cake, not too sweet, great flavour!
I would recommend this simple and delicious cake to anyone of any skill level.
Thanks for the recipe!
If I use a strawberry cake mix should I still use strawberry jello.
Could I possibly bake this recipe in a bundt pan? If so, what would the estimated time be?
I need to print it how do i print it?
I plan on making this cake tonight. However I don’t have a blender to create the strawberry puree. BUT I do have Smuckers’ Strawberry topping. I was planning on just straining the topping and using that for the cake OR maybe just using the topping as is and mix that into the batter. But I was unsure of what the outcome for the mix would be. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a puree without a blender? Just need some ideas until Black Friday comes around and I can finally purchase that ninja blender I’ve been eyeing… Read more »
Made this for a baby shower. It was amazing. I first tried a strawberry flavored cake and left out the jello. Not nearly as good as the white cake mix, strawberry gelatinand pureed frozen strawberries. I got lots of compliments on the taste of the cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
My daughter was coming home for the weekend from IU and told me she was craving cake! Enough said… Momma had to make a cake! LOL She chose strawberry so I of course went to Google to begin my search. I made this recipe only substituting the box mix to a French Vanilla. I followed everything else, and the result was amazing. I began as soon as I got home from work and when she arrived about 3 hours later, the house smelled great and we made tea and ate cake! This is one that we will keep and remake… Read more »
Hi – do you use regular or sugar free jello? Or does it matter?
Does this cake need to be refrigerated. We don’t eat cake often, and even with company imagine there are leftovers!
It looks delicious and reminds me of a cake my grandmother made.
Linda
I was thinking of making this but in cupcakes. Do you have any recommendations on time (or other) adjustments?
I’ve made this cake using strawberry cake mix + strawberry jello and strawberry puree. I’ve also used sour cream in the cake recipe. For the frosting: butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, strawberry puree, plus vanilla and almond extracts. Also added strawberry jam between the cake layers on top of the frosting. Delicious!