Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe

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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.

It’s March. The doldrums of winter are setting in and we’re all craving a little bit of summer. What will satisfy that craving and have you dreaming of sunny spring days ahead? This easy strawberry cake recipe.

This recipe is a classic and definitely not original to us, but it is one we shared back at the beginning of our website in 2013, because it was a tried and true family recipe. It has stood the test of time and I know your family will love it just as much as ours had.

a strawberry cake with a slice cut out

About this Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe:

  • Flavor: Strawberry upon strawberry. That’s the flavor profile. The strawberry Jello and strawberry puree are like a double strawberry hit. And if you can find a strawberry cake mix it will be a triple threat.
  • Texture: This cake is ultra moist thanks to the addition of Jello in the ingredients. It’s a full proof cake that ends in moist results, every time.

Best Strawberry Cake

Although we have a from scratch strawberry cake recipe that you all love, we made a strawberry cake recipe using cake mix for those of you who need a quick, easy and moist strawberry cake.

And I’ll have to say…this cake is hard to beat. It’s the best strawberry cake recipe I’ve ever made. The strawberry flavor is intense and the cake is ridiculously moist.

a slice of strawberry layer cake on a plate with a fork and bite out

Can I put fresh strawberries in cake mix?

Yes! This cake starts with a cake mix, but uses fresh strawberry purée to give it the fresh strawberry flavor.

To made strawberry purée, take the strawberries and run them through a food processor to purée them. Use 1 cup of the strawberry puree, juice and all, in this cake recipe.

Will strawberries make cake soggy? No. But it’s going to add the moisture and sweetness you’ve wanted in a strawberry cake.

a piece of strawberry cake sitting on a plate

Tips for Making 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.
  • 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.
  • Use oil instead of butter. I normally like to try to use butter in cake recipes. I tested this recipe three times and everyone 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 and pour the cake batter in a greased 9×13 cake pan. Bake at 325ºF for 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake bounces back when you touch it. It makes a delicious strawberry sheet cake!
  • To make a 2 layer cake, divide the batter between 2 greased and floured 8″ cake pans. Bake at 325ºF for 29 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when you touch it.

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, a little runny and not as smooth as I liked.

My from scratch strawberry cake calls for a strawberry reduction in the frosting. Since this was an “easy strawberry cake”, I wanted something a little quicker.

So what gives this homemade strawberry frosting its 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 resist.

overhead view of strawberry cake

don’t want to use strawberry jam?

Use freeze-dried strawberries for a pop of flavor. Grind the strawberries into a powder and add to the creamed butter and sugar a few tablespoons at a time, until you get the flavor you’d like.

Frosting Variations

If you’re looking different frosting, try one of these:

a piece of strawberry cake on a spatula
a piece of strawberry cake on a spatula

Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe

4.66 from 341 votes
Looking for an easy strawberry cake recipe? A moist cake starts with a boxed cake mix and has a homemade strawberry frosting that tastes like a milkshake.
Servings 15 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 box white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
  • 1 package strawberry flavored gelatin (3 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk 4 ounces
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil 6 ounces
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup fresh strawberry puree

Strawberry Frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups salted butter room temperature, 12 ounces
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed)
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Instructions
 

  • The fresh strawberry puree is simply a cup of blended strawberries. Measure the puree after the strawberries are blended and it should equal 1 cup.
  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans (*see instructions below for 9×13 cake pan*).
  • 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, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
  • Bake for 29-33 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 room temperature butter for 1-2 minutes until nearly white in 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 Frost the Cake:

  • Place one cake layer on a cake plate.
  • Spread frosting on top of the first layer. (Add a layer of strawberry jam here, too, if you'd like!)
  • 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 in an airtight container in the fridge until serving.

Video

Notes

  • *Add additional heavy cream by the tablespoon until it is to the consistency you’d like.
  • **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.
  • ***If you make a 9×13 cake, you won’t need quite as much frosting. Use these amounts for frosting, preparing it in the same way as described above:
    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 4 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
    • ⅓ cup strawberry jam
  • If all you have is unsalted butter, use that and add a dash of salt.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
 

Nutrition

Serving: 203g | Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 456mg | Potassium: 83mg | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 671
Keyword cake mix, frosting, jam, jello, pink, strawberry, summer

Other Strawberry Recipes

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Holly Stutts
9 months ago

Hi! My son asked for a strawberry cake for his birthday this week so I’m going to give this recipe a try! I’m a little confused about the gelatin. The powder I buy comes in 0.7 oz boxes. Am I to put several boxes of powder in the cake (to add up to 3 oz) or add 3 oz of prepared jello to the cake? I saw one commenter asked something similar and you commented that you used the jello as powder, but I wanted to make sure since 3 oz is a lot of jello powder. Thank you so… Read more »

Anna Yates
9 months ago

Hello! I love the idea of this cake, but I am trying to avoid any food coloring. If I would like to omit the jello will it change the quality of the cake? Maybe is there something I can replace it with?

Christine
9 months ago

5 stars
I have made this cake several times, and everyone always comments on what an amazing cake it is! I moved in the past year to a high altitude location, and the only thing I changed was to bake it in a 9 x 13 pan at 350*F for 35 minutes and it turns out perfectly every time! The frosting is *chefs kiss* perfection!

Debbie
10 months ago

5 stars
Great cake. I made a bundt cake out of mine! My entire family loved it. Didn’t need any frosting either.

peggyann spolski
11 months ago

I tried this recipe and it’s a joke. The icing was enough for 2 other cakes. Way too sweet and I always
think I don’t know everything but this was like she wanted us to fail, the frosting was enough for 2 other cakes. will not try any of her recipesagain.

H Hall
11 months ago

Can I add real strawberries, chopped into the cake instead of the puree?

Carol
1 year ago

WOW!!! I made this cake for my granddaughter’s birthday, and it was DELICIOUS!!!! I believe I received more compliments on this cake than any cake I have ever made. Every single person, child and adult, loved it! The recipe is a keeper for sure – so moist, so “strawberry-licious!” The recipe is a keeper for sure! NOTE: I usually do not have milk in my fridge as we are not milk drinkers. I did have half and half so I used 1/4 cup half and half and 1/4 water. I also did not use your frosting recipe (though I’m sure… Read more »

Vicky
1 year ago

If you use a strawberry cake mix, SHOULD you omit the gelatin? Would the gelatin make it too sweet?

Sam
1 year ago

How many strawberries is 1 cup of puree? Don’t want to waste!

Karen
2 years ago

Made this today for my daughter’s birthday, strawberry cake is her favorite, but very hard to find now that we found out she has celiac disease. I used a gluten-free yellow cake mix by the brand Cup4Cup. Then followed your instructions, except I used the amount of milk it said on package which was 1and 1/4 cup, because gluten free flours often need the extra liquid. However I was a lil worried because I didn’t consider the purée , thankfully it dawned on me before adding the purée to the mix. So I decreased the strawberry purée to 1/2 cup… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Karen
Sybil S
2 years ago

Can I use strawberry preserve instead of jam

Teressa
2 years ago

1 star
This was an awful recipe. Followed the instructions and cooked the cake at 325. It looks undercooked even after 35 minutes so I cooked it for 5 more minutes. Disgusting! I wish I could post a picture. What a waste of ingredients.

Thushanthi de Silva
2 years ago

5 stars
I made this for my daughter’s bday and it turned out so well. I love that you mentioned the exact ounces, as my box mix qty was slightly less (tip: if the difference is less than 3oz you can just add regular flour to make up the difference!). Rose just right and was nice and even, and tasted so soft and moist. I used cream cheese frosting which goes great with this! Definitely a keeper of a recipe.

Cristal Williams
2 years ago

This recipe is definitely on point!!!! This is my go-to strawberry cake recipe going forward. I’ve made strawberry cakes before and have never gotten the robust strawberry flavor like I did with this cake recipe. It was a hit with my friends and family. I definitely recommend everyone trying it to see for themselves!

Debra B
2 years ago

Can you make this in a 9 x 13 pan? If so, baking time changes?

K Hansen
2 years ago

I followed the recipe exactly using a Pillsbury white cake mix and mine didn’t seem to rise as well as my regular cakes…any thoughts? I baked in two 8” pans for 29 min on convection. They are cooling now and have not tasted yet.

Last edited 2 years ago by K Hansen