A Fresh Strawberry Cake recipe that is so simple to make and can be ready in about 1 hour. It’s a simple 1 layer cake made with yogurt and speckled with fresh strawberries.
It’s going to the best thing to happen to your summer dessert table.
This simple strawberry cake is a great way to highlight ripened summer berries.
The cake is quite simple to put together and yields a moist tender cake that can be served for breakfast. It goes great with a cup of coffee!
There are a few strawberry recipes on the blog already. Strawberry panna cotta and strawberry cheesecake mousse are probably my two favorites.
But today’s cake is surely a runner up.
Why this strawberry cake recipe works
- Yogurt is used to keep the cake moist. It’s becomes so tender and soft with the use of yogurt.
- The creaming method for mixing the batter is used to get a light and fluffy cake texture. Creaming the butter and sugar until it’s double in volume makes all the difference in cakes.
- Fresh strawberries that are in peak season are the cakes best friend. The burst sweet strawberry juice inside the cake and taste phenomenal.
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Fresh Strawberry Cake Ingredients
The ingredients are very basic for today’s cake. You might have most, if not all, of them on hand. Let’s go over them…
- Butter: Unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature is best.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar is what I used but I didn’t use a whole lot.
- Eggs: For moisture and structure.
- Yogurt: Plain yogurt is what I chose to use since I’m adding extracts. But, you could use vanilla yogurt and skip the extract. Or try it with other flavors like honey.
- Vanilla: Added for flavor.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. Make sure to measure it properly!
- Leavener: Baking powder and baking soda are used to help the cake rise.
- Salt: A dash of salt is used to balance the sweetness of the cake.
- Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries that are ripe. Frozen and thawed strawberries could work but they may turn the batter pink or make the cake soggy.
How to make strawberry cake
This is going to be the easiest cake you’ve ever made! You need 1 bowl and a handheld mixer or you can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
The Batter – The batter is thick like muffin batter. It needs to be thick in order to prevent the strawberries from sinking to the bottom. It will develop a lovely crust on the outside during baking but the inside is supremely tender.
Step 1: Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven
It is essential to use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature ingredients will combine more easily.
Set the butter, eggs, and yogurt out on the counter 1 hour before you plan to make the cake. Measure out all the other ingredients and have them ready to use.
Prepare your stand mixer with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer with beaters. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
Preheat the oven about 30 minutes before you begin making the batter. This allows enough time for the oven to come to temperature and stabilize.
Step 2: mix the wet ingredients.
The butter must be room temperature in order for it to cream properly with the sugar. This is why it is so important to set it out 1 hour ahead of time.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugar on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.
It should be pale in color and double the size in volume. This how you know you have properly creamed the sugar and butter together.
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature beat them in, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. The mixture should look smooth and lush.
Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and beat until combined. At this point the mixture may look curdled. That’s perfectly okay and it will come together in the next steps.
Step 3: Add the flour, leavening, and salt
Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl with the butter mixture. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the sieve.
Shake it gently until all the dry ingredients have been sifted through. This process helps aerate the flour which will make the cake lighter.
Beat on medium-low speed just until there are no visible streaks of flour throughout the batter. You want to slightly undermix here because you’ll be mixing some more once you add the strawberries.
Step 4: Add the strawberries
Add the chopped strawberries to the batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold the strawberries in until the batter is evenly speckled.
Save a few strawberries to place on top of the cake just before baking.
Step 5: Bake the cake
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Press a few strawberries pieces into the top of the batter. It doesn’t have to be neat. Just scatter them about.
Bake the cake for about 40 minutes. The top should be lightly golden brown. And a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Step 6: Cool and garnish
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place the cake on a serving platter. Dust it with confectioners’ sugar. Slice and serve it with fresh strawberries as a garnish.
This cake can also be eaten warm! It’s great as a warm slice of breakfast cake and goes perfect with a cup of black coffee.
Can you freeze strawberry cake?
Yes! This fresh strawberry cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a large zip-top bag.
Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerate then bring to room temperature before serving. Or warm single slices in the microwave in 10 second intervals until heated through.
Tips for making this fresh strawberry cake recipe
- Properly measure the flour. Don’t scoop the flour directly out of the bag with the measuring cup. Since flour compacts, this method will add too much flour to the recipe.
- Make sure the cold ingredients are at room temperature. Mixing cold eggs into cake batter can make the cake dense.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the flour, mix only as much as needed to get the flour barely incorporated. Don’t aim for a smooth batter!
If you like this strawberry cake recipe, you might also enjoy these other cakes:
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Fresh Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (184 g) plain yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (144 g) fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
- confectioners' sugar and fresh strawberries for garnish, optional
Recommended Tools
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper that is cut to fit.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- And the yogurt and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and add it to the butter mixture. Mix just until no dry streaks of flour are visible. Take care not to over mix. The batter should not be smooth.
- Add the chopped strawberries, reserving about 15 small chunks for the next step. Using a silicone spatula, fold the strawberries in to the batter until evenly distributed.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Dot the top of the batter with the reserved strawberry chunks.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Serve the cake warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and garnish with fresh strawberries before serving.
Make ahead tip
- The cake will stay fresh stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- The cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving. Or warm slices in the microwave for 10-12 seconds.
Nancy says
June 26, 2019 at 10:30 amThis is the best strawberry cake I’ve ever had. It’s so simple to make too!!