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This Easy Strawberry Cake is the definitive way to use up all those strawberries you’ve got hanging around. It’s beautifully jammy, perfectly moist, and scintillatingly studded with our favorite little berries. If you haven’t considered baking with strawberries before, allow me to convert you.
I had a ton of strawberries lying around today, perfectly ripe and just begging to be baked into something spectacular. Well I’ve never been one to turn down a strawberry, so I got to thinking – how can I incorporate all 1 1/2 pounds of these delicious berries into something totally fantastic?
And cake came to me – like it usually does! Cake is always the answer around here and strawberries are a wonderful addition to a nice dense batter. Some days you feel like a light little strawberry shortcake, but some days you want a sturdy cake, one you can get lost in for a little bit.
This cake may seem familiar to some of you, especially once you scroll down and look at the batter – that’s because it’s essentially the same batter as my Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf! I wanted a super dense cake base that was still super moist to stand up to all of these strawberries.
When we bake with a cake batter that has density and body, it prevents our strawberries from sinking in the batter after placing the whole thing in the oven. Rather than getting a cake that is beautifully studded with ruby strawberries – you’ll end up with a soggy bottom if you choose a thinner batter!
Ingredients
- Flour – All purpose is all you’ll need for this loaf.
- Greek Yogurt – Unflavored is what you’re looking for. Packed full of protein and probiotics, this yogurt is key for a moist cake.
- Sugar – We want brown sugar and powdered sugar, one to toss our strawberries in and to incorporate into the batter – the other for dusting over top.
- Eggs – An important emulsifier for ensuring a smooth batter, we’re using 3 large eggs today.
- Vanilla Extract – A (not so secret) secret ingredient that will give your baked goods a flavor that is well balanced and rounded out nicely.
Vegetable oil – A must for keeping your easy strawberry cake from getting dry, help that yogurt out a bit! Canola is a great all purpose oil for recipes like this one. - Baking powder – This is a leavening agent, which means it’ll help this delicious cake rise in the oven.
- Salt – So important for bringing all those flavors together and making them shine.
Can I Use Regular Yogurt Instead?
Sure! You can use equal amounts of plain regular non Greek yogurt. I find when I use regular yogurt though that I miss that tangy bite of Greek yogurt, it also doesn’t pack quite as much protein – but maybe I’m biased.
How To Make Strawberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 8 or 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Prep the strawberries: Slice1 pound of the strawberries into 1/2 cm in thickness or 1/4 inch. Roughly chop the rest of the strawberries into 1 cm pieces or 1/2 inch. In a large bowl, stir together the sliced strawberries, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of cornstarch until fully coated and juicy. Add to prepared springform pan and spread in an even layer.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients: In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Toss the chopped strawberries with about 1 tsp of flour and fold into the batter. This is to keep them from falling to the bottom. Fold these strawberries into the cake batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter over the strawberry mixture in the springform pan and spread as evenly as possible with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Finish the dessert: Remove the side of the springform pan and let the cake cool completely. Flip the cake onto a serving platter carefully. Dust with a bit of powdered sugar, if preferred, slice and serve.
Tools You’ll Need
Today we’re using a springform pan, which may be a novel tool to some of my more beginner bakers who frequent the blog. These pans are hinged on the side and allow for clean and easy cake serving. I highly recommend picking one up as you won’t be able to flip your cake properly otherwise.
Cornstarch Is The Key
You might be wondering why I tossed all these strawberries in cornstarch today and that is because I wanted the strawberries to behave a bit like apples in apple pie filling. I wanted them to get moist and delicious, without losing any structure or integrity.
If you leave out this step you might end up with mushy messy strawberries – so just trust Jo on this one!
Not A Strawberry Fan?
As a general rule, berries and tree fruit can be baked and turn out delicious, so the world is your oyster. If you don’t have strawberries on hand or aren’t a fan feel free to use: raspberries, blackberries, cherries (pitted), blueberries, etc.
Just be extra careful when folding these into the batter.
Some Tips
- Use fat free Greek yogurt if you’d like to cut down on calories for this recipe.
- Oven temperatures vary, mine took around 1 hour to bake this cake so don’t worry if you hit the 50 minute mark and it’s not quite ready.
- If you use frozen strawberries rather than fresh be sure to rinse them well and pat dry with paper towel before chopping them up.
Storing Leftover Cake
Fridge
The best way to store your new fruit cake is right on the counter top. Place it on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and it will last for 3 days before it begins to get dry
Freezer
If you’d prefer to store in the freezer, wrap the cake tightly in aluminum foil before placing in a large ziploc bag, be sure to press out as much of the air in the bag as possible before sealing.
This method will keep your cake nice and fresh for up to 4 months. To thaw you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil on your counter for up to 3 hours.
Craving More Delicious Cake? Try These Recipes
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Peach Upside Down Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Blueberry Cake
- Zebra Cake
- Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake
- Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Harvey Wallbanger Cake
- Mardi Gras King Cake
Easy Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound strawberries
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar granulated
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 8 or 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Prep the strawberries: Slice 1 pound of the strawberries into 1/2 cm in thickness or 1/4 inch. Roughly chop the rest of the strawberries into 1 cm pieces or 1/2 inch. In a large bowl, stir together the sliced strawberries, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of cornstarch until fully coated and juicy. Add to prepared springform pan and spread in an even layer.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients: In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Toss the chopped strawberries with about 1 tsp of flour and fold into the batter. This is to keep them from falling to the bottom. Fold these strawberries into the cake batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter over the strawberry mixture in the springform pan and spread as evenly as possible with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Finish the dessert: Remove the side of the springform pan and let the cake cool completely. Flip the cake onto a serving platter carefully. Dust with a bit of powdered sugar, if preferred, slice and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- The best way to store your new fruit cake is right on the counter top. Place it on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and it will last for 3 days before it begins to get dry
- If you’d prefer to store in the freezer, wrap the cake tightly in aluminum foil before placing in a large ziploc bag, be sure to press out as much of the air in the bag as possible before sealing.
- This method will keep your cake nice and fresh for up to 4 months. To thaw you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil on your counter for up to 3 hours.
