Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
This strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting is the ultimate spring and summer dessert. It’s soft, fluffy, and bursting with real strawberry flavor from four different strawberry ingredients. Topped with a smooth, tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting, this recipe is nostalgic, bakery-worthy, and totally doable from scratch.
Want the cake and frosting in separate posts? Get my Strawberry Cake from Scratch and Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting recipes on their own too.
What Makes This Strawberry Cake So Special?
If you’ve ever had a strawberry box cake and loved the flavor, but not the artificial aftertaste, this recipe is your glow-up. It combines:
- Fresh strawberry purée (reduced for concentrated flavor)
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder
- A touch of strawberry Jell-O
- Strawberry emulsion
This combo gives you that pink strawberry cake nostalgia with real fruit flavor and a soft, fluffy texture that rivals any bakery.
And don’t even get me started on the frosting. It’s tangy, creamy, naturally pink, and just sweet enough to complement the cake without overpowering it. Be prepared to eat more than just one cake slice!
Why Is This Cake So Moist and Fluffy?
There’s a reason this cake has the perfect soft and tender texture. It all comes down to the ingredients and method:
- Cake flour keeps the crumb light and delicate
- Buttermilk adds moisture and helps activate the leavening
- Oil provides softness while butter brings flavor
- Egg whites whip in air and keep the color bright
- The reverse creaming technique (or traditional creaming, depending on your method) ensures structure without overmixing
Want to understand the science behind ultra-soft cake layers? Don’t miss my full guide on The Secret to Moist and Fluffy Cake Every Time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Cake:
- Cake flour: Creates a soft, delicate crumb thanks to its lower protein content. Learn all about the importance of cake flour in our guide, Cake Flour vs All-Purpose Flour.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and structure.
- Baking powder & soda: Leavening agents that help the cake rise and create a light texture.
- Salt: Enhances all the other flavors.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: Delivers intense strawberry flavor without adding moisture.
- Butter & oil: Butter adds rich flavor, while oil keeps the cake moist and tender.
- Egg whites: Help create a light, fluffy texture and keep the cake color bright.
- Buttermilk: Adds tang and helps activate the leaveners while keeping the cake moist.
- Reduced strawberry purée: Provides natural strawberry flavor and moisture.
- Vanilla extract + strawberry emulsion: Enhance the overall flavor.
- Strawberry Jell-O: Adds a nostalgic strawberry flavor and vibrant pink color.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Freeze-dried strawberries: Provide strong strawberry flavor and natural pink color without extra liquid.
- Cream cheese: The base of the frosting—tangy, rich, and smooth when beaten properly.
- Salted butter: Adds creaminess and helps create a stable, spreadable texture.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting while keeping it silky.
- Vanilla extract: Balances the tangy cream cheese and bright strawberry notes.
How to Make the Strawberry Cake
- Prep your pans and preheat oven to 325°F.
- Whisk dry ingredients together, including the freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- Cream butter and sugar, then add oil.
- Mix in egg whites one at a time.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients, including buttermilk and strawberry purée.
- Divide batter evenly into pans and bake 28–35 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Need help with layer cakes? Follow my step-by-step guide on How to Frost a Cake Like a Pro.
Make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder.
- Beat cold cream cheese until smooth.
- Add butter, then mix until fluffy.
- Add strawberry powder and vanilla, mixing to combine.
- Mix in powdered sugar, and beat until light and creamy.
- Refrigerate if needed to thicken before piping.
Tips for the BEST Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use light-colored pans to avoid overbaking the edges.
- Measure flour correctly (spoon and level or use a scale).
- Don’t skip reducing the strawberry purée — it prevents a soggy crumb.
- Refrigerate frosting if it feels too soft to frost with.
- Use room-temperature ingredients for the cake and frosting. Learn the importance of room temperature ingredients and quick hacks in my Room Temperature Ingredients Guide.
FAQ on Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Bake the cake layers a day ahead and wrap them tightly, then freeze! Cold cake is so much easier to frost. The frosting can also be made in advance and refrigerated.
Learn all about my cake decorating process in my How to Frost Cakes like a Pro guide.
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Absolutely! No need to thaw. Just simmer them down like fresh for the purée. Be sure to simmer until the puree is thick like jam.
Can I make it vegan?
You can make the frosting vegan using dairy-free cream cheese and butter. For the cake, you’ll need to swap the egg whites and buttermilk with plant-based alternatives. Consider checking out our Vegan Vanilla Cake for an easy vegan recipe.
Dont Forget Cake Pans Matter!
The type of cake pan you use can make a big difference in how evenly your cakes bake. I recommend using light-colored aluminum pans, like my favorite Fat Daddio’s 8-inch pans, which conduct heat evenly and prevent overbaking or dark edges. Dark pans can cause the sides to brown too quickly, and glass or ceramic pans often bake unevenly. Always line your pans with parchment paper (or grease well) and fill them no more than two-thirds full for the best results.
Decorating & Frosting Your Cake
Once your cake layers are cooled, it’s time to decorate! Use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting between the layers, then apply a crumb coat to seal in any loose crumbs. Chill the cake for 10–15 minutes, then finish frosting the outside with smooth swipes or decorative piping.
Need help mastering your frosting skills? Check out my full tutorial on How to Frost a Cake Like a Pro — it’s packed with tips and visuals!
Happy Baking!
This strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting is a full-on celebration of strawberry season. Whether you’re making it for a birthday, bridal shower, or just because it’s Tuesday, it’s the kind of dessert that stops people mid-bite and makes them ask, “Wait… you made this?”
Don’t forget to leave a review and tag me on social media @everythingjustbaked! I love seeing what you create!
Love strawberry desserts? Don’t forget to try our…
Ingredients
- 1½ to 1¾ cups fresh or frozen strawberries (to yield ½ cup + 2 tbsp purée)
- 2 ⅓ cups cake flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 oz salted butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup oil
- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- ⅔ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp cooled thick strawberry purée (from above)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp strawberry emulsion optional but recommended
- 2 tbsp strawberry Jell-O powder
- 4 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder (freeze-dried strawberries blended until smooth)
- 8 oz 1 block cream cheese, sofened at room temperature
- ½ cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder blended freeze dried strawberries
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp strawberry emulsion optional
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Strawberry Purée:
- Make strawberry purée: Add 1½ to 1¾ cups chopped strawberries to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half (about 10–15 minutes).
- Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture directly in the pan until smooth. Let cool completely before using in the cake batter.
Strawberry Cake
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans.
- Whisk dry: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- Cream butter and sugar for 3–5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add oil and mix well.
- Beat in egg whites one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.
- In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix buttermilk, strawberry purée, vanilla, strawberry emulsion, and Jell-O powder.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding dry ingredients and wet mixture in 3 additions, starting and ending with dry. Mix until just combined — do not overmix.
- Divide batter into pans and bake for 28–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then flip out and cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter until smooth and creamy (1–2 minutes).
- Add cream cheese and beat on medium-high until fully combined and fluffy — about 2–3 minutes.
- Mix in vanilla, salt, and strawberry emulsion (if using).
- Add freeze-dried strawberry powder and half the powdered sugar. Beat until combined.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add in the heavy cream.
- Taste and adjust: more sugar for sweetness, more strawberry powder for flavor, or a pinch more salt to balance it all. Frost your cake and enjoy!
Notes
- Strawberry Purée Tip: Make sure your purée is thick and jammy—watery purée can throw off the texture of the cake. Simmer it down until it reduces by half before cooling and using.
- Don’t Skip the Freeze-Dried Strawberries: This adds real flavor without adding extra moisture. You can find freeze-dried strawberries at Target, Trader Joe’s, or online.
- Jell-O + Emulsion Are Enhancers: The small amount of strawberry Jell-O and extract in this recipe are used to enhance the fresh berry flavor—not replace it. You won’t taste anything artificial.
- Storage: This cake stays moist for days! Store at room temperature for up to 1 day (unfrosted), or in the fridge for 4 days once frosted.
I made the frosting 4 times and every time it was runny, like milk. The longer I whipped the runnier it became.
Okay so for frosting the longer you whip the more runnier it will turn! This is because your essentially melting the butter and cream cheese. So for the future (you can also save the batch) mix and simply put in the fridge. The butter and cream cheese will solidify again creating a more stable frosting. Hope that helps.
Perfect! I made these into cupcakes. Strawberry taste is absolutely spot on. Not overwhelming and not the bland box mix type.
How long to bake for cupcakes? And do I change any measurements?
Maybe around 15-20 minutes?