This Strawberry Cake is just about the quickest and easiest cake you will ever make. Loaded with 500g / 1 lb of strawberries IN and ON the cake, it’s a great way to use strawberries when they’re in season! Yogurt makes the crumb moist, it’s not too sweet and you’ll love the hint of lemon.
No stand mixer, no creaming butter. Just one bowl and a wooden spoon!
Strawberry cake
A pink sponge cake with pink frosting made entirely with fresh strawberries without cheating* is a recipe that’s officially been in development for 3 years.
I’m confident 2020 will be The Year when I finally crack it. I’m getting close – and I’m SUPER excited to share it with you. And while infinitely doable by any home cook, it is quite an involved recipe.
So for now, here’s the cake you make with all those strawberries – the best easy cake recipe you will ever make bursting with fresh strawberries!
* No cheating = no food colouring, no strawberry flavouring, no fancy pants ingredients like freeze dried strawberries.
The cake is made with a yogurt and oil based batter which keeps the crumb beautifully moist for days and gives it more structure than delicate sponge cakes made with creamed butter so it can stand up to the weight and considerable juices that sweat out of the strawberries.
It’s still a beautifully soft crumb, it’s just not as delicate as traditional butter and sponge cakes. I’ve used it for Blueberry Cake and this Lemon Yogurt Cake if you’d like to read feedback from people who have tried it (spoiler: it’s good!)
What goes in Strawberry Cake
So here’s what you need:
Strawberries – 500g/1 lb to be exact! Some goes in the cake, most goes on top;
Flour, sugar, egg, baking powder, vanilla, salt – all the usual suspects in cakes;
Lemon – the freshness of lemon works so well in cakes made with berries! Proof -> Strawberry Cheesecake, Blueberry Cake, Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, Blueberry Lemon Loaf; and
Oil and yogurt or sour cream – as noted above, this is what keeps the crumb really moist as well as adding a touch of tang, reinforcing the brightness we get from the lemon.
How to make this easy Strawberry Cake
Being that this doesn’t have creamed butter in it, it’s a one-bowl, hand mixed batter. Whisk Wet ingredients first, then mix the dry in.
Some of the strawberries go inside the cake – not too much, I was a little overenthusiastic about this at first but the strawberries made the batter so wet and weighed it down so much it took 1 hour 40 minutes to cook! Most go on top – they hold their form pretty well but burst with juice when you bite into them.
I’m so unoriginal that whenever I see strawberries and baked goods, I immediately think cream. So for me, a (big!) dollop of freshly whipped cream is mandatory for serving.
Though recently, I really showed my wild side when I served it warm with ice cream – and it was to die for. As with most cakes, the inside is a little “pudding like” when it’s still warm from the oven (hence why most cake recipes sternly instruct you to be patient and let the cake cool fully before serving).
But for this Strawberry Cake, that “pudding like” texture with the warm strawberries just seemed to enhance the eating experience. Especially with that (adventurous! risky!) scoop of ice cream I plonked on the side.
It’s terrific both ways – at room temp OR warm. You choose! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Strawberry Cake (really easy cake recipe)
Ingredients
Strawberries
- 500g / 1 lb strawberries , hulled (ie tops removed)
WET:
- 1 cup sugar , caster/superfine best but granulated ok too
- 1/2 cup oil , canola or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs , large (~50g/1.75 oz each)
- 1 tbsp grated lemon rind
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 large lemon)
- 1 cup plain yoghurt , unsweetened (Greek or just plain)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
DRY:
- 2 1/4 cups flour , plain/all purpose
- 4 tsp baking powder (or 1 1/4 tsp baking soda)
- Pinch of salt
SERVING:
- Whipped cream
- Extra strawberries
- Icing sugar/ powdered sugar , for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Grease and line a 23 cm / 9" cake pan with baking paper/parchment paper. (Any type of cake pan is fine)
Strawberries:
- For inside of cake: Dice some strawberries into ~1.5cm / 1" pieces to make 1 cup (about 1/3 of the strawberries)
- Topping: Cut the remaining strawberries in half.
Cake:
- Place Wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk well for 1 minute.
- Add Dry ingredients then whisk well until lump free.
- Pour half into cake pan, smooth surface. Scatter over diced strawberries.
- Top with remaining batter. Smooth surface, then top with halved strawberries, cut face down.
- Bake 50 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. (Note 1) If you need to cook longer, cover with foil if it starts getting too golden.
- Stand 15 minutes in the cake pan before turning out onto cooling rack.
- Cool 15 minutes+ before serving warm or at room temp. Dust with icing sugar, and serve with cream or if serving warm, ice cream!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published as this Upside Down Strawberry Cake in August 2017 which, due to lack of reader interest (ie virtually ZERO readers!) and some technicality issues, has been replaced with this sparkling new easy Strawberry Cake recipe!
More strawberry recipes
Life of Dozer
When the video camera kept focussing on his big golden head instead of the darn cake!!!
Brilliant recipe, thanks Nagi. Made it twice already but found that the middle takes much longer to cook than the edges and the strawberries I place in the centre tend to sink into the batter. Maybe I need more flour? According to my calculations 2.25 cups of flour equate to 270g. Is that right?
Hi Joseph! The strawberry sinking problem in the middle suggests your oven runs weak – have you got an oven thermometer so you can check? That’s the best way so you will know for sure, then you can adjust your temp slightly as needed for baking recipes.
Please don’t add more flour – it will make the batter too dense and your cake won’t rise properly and it will be dry. 🙂
Regarding your question about weights, with Aus cups, 1 cup = 150g so 2.25 cups = 335g. Americans will use their cups which is 126g, so 2.25 cups = 283g. So you actually need to be very careful with baking recipes from different countries. Luckily this recipe works no matter which cup because all ingredients ratio accordingly – having had my share of failed baking recipes from American websites, I always make my cakes etc with both US and Australian cups to check they come out the same (if not, I write out the measures twice 🙂 N x
That’s great information, thanks Nagi!
Lovely moist cake – I like the lemony taste but my kids found it a bit tart.
Hi Jackz, you can always reduce the lemon (or leave as is and have more cake for yourself 😂) N x
Can I make this the night before? If so should it be refrigerated overnight?
Hi Kathy, you sure can! I leave mine on the bench but you can also refrigerate if you prefer. N x
Would you dust with icing sugar just before serving?
Hi Nagi, I have a packet of frozen strawberries in my freezer. Can I use frozen instead of fresh strawberries?
Thanks
My 13 year old made this cake today. It really is easy. But we baked it at 180 and didn’t read the 160 fan forced either so it is very slightly brown around the edges where the syrup from the strawberries has leaked but so yum. I love it that it has no butter and can be whipped up using one bowl! I posted a picture on the Recipe Tin Facebook page.
Just cooked this for second time and it still looks burnt on top and I know why. Recipe says 180 fan forced up top but in recipe notes it says 160 fan forced 🙁
Hi Nagi. Love the website and have made many different types of recipes off it. My puppy loved the pup cakes. I have made this one and the blueberry lemon version and it always takes double the time to cook through. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’m using a convection oven and I live in Canada. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Love both versions.
Hi Felicity – the temp should be 180 fan – my notes state that if your oven runs cool (for example at the lower temp) it will take longer to cook. N x
Tried using olive oil, success. Cake was delicious.
HI Nagi…really want to give this a go this weekend and just realised no lemon 🙁 do you think it would work ok without?
thanks
Hi Nagi, any tips on peeling lemon rind?? Always find myself deterred from recipes that require lemon rind/zest because I find it so difficult to peel! Thank you!
Hi J, use a microplane to easily grate the zest – no peeling involved! N x
Thanks so much. I understand now. Thanks for clarifying. I think I’ll try pineapple next and chuck in some coconut.
Delicious cake, turned out perfectly. Love your recipes.
Can you use fresh raspberries instead?
Or passion fruit?
Have raspberries and blueberries in my garden and have used both. Making one with mango today.
Hi Felicity, I imagine raspberries will work but passionfruit has too much liquid – I’d need to test this. N x
Made this yesterday & it turned out perfectly. The cake was delicious and really soft. Thank you Nagi!
So easy and so deliciously moist! Made this cake for a weekday dessert and served it with vanilla ice cream. Everyone loved it and will be a keeper in my recipe folder.
Made this Sunday night and failed with 4 tablespoons of baking soda.
Straight in the bin… Monday night second try perfect 👌 family loved it !
Never give up !!
Made this for a friends birthday – she doesn’t like too sweet or frosting. It was easy, looked JUST like the photo and she loved it!!!! Thanks!!!! Another winner that I will make again!
I made this yesterday & poured into my heart-shaped pan. Wish we could include pics because it’s absolutely lovely! Not too sweet and reminds me of ‘strawberry shortcake’. I served with a big dollop of whipped cream & garnished with a big fresh strawberry. I also sliced some strawberries mixed with sugar & a little water while cake was baking for a strawberry topping or side with the whipped cream. Yummy!!! Everyone loved it!
Can I sure self raising flour instead of plain flour as I’ve run out of plain flour.
Hi Mona, you sure can, just leave out the baking powder. N x
Did I miss the size is the pan for the strawberry cake? Standard cake pan or spring form?
Hi Chris! Step 2 – 23cm/9″ , any type is fine 🙂 N x
I made this cake to take to a friends memorial today & everyone loved it.
I have made lots of your recipes & they never fail & are always super delicious.
Your a great inspiration for my cooking & baking.
Hi
I followed your recipe but my batter turned out really gluey compared to your video. Any ideas why.