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!!!
Strawberry season is done for us in upstate New York, and all my excess strawberries are in the freezer but I’m pinning this one for next spring and I can’t wait to try it!!! Always looking for ways to use more strawberries!
You’ll love it Rebecca! N x
I made this yummy cake tonight and it was soooo easy
I would highly recommend eating with ice cream when warm (I couldn’t wait for it to cool)
THIS CAKE IS JUST WOW! So simple and easy to make yet so good! I love the hint of lemon in this cake so much. 💛
I only have a 7-inch springform pan so I halved the recipe. Had no sour cream or yogurt so I had to search for a substitute. And, still it was delicious. Would definitely make this again!
I love this idea Mardi! N x
I cooked this tonight and it is soooo easy with a beautiful texture. I highly recommend with ice cream
Thanks so much Mardi! N x
Really looking forward to trying this over the weekend. Loads of strawberries in the garden. Do you think it would work as a cupcake/muffin recipe.?
I haven’t tried to be honest! N x
This cake looks so fav and inviting. Wants me make me it right now! And oh the look of Dozer! Would the recipe work fine with whole wheat flour ?
I’m sure it would Siri! N x
I am sooo glad to hear Dozer is fit and fancy free Nagi, he truly is such a gorgeous boy aww
Thanks so much Carolyn ❤️
Love the look of this strawberry cake , so fresh. Just gave it to my husband. That will be my birthday cake. Lovely. Thanks for the inspiration. Love hearing Dozers news each week too.
You’re so welcome Jenny! N x
I love the way you organize your recipes. Direct and in order that is the most efficient. I can’t wait to make this cake.
Thanks so much Joyce!! N x
Hi Nagi. There is no ‘heart’ with this cake recipe to save to my favourites. Is there another way to save to favourites as I’m definitely going to cook this cake.
I have to tell you what Dozer told me: “That’s the last straw; she’s teased me for the last time!” He grabs the beautiful Strawberry Cake and runs off to the beach with it. “She won’t mind; it’s so easy to make. She said so.” Sorry, my oven has broken down and now I’m redoing the whole kitchen. Have to wait 14 weeks to get it done.
Would this work for raspberries, I’m not a fan of strawberries.?
Thanks
.
Hi Nagi.
Do you think I can replace vegetable oil with olive oil?
I have done it with few other cakes,it worked same.
Hi Miroslav, olive oil has quite a strong flavour and would overpower it here sorry! N x
Thanks Nagi
I’ll have go anyway. Will let you know how it turned out taste-wise.
Tried it in Italian Berry olive oil cake and was delicious. But hey, I am olive oil addict so worked with my taste buds.
Hi Miroslav, I would say it depends on the olive oil – I bake using olive oil from family in Crete – and as is is not a peppery salad oil it is used in cakes, pastry and normal cooking.
Hi Mairi
Thank you. I use mild olive oil from Grampians in my baking
And grassy, peppery one for salads, cooking….
I was a cake decorating instructor so made cakes and cupcakes each week. I used olive oil or avocado oil all the time. They make a better crumb; no taste difference, maybe even better! Everyone lived my cakes! I’m going to make this strawberry cake today after buying more strawberries. I ate too many last night!
Thank you Terry
Same here, I always use mild olive oil in cakes and sometimes in strudels instead of butter.
Hi Nagi, I’m SO glad to see Dozer is a healthy puppy even as he approaches his golden years. Seeing that photo brought tears to my eyes because I lost my 16 year old kittyson last week, I wish I had taken as many photo’s of him as you have of Dozer Dawg. It’s amazing how attached, and truly bonded we become to our fur babies.
Give Dozer a hug, spoil him rotten…and share the cake! 😀
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that Leah – they truly are family aren’t they?! N x
PS…your crumpet recipe is the Bomb! The first two weren’t too brilliant, but once I got the heat/time adjustment right…O.M.G! They’re deadly with fresh peach preserves!
Hi Nagi I absolutely love your recipes and Dozer. I cook your recipes all the time and your website is brilliant. The best I have ever been on. So easy to manoeuvre around. I do have one request though and I am sure you get asked this but are you able to put some vegan recipes up or some conversions for yours. I am not vegan but I do have family members that I are and I respect their values. I know you are very clever with your recipes and I am not saying necessarily adapt your meat recipes, however more like the strawberry cake, referring to eggs and yoghurt. Thanks once again and please continue with your amazing recipes and your photos of your gorgeous dog xx Ilda
Do you think it would work with frozen strawberries? Maybe keep them frozen till they get put in the batter?
Thanks.
Hi Linda, I feel like they may be too watery, but I haven’t tried. If you were to use them, make sure they have been thawed as adding frozen berries to the cake will affect the cook time. N x
Thanks, Nagi. If I do try it with the frozen ones, I’ll be sure to thaw and drain them first.
Hi Nagi. This looks so good. I’m generally not a fan of cooked fruit but strawberries I don’t mind 🙂 would this work as cupcakes? My cake tin is too big so I think it would come out as more of a biscuit than a cake
This was sooooooo easy to make, could not believe how easy it was and darn the inside was so rich and creamy with strawberries on top, Thank for a wonderful cake to eat as I love cakes, this is my weekend delight!
That’s so great to hear! N x
Nagi just a quick note think you left out vanilla in your wet ingredients i love all your recipes and you make my dinners so much easier i’m always trying your baking recipes thank you