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This Strawberry Sheet Cake is so fresh and full of delicious strawberry flavor. It has a moist strawberry cake that is topped with a smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting. The sheet cake has baked strawberries in the batter. Baking strawberries really enhances their flavor and therefore gives the cake lots of natural strawberry flavor and color. This cake taste of summer and is super easier to make.
This Strawberry Sheet Cake is such a delicious treat and the texture of the cake is so soft and fluffy. Strawberry season is one of my favourite seasons and this fluffy strawberry cake is full of delicious strawberry flavor and topped with a delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. This simple sheet cake is so full of strawberry flavor that you’ll be reaching for another slice.
This strawberry sheet cake is the perfect cake for spring and summer days, valentine's day, baby showers and other celebrations.
For more cake recipes, try Strawberry Crumble Cake, Chocolate Ganache Cake and Lemon Pistachio Cake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Strawberry cake: This strawberry cake is made with blended baked strawberries for a super soft and flavourful cake.
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting: The cake is topped with a super smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting that is full of freeze dried strawberry for the most amount of strawberry flavor.
- Perfect summer cake: This cake is perfect for strawberry season and the perfect summer cake.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries for the cake. They are baked to enhance their flavor. They are blended into a puree before added to the cake batter.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Cornstarch: Helps give a light and soft cake
- Sugar: The granulated sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Helps leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Butter: Let it come to room temperature before baking.
- Eggs: Let the eggs come to room temperature before baking.
- Cream cheese: The cream cheese is used in the frosting.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: To give the max amount of strawberry flavor and give it as natural red color freeze dried strawberry powder is added to the cream cheese frosting. Before adding the freeze dried strawberries in the frosting, blend some into powder. Then the non-blended is used for decoration.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CAKE
Here is how to make and bake this Strawberry Sheet Cake. This recipe needs stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. You will need a 22x33 cm (9 x 13 inch) sheet pan lined with parchment paper, as well as a blender.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 22x33 cm (9 x 13 inch) sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
STEP 1: Start with the baked strawberries. Cut the strawberries in quarters and on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, toss them with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Bake them for 30 minutes. Once baked, pour the baked strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.
STEP 2: Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, and granulated sugar and mix it together.
STEP 3: Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined. Continue by adding half the dry ingredients, on low speed, mixing until just combined.
STEP 4: Then add the strawberry puree, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour the cake into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - FROSTING
STEP 1: In your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 7 minutes on high speed. Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute.
STEP 2: Mix the sifted powdered sugar/freeze dried strawberry powder in 2 parts, letting it mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Place the cooled down cake on a serve dish and add the strawberry frosting on top and with an offset spatula, even it out. Optional, decorate with fresh or freeze dried strawberries.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
You can buy freeze dried strawberries in supermarkets or online.
Yes, make each element the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cake in cool area of the kitchen counter well wrapped in plastic wrap. Store the strawberry frosting at in the refrigerator covered by plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Let the frosting come to room temperature before using it. Give it a good whisk and then add it to the cake.
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
STORAGE
Store the frosted Strawberry Sheet Cake in the fridge in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap. When wanting to eat it, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 inch) sheet pan
Ingredients
BAKED STRAWBERRIES
- 450 g strawberries
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
STRAWBERRY CAKE
- 180 g butter room temperature
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 315 g all-purpose flour - cup
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 250 g baked strawberry purée
- 60 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 150 g butter
- 75 g full-fat cream cheese
- 260 g powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ tablespoon freeze dried strawberry powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
BAKED STRAWBERRIES
- Before starting, preheat the oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven.
- Cut the strawberries in quarters and on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, toss them with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Bake them for 30 minutes.450 g strawberries, 2 teaspoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Once baked, pour the baked strawberries and all of the juices into a blender and blend until smooth. Weighs out 250 g of strawberry purée and set it aside while preparing the cake batter.
STRAWBERRY CAKE
- Keep the oven at 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 22x33 cm (9 x 13 inch) sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside.315 g all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, and granulated sugar and mix it on high speed for 3 minutes.180 g butter, 300 g granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined.3 large eggs
- Continue by adding half the dry ingredients, on low speed, mixing until just combined.
- Then add the strawberry purée, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined.250 g baked strawberry purée, 60 g vegetable oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a gentle fold to make sure all of the ingredients have combined.
- Pour the cake into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cakes cool down completely.
STRAWBERRY FROSTING
- Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10 minutes before starting. Cut the butter into cubes. If not a powder, blend the freeze dried strawberries until a powder. Sift the powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberry powder and set it aside.150 g butter, 75 g full-fat cream cheese, 260 g powdered sugar sifted, 1 ½ tablespoon freeze dried strawberry powder
- In your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 5 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute.½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, mix the sifted powdered/freeze dried strawberry powder sugar in 2 parts, letting it mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 minutes.
- Place the cooled down cake on a serve dish and add the strawberry frosting on top and with an offset spatula, even it out. Optional, decorate with fresh or freeze dried strawberries.
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