Easy Strawberry Cake (One Bowl)

This easy strawberry cake is soft, flavorful and packed with juicy strawberries inside and on top. Made in just one bowl with only a few simple ingredients, this simple is ready in less than one hour, making it a perfect last-minute dessert.

My easy strawberry cake

I love making simple cakes with fresh fruit and seasonal produce. When strawberries are in season, this cake is one of my favorites to make. Growing up, when we had a lot of strawberries in our garden, my favorite and easiest dessert to make as a kid was strawberries mixed with sour cream and sugar. I know, it does not sound fancy. But if you think that the strawberries where picked from my own garden and the sour cream was made by my grandma with the milk from her cow, now it changes everything. Ha-ha. But seriously, it is very tasty and you should try it one day and see it yourself. But first, let's make this cake.

So the nostalgic combination inspired me to create this strawberry cake with similar taste. Kefir cream is added to the cake batter to make it soft, slightly tangy and perfectly balancing the sweet cake and juicy strawberries. This cake comes together in one bowl, is baked in one pan, and can be mixed with electric mixer or even a whisk.

Looking for more simple cakes with fresh fruit? Try my apple sponge cake, strawberry ricotta loaf, apricot cake, or pear chocolate cake next.

Nataliia

Ingredients

• Strawberries: you will need a 16 oz pack of fresh strawberries. I recommend using fresh strawberries for this cake.
• Eggs: you can use room temperature or cold eggs.
• Sugar: I used granulated sugar for the cake and powdered sugar for dusting the cake after baking.
• Milk and kefir: this combo creates the softest cake crumb.
• Oil: I used vegetables oil. You can also use light olive oil for cooking and baking.
• Salt: just fine sea salt or any other salt on hand to balance the taste.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warm flavor. You can also use almond extract here.

You can find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

How to make this easy strawberry cake

Before you preheat the oven to 350F, grab one large bowl, a 9 inch cake pan lined with parchment paper or greased with oil, electric mixer or a silicone spatula.

• Remove the green stems from strawberries and rinse them well under cold water. Let them air dry or pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Note: If you are using froze strawberries, see the paragraph below for the tips.

• Beat the eggs and sugar for about 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Next, add kefir, milk, oil and vanilla extract.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in carefully with silicone spatula until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix it.
• Pour in half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the batter with spatula. Sprinkle a layer of diced strawberries. This is going to be the filling.
• Spread the remaining batter over the strawberries. Place the remaining half strawberries on top, facing the cu side down.
• Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the tooth pick comes out clean or the internal temperature reaches 190-200

Can I use frozen strawberries for making this cake?

Yes, you can use frozen strawberries. I am with you, if you do no grow your own strawberries, you eat them fresh when you buy a good sweet batch. I have made this cake with frozen strawberries many times, and and while it may not look quite as pretty, it still tastes amazing. You can fix with a little extra powdered sugar on top.

To use those frozen strawberries, you will need to roast them first to get rid of excess moisture and concentrate thee flavor. This step prevents a soggy cake and gives a distinct strawberry taste, even stronger than fresh ones.

Here is how I do it:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
• Spread frozen strawberries in a single layer on a prepared pan (do not thaw them). Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Roast them for 20-30 minutes, stirring them once, until they are soft and most of the liquid evaporated.
• Let them cool. Chop half or them to use int he filling and leave whole strawberries to top the cake.
• If there is a lot of syrup, you can add 1-2 tablespoon of that syrup to the cake batter for the color and flavor (no need to adjust other ingredients with this small amount). If you add more than 2 tablespoons, you may need to add little bit more flour too adjust.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes, this cake freezes well. Let it cool completely at room temperature, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it 1-2 days ahead. Because this cake is made with fresh fruit, it tastes best when enjoyed within 1-2 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 2 month.

Can I make this cake gluten-free?

Yes, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make this a gluten free strawberry cake. Results may vary slightly depending on the brand, but most cup-for-cup brands work well.

Can I use cake flour to make it ?

Yes, you can use cake flour to make this cake. If measuring but cup, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. So for this particular recipe you will need 1 ¾ cups + 3 ½ tablespoons cake flour in place of all-purpose flour. If you use the scale, it will be the 210 grams cake flour, substitute it 1:1 by weight. The cake flour absorbs liquid differently, so add the flour in batches until you have thick but still pourable batter.