Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Are you looking for a fresh and delicious strawberry cake recipe? 

Every baker needs a strawberry cake in their back pocket. 

Is there anything more delicious than a strawberry cake? This recipe is easy to follow and perfect for any occasion. The strawberry buttercream is the perfect frosting for this light and fluffy cake. Your friends and family will love it!

I’ve been making this strawberry cake for years. The best memory was making this strawberry cake at my Beverly Hills pastry chef job. I made this for all my coworkers as a fun thank you gift for welcoming me to the kitchen. 

This Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream is made with fresh summer strawberries, strawberry preserves, and has a hint of lemon for brightness. 

This is the ultimate strawberry cake that looks and tastes just like strawberries. The most frustrating thing about most strawberry desserts is when it doesn’t taste like strawberry. This cake recipe changes the strawberry cake game. 

You’ll learn exactly how to make this made from scratch strawberry cake with fresh strawberry buttercream! 

Tips for success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three to four 6-inch round cake layers or two to three 8-inch round cake layers. Make sure to fill each cake pan ⅔ of the way for best results. 
• You need 1/2 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use ½ cup whole milk mixed with 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. 
• Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping; if needed, add 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream to make buttercream smooth. 
• Serve at room temperature and use a hot knife to get clean cake slices!

What Tools You May Need:

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3-4, 6-inch cake pans or 2-3, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (optional, I use reusable silicone bags)
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons 
• Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this made from scratch strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream! 

Let’s Get Baking! 

How to Make Strawberry Cake 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse fresh or frozen strawberries for 1 minute until cut into small pieces, then add strawberry jam and buttermilk, pulse until combined. Set aside. 
3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
4. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
6. Turn the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and add buttermilk. Add in the remaining flour mixture and until fully incorporated. 
7. Pour in the strawberry mixture, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and add a few drops of super red gel food coloring. Mix until combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
8. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three to four cake pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
9. Remove cakes from the oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes or 1 hour (or overnight). 

Strawberry Gel 

1. In a small saucepot, add the chopped strawberries. Place pot over medium heat for 5-10 minutes to boil and break down the berries occasionally stir to prevent burning on the bottom. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is lump-free. Add the mixture to the boiling strawberries, stirring constantly. 
3. Add lemon zest to the strawberry mixture that’s opaque and thick. Once thick, remove from the heat and place into the freezer to cool quickly. 

Creamy Strawberry Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the cold strawberry gel, salt, and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
4. Before decorating, turn the mixer on low, mix the buttercream for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles, or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one strawberry cake, cut side up onto the cake board. Add 2/3 cup of strawberry buttercream over the cake using an offset spatula to spread buttercream and make it even. 
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. 
4. Repeat the process for another two layers — Crumb coat with strawberry buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
5. Add a thicker layer of strawberry buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible.
6. While turning the cake, use an offset spatula press and move your offset spatula from the bottom to the top holding the offset spatula perpendicular to the cake. 
7. Finally, cut the 4-5 fresh strawberries in half and place them on top of the cake. 
8. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake (recipe)
• Strawberry Margarita Cake (recipe)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (masterclass)  

If you’re looking for a cake that is light and fluffy, this recipe is perfect. The strawberry buttercream frosting is the ideal complement to this delectable dessert. This dish will be sure to please your friends and family at any occasion with its simple but delicious flavor combination. So what are you waiting for? Get baking! 

I’m so excited to see your Strawberry Cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help!

Happy Decorating! 

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my signature masterclass. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials on a deeper level so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it to get the results you want most impressive cakes that your friends and family will love. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. So check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/cake-masterclass. I will see you there! 

Watch The How-to Video Below:

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