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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Vanilla Strawberry Cake

    Published: May 8, 2023 by brooke · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    63 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Vanilla strawberry cake is a single layer vanilla cake topped with a light and creamy cream cheese & whipping cream frosting, and fresh sweet strawberries.

    the whole vanilla strawberry cake with 3 pieces on the side cut and one piece sitting on it's side.

    This vanilla strawberry cake is so light and fresh, perfect for spring and summer time. The vanilla cake is perfectly moist and tender, and the creamy frosting is my absolute favorite part. It's a great cake to serve for Mother's Day, summer BBQ's, or any other celebration.

    If you love fresh fruit desserts you should also try my blackberry apple crumble, almond raspberry cake, or my white chocolate raspberry blondies.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Expert Baking Tips
    • FAQ
    • Storing
    • Other Popular Strawberry Recipes
    • Vanilla Strawberry Cake

    Why You Will Love This

    • Fresh Strawberries: When the season is right, fresh strawberries bring so much flavor to the simplest of desserts.
    • Easy to Make: This is a simple single layer cake that doesn't take much effort to make or frost. You can bake it in a round, square or even rectangle pan depending non what you have.
    • Cream Cheese Whipping Cream: This light and tangy frosting is the perfect balance with the fresh berries and vanilla cake.

    Ingredient Notes

    Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

    • Cake Flour: I always prefer cake flour for cakes because it helps the cake have a lighter crumb, but all-purpose will work if you prefer.
    • Butter & Oil: This cake uses both so you have the wonderful taste of butter, but the extra moisture from the oil.
    • Vanilla Bean Paste: I don't always use this, but I love it where the star flavor is vanilla.
    • Sour Cream: I always opt for full fat to bring more moisture to my cakes.
    • Heavy Cream: This is the only ingredient that you will not want to be room temperature, or it will not whip up properly.
    • Strawberries: I always used fresh, but thawed frozen strawberries would work as well. Just drain and blot any extra moisture.
    a side view of the vanilla strawberry cake to see all the layers.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Start by making the cake.

    Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325 F, and spray and line an 8 or 9 inch round or square baking pan with parchment paper.

    Step 2: In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

    Step 3: In a medium bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add oil and eggs and beat again for another 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla and sour cream.

    wet ingredients
    mixing in the flour
    batter complete.

    Step 4: Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, in three parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

    Step 5: Pour the batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for about 28-33 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set aside to allow to cool.

    cake before baking.
    cake after baking.

    Next, make the frosting.

    Step 1: In a small bowl, blend ½ cup powdered sugar with 4 oz of cream cheese until completely smooth.

    Step 2: In a medium size bowl, whip heavy cream, vanilla and ½ cup powdered sugar together on high until stiff peaks form.

    cream cheese mixture.
    whipping cream mixture.
    frosting combined.

    Step 3: Fold the two mixtures together until well blended.

    Step 4: Cut strawberries and mix with a little sugar if needed to sweeten more. Frost cake with whipping cream frosting. Place strawberries on top before serving.

    diced fresh strawberries.
    vanilla strawberry cake complete.

    Expert Baking Tips

    This cake can also be made in a 9x13 pan for a thinner cake. If doing that I would bake it for 22-26 minutes. OR, double the recipe (including frosting) and bake in a jelly roll/cookie sheet to serve a crowd.

    Cakes will have the best results if made with room temperature ingredients. I like to pull my eggs, milk, cream cheese and butter out of the fridge an hour or two before I start baking. 

    This cake is good topped with blueberries, blackberries, peaches or anything really! My best advice would be to not top the cake with the frosting and fruit until ready to serve.

    FAQ

    Can this cake be made ahead of time?

    Yes, you can make the cake ahead of time and store in the freezer til the day of. Just allow it to cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Pull it out a few hours before you need it and let it come to room temperature. I would not make the frosting ahead of time since it's done with whipping cream.

    Can I use frozen strawberries?

    I would suggest fresh because of the moisture. But if using frozen, just allow to thaw completely and wipe off any excess moisture before topping the cake.

    Can I use greek yogurt to replace sour cream?

    Yes, I would just suggest one that's full fat for the extra moisture.

    the whole vanilla strawberry cake on a cookie sheet.

    Storing

    This vanilla strawberry cake should be stored in the fridge once assembled. The whipping cream frosting will start to loose it's "whip" after about two days, it's best to eat fresh.

    I would not suggest freezing this cake once assembled.

    a close up of one piece of cake on its side to see the cake itself.

    Other Popular Strawberry Recipes

    Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

    Easy Strawberry Turnovers

    Strawberry Lemon Muffins

    For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do. 

    And please make sure to leave a star review below!

    the whole vanilla strawberry cake with 3 pieces on the side cut and one piece sitting on it's side.

    Vanilla Strawberry Cake

    brooke
    Vanilla strawberry cake is a single layer vanilla cake topped with a light cream cheese & whipping cream frosting and fresh sweet strawberries.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9
    Calories 448 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the Vanilla Cake:

    • 1¼ cups cake flour all-purpose will work also
    • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup butter room temperature
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoon neutral oil
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
    • ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
    • ½ cup milk room temperature

    For the Whip Cream Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

    Fruit Topping:

    • 1½ cups strawberries
    • a little sugar if needed to sweetend berries

    Instructions
     

    To make the cake:

    • Preheat the oven to 325 F, and spray and line an 8 or 9 inch round or square baking pan with parchment paper.
    • In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add oil and eggs and beat again for another 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla and sour cream.
    • Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, in three parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
    • Pour the batter into prepared baking pan.
    • Bake for about 28-33 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set aside to allow to cool.

    To make the Whipping Cream Frosting:

    • In a small bowl, blend ½ cup powdered sugar with 4 oz of cream cheese until completely smooth.
    • In a medium size bowl, whip heavy cream, vanilla and ½ cup powdered sugar together on high until stiff peaks form.
    • Fold the two mixtures together until well blended.

    Fruit Topping:

    • Cut strawberries and mix with a little sugar if needed to sweeten more.

    Cake Assembly:

    • Frost cake with whipping cream frosting. Place strawberries on top before serving.

    Notes

    Cakes will have the best results if made with room temperature ingredients. I like to pull my eggs, milk, cream cheese and butter out of the fridge an hour or two before I start baking. 
    This cake can also be made in a 9x13 pan for a thinner cake. If doing that I would bake it for 22-26 minutes. OR, double the recipe and bake on a cookie sheet to serve a crowd.
    Avoid adding the strawberries until right before serving.
    I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 448kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 6gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 372mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 854IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 109mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword cream cheese frosting, strawberry, vanilla cake, vanilla strawberry cake, whip cream
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jamie M.

      May 14, 2023 at 9:24 pm

      Made this for Mother's Day and it was a huge success. My hubby who is not a big dessert guy said it was his favorite cake I've ever made. Will definitely be on repeat in our house.

      Reply
      • brooke

        May 14, 2023 at 9:47 pm

        I love that!! Thank you so much Jamie!💕

        Reply
    2. Meredith

      June 04, 2023 at 6:55 am

      5 stars
      Made this cake yesterday, it was absolutely DIVINE. The perfect size too. We'll definitely be enjoying this recipe again (hopefully soon!!)

      Reply
      • brooke

        June 04, 2023 at 9:27 am

        Thank you SO much Meredith!!!❤️

        Reply

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