Strawberry Layer Cake is the recipe that Maria bakes when she wants to put something on the table that makes every person in the room stop and genuinely appreciate what they are looking at before they have taken a single bite. The combination of strawberry gelatin for bold and vibrant color with real strawberry puree for genuine fresh flavor produces a cake that tastes exactly like the most perfect strawberry while looking the most beautiful deep pink imaginable. Cream butter, sugar, and the gelatin together and the entire batter smells like summer and strawberries before anything has even gone into the oven.
Strawberry Layer Cake is the bakery-style celebration cake that delivers the most vibrant and beautiful strawberry flavor and color through the clever combination of both strawberry gelatin and real strawberry puree working together in the batter. A soft and tender cake flour layer cake with a cream cheese strawberry frosting that is simultaneously tangy, creamy, and deeply strawberry-flavored. Impressive enough for birthdays and special occasions and approachable enough for a wonderful weekend baking project. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful summer cake recipes and stunning celebration bakes from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
This Strawberry Layer Cake recipe is the celebration cake that achieves the most striking and beautiful strawberry visual and flavor by using two different strawberry flavor sources working together rather than relying on either one alone. The strawberry gelatin provides the bold and vivid pink color and the concentrated and unmistakable classic strawberry cake flavor that is so deeply familiar and universally loved. The fresh strawberry puree adds a dimension of genuine and fresh fruit flavor that the gelatin alone cannot provide, keeping the finished cake from tasting artificial or one-dimensional.
Cake flour is the structural ingredient choice that makes this layer cake so distinctively soft and tender. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour which means less gluten development during mixing and a crumb that is noticeably more delicate, finer, and more tender than an all-purpose flour cake of the same recipe. This delicacy is exactly what makes a layer cake feel genuinely bakery-quality rather than home-baked in the most complimentary possible way. Our Italian Lemon Cream Cake makes a beautifully elegant and citrus-forward companion celebration cake for a complete and stunning spring celebration dessert table.
Ingredients Needed for This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
For the Cake:
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 3 oz Strawberry Gelatin
- 4 large Eggs, room temperature
- 2¾ cups Cake Flour, measured then sifted
- 2½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Fresh Strawberry Puree (blend fresh or thawed frozen strawberries)
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Fresh Strawberry Puree
- 1 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 2 to 3 cups Powdered Sugar
How to Make This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the granulated sugar, room-temperature butter, and strawberry gelatin. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. The gelatin distributes into the butter during creaming and the color transformation during this stage is one of the most visually exciting moments in the entire recipe.
Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sifted cake flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing on low after each addition until just incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract and fresh strawberry puree, mixing until the batter is well combined and uniformly pink, cara mia.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire racks for 15 minutes in the pans, then tap out onto the racks to cool completely before frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting, beat the room-temperature cream cheese and room-temperature butter together in a large bowl until completely smooth with no lumps. Add the vanilla extract, strawberry puree, and heavy cream and mix until combined. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add additional powdered sugar a little at a time until the frosting is thick enough to be spreadable and holds its shape when spread but is not stiff.
Apply a crumb coat of frosting over the assembled layers and refrigerate for 30 minutes until the crumb coat is set. Apply the final frosting coat and decorate as desired.
How to Serve This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Serve this cake at room temperature or slightly chilled for the most tender crumb and the most vibrant frosting color. Set on a beautiful cake stand for the most impressive presentation. The vibrant pink of this cake looks genuinely stunning against any white serving ware.
For birthdays and summer celebrations, pipe swirls of additional frosting around the top border of the cake and decorate with fresh strawberry halves pressed into the frosting for the most beautiful and completely professional bakery-style presentation. Our Raspberry White Chocolate Brownies make a beautifully berry-forward and equally festive companion treat for a complete and stunning summer celebration spread.
How to Store This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving for the most tender cake texture and the most creamy frosting consistency. Individual slices store well in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The unfrosted cake layers can be stored tightly wrapped at room temperature for 1 day or frozen for up to 2 months. Make and refrigerate the frosting up to 1 week in advance and bring to room temperature before applying.
Tips to Make This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Use room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs throughout this recipe. Room-temperature butter creams with the sugar into a significantly more airy and light base than cold butter does. Room-temperature cream cheese incorporates with the butter into a completely lump-free and silky frosting rather than leaving small cold cream cheese pieces that resist smoothing. And room-temperature eggs incorporate into the creamed butter more smoothly and without causing the emulsion to break.
Apply a crumb coat before the final frosting layer without exception. The crumb coat is the thin first layer of frosting that traps all the loose crumbs from the surface of the cake layers and seals them away from the final coat. Without the crumb coat, pink cake crumbs will appear throughout the final frosting and the finished presentation will look messy and uneven regardless of how carefully the final layer is applied.
Helpful Notes for This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Measure the cake flour by first spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off, then sifting it. The recipe specifically states to measure and then sift which means the sifting happens after measuring rather than before. This produces the most accurate and consistent measurement and the finest and most evenly distributed flour in the finished batter.
The powdered sugar quantity in the frosting is given as a range of 2 to 3 cups because cream cheese and butter vary in water content between brands and the required quantity of sugar to achieve a properly thick and spreadable consistency will vary accordingly. Start with 2 cups, assess the consistency, and add more sugar incrementally until the frosting holds its shape when spread without being so thick it tears the cake surface.
Variation of This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Maria made a version adding a layer of fresh sliced strawberries between the cake layers alongside the frosting for a fresh fruit filling that made every slice taste more vibrant and completely summery. Teresa tried replacing one quarter of the powdered sugar in the frosting with freeze-dried strawberry powder for a frosting that was even more intensely and purely strawberry-flavored than the fresh puree version.
For a three-layer version, prepare one and a half times the batter recipe and bake in three 8-inch pans for 22 to 25 minutes for an even more impressive and dramatic presentation. Our Orange Velvet Cake makes a beautifully vibrant and equally celebration-worthy companion layer cake for a complete and stunning summer dessert celebration.
FAQs About This Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Can I use frozen strawberries for the puree?
Yes. Frozen strawberries pureed and used in both the cake batter and frosting work beautifully in this recipe and are often even more flavorful than supermarket fresh strawberries as they are frozen at peak ripeness. Thaw completely before blending and drain any excess liquid before measuring the puree to prevent the batter or frosting from becoming too loose.
Do I have to use cake flour or can I use all-purpose flour?
Cake flour is strongly recommended for the most delicate and tender crumb that makes this layer cake feel genuinely bakery-quality. All-purpose flour can be substituted but will produce a slightly denser and less delicate finished cake. If only all-purpose flour is available, make a close substitute by removing 2 tablespoons per cup of flour and replacing with cornstarch, producing a lower-protein flour blend that behaves more similarly to cake flour.
Can I make this recipe as cupcakes?
Yes. Divide the batter among 24 lined cupcake tins filling each two thirds full and bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes. The same frosting recipe makes enough for all 24 cupcakes piped generously. The strawberry gelatin in the batter produces the most beautiful pink cupcakes that are completely irresistible.
Conclusion
This Strawberry Layer Cake is the celebration bake that makes every birthday, every summer gathering, and every weekend that deserves something special feel completely and genuinely remarkable. Vibrant, beautiful, deeply strawberry-flavored, and worthy of any bakery display case in the most completely satisfying and homemade way. We hope it brings the same awe and the same reaching plates to your table that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
Print
Strawberry Layer Cake The Most Bakery Style and Stunning Cake You Will Ever Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes including chilling
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most stunning Strawberry Layer Cake made with a soft cake flour batter flavored with strawberry gelatin and real strawberry puree for the most vibrant color and bold authentic strawberry flavor frosted with a creamy tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting. A completely beautiful bakery-style summer celebration cake.
Ingredients
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
3 oz Strawberry Gelatin
4 large Eggs room temperature
2 3/4 cups Cake Flour measured then sifted
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Whole Milk
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Fresh Strawberry Puree
12 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature for frosting
2 tsp Vanilla Extract for frosting
1/4 cup Fresh Strawberry Puree for frosting
1 tbsp Heavy Cream
2 to 3 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Beat sugar, butter, and strawberry gelatin on medium-high 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy and pale pink.
3. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each.
4. Whisk sifted cake flour and baking powder. Add alternately with milk in 3 additions on low speed.
5. Stir in vanilla and strawberry puree until well combined and uniformly pink.
6. Divide between pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick clean.
7. Cool in pans 15 minutes then on racks completely.
8. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla, strawberry puree, and cream.
9. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat. Add more incrementally until spreadable consistency.
10. Apply crumb coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes until set.
11. Apply final frosting coat. Decorate as desired.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 695
- Sugar: 62g
- Sodium: 431mg
- Fat: 37g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 157mg
Keywords: strawberry layer cake, bakery style strawberry cake, strawberry gelatin cake recipe, strawberry cream cheese frosting cake
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