Easy Strawberry Cake

This easy strawberry cake is made in one bowl and results in a delightfully butter cake packed with jammy strawberries on top.

Jump to Recipe

Summertime means MOUNTAINS of strawberries for me. Sure, I eat them straight out of the container, but I also am constantly making strawberry desserts with them, as I almost always have too many to eat. That means making my sparkling strawberry lemonade, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry oatmeal bars, strawberry coffee cake with pistachio crumb topping, and strawberry lemon shortcake. But even with all those baked goods, I realized I’ve never shared my go-to easy strawberry cake recipe. It’s one of those super simple desserts that takes ten minutes to prepare, and everyone just loves!

How do you make this cake?

This easy strawberry cake is a one bowl cake that comes together fast. The most time-consuming part is cutting and prepping the strawberries!

First remove the green part of the strawberries then cut each berry in half. Sprinkle the berries with a little balsamic vinegar and set aside.

Then place sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, vanilla and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until fluffy. Add milk and an egg and combine. Add flour, mix until absorbed, then scrape batter into an oiled 9-inch springform pan. 

Top the batter with the strawberries, then sprinkle the top with some sugar. Bake, let cool in the pan, then remove from the springform and serve!

Can you use a different pan than a springform?

If you don’t have a springform pan you can totally bake this in regular 9-inch pan. Just make sure to spray the pan with cooking oil and line the bottom with a parchment paper round. This will keep the cake from sticking. Carefully invert the cake onto a large cutting board, remove the parchment paper, then invert it back onto a serving plate or cake stand right side up. 

You can also bake this in a ceramic or glass deep dish pie pan. Serve it right out of the pan! Because of the nature of the pan, keep an eye on the baking, and make sure not to overbake it. Ceramic and glass pie pans continue to keep heat, so the cake will continue to bake for a little bit after removing it from the oven. You want to remove it right when it’s done so it doesn’t overbake.

Can I substitute balsamic vinegar?

I use a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar in the strawberries to give it a little acidity. The earthy sweetness in the balsamic adds a dimension and depth to the bright strawberry flavor and makes them taste richer, sweeter, and more juicy.

If you don’t have balsamic vinegar or don’t like balsamic, try substituting 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in its place. The lemon juice will taste lighter and brighter than the balsamic, but it will still be delicious.

How do you store it?

I rarely have leftovers with this cake, but when I do, I store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or up to five days in the refrigerator. If I’m storing it in the fridge, I bring the cake to room temperature before serving.

If you like this easy strawberry cake, check out these other coffee cakes that feature fruit in them:

• Strawberry and Grape Coffee Cake
• Cherry Buckle with Cocoa Crumb Topping
• Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle
• Earl Grey Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Swedish Blueberry Coffee Cake, aka Tosca Cake
• Apricot and Blueberry Cake
• Peach and Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Peach, Basil and Olive Oil Coffee Cake
• Sugar Roasted Peach and Blueberry Bacon Infused Buckle

Print Pin

4.43 from 7 votes

Easy Strawberry Cake

This easy-to-make strawberry cake can be made in one bowl. It uses fresh strawberries tossed in a balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar gives a deep rich sweetness to the strawberries and the acidity makes the juicier with each bite. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, swap out an equal amount of lemon juice to give it a bright vibrant berry flavor. Note that the cake also has you sprinkling sugar over the top of it before baking. Don’t skip this! The sugar combines with the juicy strawberries to form a jammy fruit in the cake with a crunchy sweet topping. It’s one of the best parts of the cake!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, easy, strawberry

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 306kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup white sugar 200 g
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 85 or 3/4 stick
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional but recommended
• 1/2 cup whole milk or whatever milk you have
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 210 g

For topping

• 2 tablespoon white sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking oil, then line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper round.
  
• Prepare the strawberries by removing the greens and discarding them. Cut each strawberry in half. Place strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle the balsamic vinegar over it. Toss to coat and set aside.
  
• Place the sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the ingredients together on low speed until the butter starts to incorporate into the sugar and increase the speed to medium. Mix until the sugar butter starts to cling to the side of the bowl and looks light and creamy.
  
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the milk and eggs. Beat to incorporate. Don’t worry if the batter looks broken.
  
• Add the flour and slowly mix it in. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway the mixing. The batter should come together now.
  
• Place the greased and lined pan on a rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly in the bottom of the pan.
  
• Place the strawberries, cut side down, on the cake batter. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar on top. Then place the cake in the oven.
  
• Bake the cake for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 325°F and continue to bake it for 55 to 65 minutes or the sides of the cake are golden brown and pull slightly away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  Let the cake cool in the pan, then run a thin knife or flexible plastic dough scraper around the side of the pan. Release the cake and serve.
  

Notes

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.7g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 10.2g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 31.9g | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg