Strawberry buttercream cake made with soft pink layers flavored with real strawberries and covered in a creamy strawberry buttercream frosting
This strawberry buttercream cake is adapted from my go-to white cake recipe, tested many times and flavored with a homemade strawberry purée for a clean, natural strawberry taste.
I developed this recipe to get soft, moist layers with real strawberry flavor, without using extracts or boxed mixes, and a buttercream that stays smooth and easy to frost.
Why you’ll love it
- Real strawberry taste made with fresh or frozen strawberries, reduced for a deeper flavor.
- Soft and fluffy layers that stay moist and stack beautifully.
- Simple but impressive a strawberry buttercream cake that looks special without being complicated.
Ingredients you need
- Unsalted butter: Softened, full-fat.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar for the cake, powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Egg whites: At room temperature.
- Cake flour: For a soft, tender crumb.
- Baking powder & baking soda: For proper rise and structure.
- Buttermilk: milk or yogurt works too.
- Vanilla & salt: Pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to balance flavors.
- Strawberry purée: Homemade from fresh or frozen strawberries, reduced and strained for real flavor.
- Food coloring (optional): A drop of pink gel for a brighter color.
- Heavy cream: Full-fat cream to keep the strawberry buttercream smooth and creamy.
Tips before you start
- Cool layers completely before frosting to avoid melting.
- Use reduced, strained strawberry purée for strong flavor and stable textures.
- Chill then rewhip buttercream if it gets too soft.
- Bring to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving.
How to make strawberry buttercream cake
This cake is based on my classic white cake recipe, simply flavored with homemade strawberry purée.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the vanilla and egg whites one at a time, then beat about 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
The strawberry flavor comes from my homemade strawberry purée, made with real strawberries.
Alternate the sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing gently until just combined.
Fold in the strawberry purée until the batter is evenly pink.
Divide the batter between two lined 8-inch (20 cm) pans.
Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 25–30 minutes, then cool completely and unmold.
The frosting is my strawberry buttercream recipe, creamy, smooth, and not too sweet.
Whip the butter 5 minutes until pale, then add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Incorporate the strawberry purée and cream, then beat 3–5 minutes until creamy and pink.
Assemble the cake by frosting the first layer, stacking the second, and covering the cake with buttercream.
Chill until set, then bring to room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Storage
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Bring it to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens.
- Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate strawberry cake: use a chocolate sponge instead of vanilla.
- Strawberry filling: add a thin layer of strawberry compote or jam between the layers.
- Lemon strawberry cake: add lemon zest to the batter or a lemon curd filling.
- Vanilla buttercream: skip the strawberry purée for a classic vanilla frosting.
- Cupcakes: bake the batter in liners for about 18–20 minutes.
Recipe Questions
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes. Thaw them first, then drain excess liquid before blending.
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes. Bake the layers a day ahead and store them well wrapped in the fridge.
How do I get a stronger strawberry flavor?
Use a reduced strawberry purée for both the cake and the buttercream.
How long does it keep?
Up to 3 days in the fridge, well covered. Unfrosted layers freeze well.
More Strawberry Cakes
I hope you’ll love this recipe. If you try it, feel free to leave a comment. Happy baking!
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Strawberry Buttercream Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
Description
Soft and fluffy strawberry cake made with real strawberry purée and covered in a smooth strawberry buttercream frosting — light, fruity, and perfect for any celebration. (for a 8 inches / 20 cm cake 8-10 slices)
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 150 g (⅔ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 290 g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) buttermilk
- 140 g (1 ⅛ cups) cake flour
- 10 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 60 g (¼ cup) strawberry purée
- Pink food coloring (optional)
Strawberry Purée (for cake + buttercream)
- 200 g strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 200 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 350 g (2 ¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) heavy cream
- 80 g (⅓ cup) strawberry purée
Instructions
Strawberry Purée
- Place the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries soften and release their juices.
- Blend the mixture until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
- Let the purée cool completely before using.
- Use part of the purée for the cake batter and the rest for the buttercream.
Strawberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two 7–8 inch (17–20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper on the bottoms only.
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until pale and creamy.
- With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the egg whites and vanilla extract in batches, mixing well between each addition. Continue beating for 3–5 minutes, until smooth and slightly airy.
- Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, mixing gently just until combined.
- Stir in the strawberry purée and a small amount of pink food coloring if using, until the batter is evenly colored.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smooth the tops, and tap the pans lightly to release air bubbles.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before assembling. Trim the tops if needed.
Strawberry Buttercream
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and sifted powdered sugar, mixing on low speed first, then on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the strawberry purée and heavy cream, then beat for 3–5 minutes, until the buttercream is creamy, light, and evenly pink.
- Keep the buttercream at room temperature until ready to use. If too soft, chill for 10 minutes, then rewhip.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate.
- Spread an even layer of strawberry buttercream over the cake using an offset spatula.
- Add the second cake layer, then cover the entire cake with the remaining buttercream, smoothing the sides and top or creating texture as desired.
- Decorate with fresh strawberries if you like.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, then bring the cake to room temperature for about 20 minutes before slicing so the buttercream softens slightly.
Notes
Storage : Store the cake in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered in a cake box or airtight container. Bring to room temperature 20 minutes before serving to soften the buttercream.
Tips:
- Use room-temperature ingredients for a smooth, even batter.
- Measure ingredients accurately with a kitchen scale.
- Don’t overmix once the flour is added to keep the cake soft.
- Chill the layers before frosting for easy assembly.
- Use a reduced strawberry purée for stronger flavor and color.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: cake, birthday cake, dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ludivine
Waouw this cake is beautiful can't wait to try it for my daughters birthday thank you for the recipe
Fadela
Thanks a lot Ludivine, don't forget to share your review of this cake in comments and to share it on social networks (can't wait to see your cake).
Kali59
Wow, beautiful cake, I'm thinking of making it for my granddaughter's birthday.
On the other hand, there are some ads (Oréo type) that are impossible to remove and that hide part of the text, it's very very annoying....
Fadela
Hello and thank you for your message, I can't wait to see your cake. Concerning the ads, this is what allows me to continue to share with you the recipes that are freely available on the blog. Normally they are displayed between the texts and not on the text, unless it's a video player which you can normally disable by clicking on the cross! See you soon