Indulge in the essence of summer with this fresh strawberry layer cake recipe. Enjoy a fluffy white cake filled with creamy diplomat cream and juicy fresh strawberries, all wrapped in Swiss buttercream. As delightful as this favorite strawberry cream cake, it's the perfect treat for strawberry season.
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Strawberry season is open, and this strawberry layer cake is the ultimate dessert to fully enjoy it and share a moment of joy with your loved ones on any occasion.
My strawberry cake features a delicate, moist white cake paired with a creamy vanilla diplomat cream—a blend of pastry cream and mascarpone whipped cream frosting. Fresh strawberry slices add a burst of flavor, all enveloped in a silky Swiss meringue buttercream.
Why you'll love this recipe
Craving for more Strawberry desserts? Give these a try: Strawberry tart, Strawberry galette, Strawberry coffee cake, Strawberry macarons, Strawberry cupcakes and Fresh Strawberry charlotte cake.
Ingredients you need
You need these ingredients to make this Fresh Strawberry Cake :
- Vanilla cake: Egg whites, granulated sugar, cake flour, baking powder, heavy cream, vanilla and salt
- Diplomat cream filling: Egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, milk, vanilla extract, heavy cream and mascarpone cheese.
- Swiss Buttercream: Egg whites, white sugar, unsalted butter and vanilla extract.
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!
Step 1: Whip the cold heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer for 3 - 4 minutes until you have a whipped cream and set aside.
Step 2: Lower the speed of the stand mixer and add flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix just until they are incorporated then add the whipped cream and fold in gently with a flexible spatula until the mixture is soft and smooth.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C and prepare 3 round cake pans with parchment paper. Divide the mixture into 3 and fill the prepared pans and bake in the oven about 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown on top.
Step 4: Place milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan and heat until boiling, then remove from heat and let infuse for 10 minutes.
Step 5: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch for 1 minute. Then add the hot milk, remove the bean beforehand, and whisk to combine.
Step 6: Return to the saucepan and heat over medium heat while stirring constantly with a hand whisk until the mixture thickens. Chill the pastry cream covered in a dish in the fridge. Once cold, transfer to a bowl, mix with an electric mixer to soften. Gently fold in mascarpone whipped cream and set aside until cake assembly.
Step 7: On a cake board, pipe buttercream around the first cake layer. Add diplomat cream and sliced strawberries. Repeat with remaining layers. Chill with a thin layer of buttercream for 15 mins.
Step 8: Smooth remaining frosting over the cake and decorate the top with buttercream and fresh strawberries. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serving Suggestions
- With Fresh Strawberries: Serve the cake with sliced fresh strawberries for a beautiful and flavorful presentation.
- Whipped Cream: Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream on the side for an extra touch of indulgence.
- Vanilla Ice Cream: Pair slices of the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a classic and delicious dessert combination.
- Chocolate Drizzle: For chocolate lovers, drizzle melted chocolate over each slice for an irresistible chocolate-strawberry flavor combination.
- Fruits coulis: Serve on each plate with a homemade strawberry coulis or strawberry jam and a little more diplomat cream.
Tips for this recipe
Storage
Store in the fridge: Store leftover cake in the fridge for around 5 days, in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.
How to freeze? Cut the frosted cake into slices and wrap in plastic film or place in storage bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months (defrost gently in the fridge).
Variations & Substitutions
Recipe Questions
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries if fresh ones aren't available. Just be sure to thaw and drain them well to remove excess water.
What's the best way to ensure my cake layers are moist?
My cake layers are moist enough without being heavy; it doesn't need to be soaked, but if you still prefer to do so, you can either use milk or a sugar syrup (a mixture of equal parts sugar and water, cooked in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved).
How do you keep strawberries from getting soggy on cakes?
Avoid using frozen strawberries, pat them dry on kitchen paper, and don't mix them with sugar, otherwise, they'll give off liquid.
More Strawberry Cake Recipes
hope you love my fresh strawberry cake recipe. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
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Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
Strawberry layer cake with a soft sponge cake made with egg whites, diplomat cream, fresh strawberries and Swiss meringue buttercream (For a cake of 6 inch/15 cm diameter about 8 - 10 slices)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake :
- 3 egg whites at room temperature - about 120 g
- 190 g (¾ cup) Sugar - granulated
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 190 ml (⅔ cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 190 g (1 ¼ cup) Cake flour
- 7 g baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Diplomat cream
- 3 Egg yolks
- 60 g (¼ cup) Sugar - granulated
- 25 g (3 tbsp) Cornstarch
- 1 vanilla bean
- 250 ml (1 cup) Milk
- 150 g (½ cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 150 g (½ cup) Mascarpone cheese - cold
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 300 g egg whites (8 whites)
- 220 g (1 cup) Sugar - granulated
- 400 g (3,5 sticks) Butter - unsalted at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 250 g (1 ¼ cup) Fresh strawberries for assembly and decoration
Instructions
Cake :
- Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C and line the bottom of three 6 inch/ 15 cm diameter round cake pans with parchment paper (if you only have one pan, see notes).
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or electric mixer, place the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla and beat at high speed for about 10 minutes until the mixture doubles in volume.
- Meanwhile, whip the cold heavy cream on medium speed for 4 minutes until you have a whipped cream, then set aside.
- Lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients and mix just until the mixture is smooth.
- Then add the whipped cream and mix this time with a spatula to incorporate it gently and until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
- Divide the mixture into 3 and pour it into your prepared pans.
- Bake in the oven at half height for about 40 - 45 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of baking, check the cooking with a toothpick by plunging it into the center of the cake, it should come out clean. If you still have traces of liquid batter then extend the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes and check again.
- Let the cakes cool a bit in their pans before unmolding them and letting them cool completely on a cake rack upside down.
- Then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Diplomat cream
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla bean split and scraped, then let it infuse for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar, then add the cornstarch.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and pour it into the egg yolk mixture.
- Mix well and then return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat, whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, at the first boil continue to mix for another minute.
- Then pour the mixture into a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and leave to cool completely in the refrigerator.
- When the pastry cream has cooled down, whip the cream with the mascarpone in an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes until you have a whipped cream.
- Mix the pastry cream with the mixer for 1 minute to loosen it then add a tablespoon of whipped cream and beat again.
- Add the remaining whipped cream to the pastry cream and mix gently with a spatula to incorporate it.
- Set aside in a cool place until ready to assemble.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Place the egg whites and Sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and place in a saucepan with a bottom of water.
- Heat in a double boiler over medium heat while stirring with a hand whisk, bringing the mixture to 131°F / 55°C.
- Then place the bowl on the base of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat at high speed for at least 10 - 15 minutes until the meringue is firm and the mixture has cooled completely.
- Turn down the speed of the mixer and add the softened butter cut into pieces, vanilla extract and salt.
- Process on high speed for about 10 minutes, the mixture will be liquid at first, then grainy before firming up.
- Finish mixing with the flat spatula at slow speed for 5 minutes to loosen the buttercream and reserve at room temperature until assembly.
Assembly of the layer cake
- Fill 2 pastry bags with the diplomat cream and the Swiss meringue buttercream.
- Place a card board on your turntable and place a first layer of cake and place a buttercream ring on the edges.
- Fill the inside with diplomat cream and place strawberries cut in 2 and cover again with diplomat cream (if necessary add more buttercream around to enclose the filling in the center)
- Place a second layer of cake and repeat this last step ending with the last layer of cake.
- Cover completely with a thin layer of buttercream and quickly smooth with the angled spatula to enclose the crumbs then place in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Apply a new layer of buttercream over the entire cake and smooth it with an icing smoother.
- Place in the fridge again for 30 minutes before decorating the top of the cake with an icing tip and strawberries.
- Remove the strawberry layer cake from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Storage: About 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
If you only have one cake pan you can bake in 3 batches, weigh out the mixture and divide it into 3 and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes for each layer.
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Cake, layer cake, dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 752
- Sugar: 49.7 g
- Sodium: 572 mg
- Fat: 49.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 67.8 g
- Protein: 10.8 g
- Cholesterol: 188.4 mg
Hello,
In the picture, the cream looks very white. When I make it, it's always a bit yellow.
Do you add coloring?
Hello,
Do you think it's possible to replace butter with vegetable butter?
Thanks in advance
When do you add the gelatin into the diplomat cream? Need an answer fast because I Amin the process of making it. Thank you.
Hi, The gelatin must be rehydrated and added to a warm mixture, ideally at the end of the preparation of the pastry cream.
But in this recipe I don't use gelatin in the diplomat cream
Yes indeed the information is missing in the recipe, I will correct it, you have to redry the gelatine leaves in cold water then squeeze it out and incorporate it off the heat at the end of the preparation of the pastry cream.
Hello,
I was wondering if it's possible to keep the same base of the recipe but just replace the buttercream with a white chocolate vanilla ganache. Thanks in advance and have a great day!!!
Hello! Your cake looks amazing and very tempting! BRAVO! I wanted to know if your cake is a 1 2 3 scale because I see that you can modify the quantities... Thanks in advance! Have a great day!
Hello, first of all, congratulations! This cake looks magnificent. I would like to know: for a 22 cm / 6 cm high mold, by how much should I increase the quantities for the cake, the mousseline cream, the glaze, and the buttercream?
Hello,
I thank you so much because thanks to you I succeeded in making my first Swiss meringue buttercream. I followed your advice to the letter and when it curdled I put it in the microwave and I couldn't believe it, I had saved it. Then I put it in the fridge, it hardened, I mixed it, it curdled again, I thought it was lost but no, microwave and there it is smooth again. Thanks again!
Hello,
You mention 2 gelatin sheets for the diplomat cream. I would like to know how many grams that corresponds to, please? Thank you.
Hello,
Your cake is beautiful. I'm not a fan of buttercream; I find it too buttery and it changes the taste of the cake. Is it possible to cover it with diplomat cream or another type of cream?
Hello Fadela,
I've already written to you once before, and I followed your advice, and the result was perfect. You're an angel to me, thank you. I'll almost pass for a pro with my family... :-))
I'm reaching out again because I plan to make the strawberry layer cake with diplomat cream and Swiss meringue buttercream on Friday and Saturday. I think I can handle it because I'm starting to learn and I have all the equipment, but I need a clarification about the Swiss meringue buttercream, please.
You mention in step 3 to beat (once it reaches 55 degrees) until cooled, but what consistency should this meringue have to proceed without issues (incorporating butter, etc.)?
Also, Ella wrote to you on January 11th to thank you, saying her cream had curdled, and she recovered it by microwaving it twice. However, you mention that the cream goes through this stage in step 5 of the recipe (liquid, then granular before firming up). Since my bowl is stainless steel and I can't put it in the microwave, I'll have to transfer it twice. I confess that step 5, beating at high speed for 10 minutes, makes me doubt.
Could you please enlighten me on this?
Thank you for that and thank you for everything you do to help others.
Hello, your recipe looks really tempting!! I'm going to give it a try I see in the recipe that you mention a 15cm mold, and in the comments, I see you talking about 12cm. Probably an update to the article in the meantime... Can you confirm that the recipe is indeed for a 15cm mold? If I use an 18cm mold, should I adjust the quantities?
Thank you very much for your help!! See you soon
Bonjour! Please let me know if you have advice on whether this recipe can be doubled for an 8 inch or 9 inch layer cakes. I would like to bake it as a 3 tier wedding cake!
Hello! Yes, you can double the recipe for an 8 or 9-inch layer cake. For an 8-inch cake, doubling the recipe should work well. For a 9-inch cake, you may need to increase the quantities slightly beyond doubling to ensure the layers are thick enough. I recommend increasing by about 2.5 times for a 9-inch cake. Be sure to check the baking time as larger cakes may need a bit more time to cook through. If you need further adjustments, feel free to ask!. A cake that size will need stability, so make sure to use proper doweling or supports between tiers. If you’d like more specific advice on ratios or adjustments, feel free to ask! Good luck with the wedding cake!