Gretchen's Vegan Bakery

Strawberry Cake Recipe

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Strawberry Cake layers are light, fluffy, springy and spongy!

Quick stove top compote gets cooked up while the layers cool!

strawberry cake

I am in love with easy recipes and this Strawberry Cake Recipe is exactly that!

Another easy food processor cake mix to add to your favorites list!

Strawberry Cake Recipe

My new obsession for the icing is the five times lower sugar recipe for buttercream!

Freeze dried strawberry powder turns it instantly into strawberry buttercream!

Strawberry Cake Recipe

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Notes for Success:

A 14 cup capacity food processor is needed to hold all the batter
If you have a smaller food processor you will have to cut the recipe in half
Or simply mix the batter by hand in a large bowl after pureeing your strawberries separately

Weighing your ingredients on a scale is recommended for all baking recipes but this one in particular
Since a little bit too much of flour or even strawberries can make a really big negative difference in the outcome

While I often advocate for frozen berries, in the video I mentioned that fresh strawberries are needed here

Frozen strawberries have their place and that place today is in the compote!

But for the cake batter you will have to use fresh berries, since frozen berries leech too much liquid and will turn your cake heavy and rubbery
There are no egg replacers in this recipe since the pectin in the strawberries do more than enough to help this cake bind together!
Adding anything more would border on heavy and gummy so this recipe is perfect and easy just the way it is!

Additionally I used a drop of pink food color to get this vibrant pink color since just fresh strawberries alone (while it will be pink) it will be very light pink color

Pan Sizes and Baking Times

You can of course bake this cake batter into any size pan(s) you prefer
Rule of thumb for changing pan sizes for any recipe is to fill the pans just a handful more than half way full to give the batter ample room to rise properly
This recipe will make 2 thick 8″ cake layers or 3- 7 ” layers, 24 Cupcakes, 1- 9″ x 13″ layer, 4- 6″ layers or 1 – 12 cup capacity bundt pan

Here is a list of everything I am using for this cake recipe!

14 Cup Capacity Cuisinart Food Processor

8″X 2″  Cake Pans

Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder

Cake Decorators Turn Table

Offset Spatula

VEGAN FOOD COLORING

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW I MADE THIS CAKE!

Strawberry Cake Recipe

 

Strawberry Cake Recipe

Strawberry Cake Recipe

I am in love with easy recipes and this Strawberry Cake Recipe is exactly that! Here's another easy blender cake recipe to add to your favorites list!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ cup Plant Milk (350ml)
  • 10 ounces Fresh Strawberries *must be fresh (280g)
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (10ml)
  • 3½ cup All Purpose Flour (440g)
  • 1¼ cup Granulated Sugar (250g)
  • 6 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 18 Tbs Vegetable Oil (270ml)
  • 1 Drop Pink Food Color *see notes

For the Strawberry Buttercream:

For the Strawberry Compote:

  • 10 ounces Fresh or Frozen Strawberries (280g)
  • ¼ cup Cranberries *optional see notes (30g)
  • 4 Tbs Sugar *optional adjust to your taste
  • 6 For the garnish: fresh strawberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F & Grease & parchment line 2-8" cake pans
  • First wash the strawberries in warm water, then take out their stems
  • Place all of the cake ingredients including the fresh strawberries into a food processor & process until smooth batter (about 15 seconds)
  • Pour batter evenly between the prepared 8" cake pans & bake at 350°F for 15 minutes then I like to turn the oven temperature down to 300°F for another 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean & the cake is springy to the touch when I gently press the center
  • While the cake is baking prepare the strawberry compote by cooking the strawberries with the optional cranberries & sugar in a small sauce pot over medium to high heat.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low & simmer until the berries break down and the sauce starts to thicken (it will thicken more upon refrigeration) cooking for about 20 minutes total
  • *If you use fresh strawberries for the compote you will have to add about 2-3 Tablespoons of water to help them cook down & avoid scorching whereas frozen has a large amount of moisture already & the berries will break down much faster
  • Next prepare the buttercream recipe as per the instructions on that recipe post & add the freeze dried strawberry powder at the last stage of mixing
  • Assemble the cake as shown in the video

Video

Notes

A 14 cup capacity food processor is needed to hold all the batter. If you have a smaller food processor you will have to cut the recipe in half or simply mix the batter by hand in a large bowl after pureeing your strawberries separately
Weighing your ingredients on a scale is recommended for all baking recipes but this one in particular since a little bit too much flour or even strawberries can make a really big negative difference in the outcome

While I often advocate for frozen berries, in the video I mentioned that fresh strawberries are needed for the batter here

Since frozen berries leech too much liquid & will turn your cake heavy & rubbery
There are no egg replacers in this recipe since the pectin in the strawberries do more than enough to help this cake bind together!
Frozen strawberries have their place and that place today is in the compote!
Additionally I used a drop of pink food color to get this vibrant pink color since just fresh strawberries alone (while it will be pink) it will be very light pink color
Storage: Strawberry cake can be kept at room temperature for half the day but for longer storage refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Cake layers can be frozen wrapped well for up to 2 months
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Linda

    Hi Gretchen!! Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for the dried strawberry powder? Could I process dried strawberries (I think Aldi sells them…) and it serve a close to the same purpose?

    • Gretchen

      Hi Linda, unfortunately not, this recipe is formulated specifically for Freeze dried strawberries which are different from dried strawberries (which If I am correct would be more like a cranberry or a raisin if that is what you are thinking?) In which case that is not going to work. Freeze dried fruit is literally powder when you grind it down

    • Deanna

      Hi Gretchen, My mother has requested this cake for the last three years for her birthday (will be 88 in a couple days). I made the components and am ready to put them together. I need to travel 4 hours with this cake. I was wondering if I froze the whole cake (already frosted) then traveled with it in an ice chest, if it would hold up. I will add the decorative strawberries when I get there. What do you think?

      • Gretchen

        Hi Deanna! I think you would be fine NOT FREEZING it. Just make sure it is refrigerated overnight before you leave & still place it in an ice chest with a nice cool car ride it will be fine!
        Freezing an iced cake could create severe condensation as it thaws which means a drippy icing sometimes slippery layered cake that could be a mess once you arrive!
        You will be 100% fine with just refrigeration! (be sure when you build the cake though you keep in mi9nd these conditions & make a slightly thicker buttercream dam to hold in that filling!)

  3. Linda

    Gretchen! What is the crumb coating on the top? I’m making this and actually just ordered the freeze dried strawberry. (I need to hide my amazon orders from my hubby, I’m getting kind of rediculous!)

  4. Chrissy

    Hi Gretchen I’m a huge fan of your baking, I think your cakes are so great to eat and make for family and friends. I wanted to ask if you have made vegan champagne frosting and if so how would you go about it. Thanks for sharing your treats, I really appreciate learning how to make and eat them. Take care ❤️

    • Gretchen

      Hi! Thank you so much! I do not have a recipe here on my website but I have made before. ONLY wit the American Buttercream recipe though WITH the shortening addition & made with Earth Balance Vegan Butter! LOL So many But.. BUT adding so much liquid to a buttercream recipe is a sure way to disaster! So I would only do it with the key mentions above!
      CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

  5. NK

    Hi Gretchen, by any chance do you still have your old strawberry chiffon cake recipe. I am really sad that I lost it. I would be grateful if you could share that recipe with me. ????

  6. Aleatha Henderson

    Hello, I am trying to make this cake but i am not having any luck. I have made it twice and my batter is very thin. I am using the following substitutes: 1) Spelt Flour 1 – 1 in place of all-purpose flour. 2) I am using 1 part Arrowroot, 1 part Baking Soda, and 2 parts Cream of Tarter for Baking Powder. I am using grapeseed oil as my vegetable oil. How long do you mix it in the food processor? Does it get thicker the longer you mix it? I was afraid it would get thinner so i stopped at about 30 seconds. Thank you for your help. I can’t wait to finish this cake!

    • Gretchen

      Hi Aleatha, I can only guarantee perfect results when you follow the recipe exactly as it is written. Making those changes (mainly the flour) without some testing and most likely tweaking of the recipe would be needed so I’m not too surprised it has not worked out
      While I have not worked with Spelt flour in any of my recipes and I suspect you have more experience with it than me since you are in fact using it and most likely have in other recipes? What I do know is that Spelt flour doesn’t absorb liquid as easily as other flours do not to mention it is a “heavier” flour due to its whole grain properties compared to all purpose flour
      Perhaps why the batter is so thin because it will not absorb the liquid leaving your batter extra runny.
      The oil would not play a factor since you can use any oil here and I believe your homemade baking powder would be fine as well
      I only let the food processor mix for about 30 seconds as well

  7. Maraika

    Hi Gretchen. The link to the Buttercream in this recipe is for Apple Buttercream. Is this the recipe used for the Strawberry cake?

  8. Martha

    Gretchen, I’ve made this wonderful cake in the past but I know I did not use the food processor because mine is not the 14-cup. I cannot remember how I mixed it up, Wouldn’t it be okay to mix it in the mixer rather than by hand?

      • Gretchen

        Frozen strawberries will have a huge amount of liquid which will change the texture of the batter *to possibly gummy & raw -like
        So it is not advised, however if you must do it- then thaw them out completely and then press out as mush of the water as possible before using them in the batter

  9. Stephanie

    Hi! Is it possible to halve this recipe?

    I made it as is and ran into some issues due to the batter size and not having big enough equipment.

    And yet I loved it! Thank you so much for creating it and sharing it.

  10. Crystal Reid

    Gretchen, I LOVE your recipes! I’m going to try this one for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. I’m wondering if I can make a blueberry version for my son’s 7th birthday … would the blueberries have enough pectin ? My kids birthdays are the same week, and I want to make it super special this year since I’ve been following your tutorials. Thanks for all you do !!!