This strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting comes together easily with a box of cake mix, Jello, and frozen strawberries. It’s the perfect spring or summer dessert!
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If you’re looking for even more easy recipes with strawberries, try this strawberry tres leches cake, this old-fashioned strawberry pie recipe, this strawberry bundt cake, and a strawberry cream cheese icebox cake, too!
I love this cake!
– Dee
Various versions of this vintage strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting have been popular on grandmothers’ dessert buffets for generations! You just can’t beat the ease of a beautiful pink layer cake that looks so impressive — but comes together easily with help from a few simple shortcuts.
You’ll Love the Ease of this Strawberry Cake Recipe
This cake is truly the best of both worlds, since you get the convenience of a box of cake mix and a box of Jello mix combined with the delicious flavor of fresh berries and rich buttermilk. Finish it off with a decadent cream cheese frosting and nobody will ever know that your homemade strawberry cake isn’t quite from scratch!
The strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting has a light, moist, fluffy crumb. It’s sweet (but not too sweet), and has plenty of strawberry flavor. Best of all, it’s a simple recipe that every home cook can successfully follow. No special baking skills necessary!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- We prefer frozen sliced strawberries for this recipe because they are easier to mash and incorporate into the cake batter and frosting. The flavor and sweetness of frozen berries is also consistently good, which isn’t the case with fresh strawberries.
- Measure the strawberries after they’re mashed. You’ll need ½ cup mashed for the cake and ½ cup for the frosting.
- Add the juices from the mashed berries into the cake batter as well for extra moisture. It will almost look like a slightly chunky strawberry puree.
- For the frosting, it’s important to strain the juices from the mashed. You don’t want to water down the frosting with too much liquid or it will become runny, so press the berries in a fine mesh sieve (or squeeze gently in a dish towel) before adding them to the cream cheese mixture.
- Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
- You’ll need a total of 4 ½ cups of white cake mix, so make sure to purchase two boxes.
- A small (3-ounce) box of strawberry Jello mix adds great flavor and moisture to the cake. You do not need to prepare the Jello. Just add the dry mix directly into the cake batter.
How to Make Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Thanks to buttermilk and fresh berries, this impressive-looking cake tastes like it’s made from scratch. Nobody will ever guess that it started with a boxed mix! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Mix together the cake batter using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer.
- Divide the batter evenly between three round 9-inch pans. Tap gently on the counter once or twice to release any big air bubbles.
- Bake in a 325°F oven for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- Mix together the strawberry cream cheese frosting. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using. I find that it’s easier to work with when it’s a bit more firm.
- Assemble and frost the cake.
- Chill the cake for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Slice and serve!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: If you’d like to prep the cake in advance, you can bake the cake ahead of time, cool, and wrap tightly. Store the cake at room temperature overnight, and then frost before serving. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months.
- Make the frosting in advance and store it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight. This frosting is easiest to spread when cool and firm. If it seems too firm after refrigerating, just let it sit on the counter for a little bit until it softens up.
- How to Store: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the frosted cake for up to 2 months. Just make sure that it’s wrapped tightly or packed in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Cooling Time 3 hours
Total: 4 hours
You'll love the ease of this strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. It starts with a boxed mix!
Ingredients
STRAWBERRY CAKE
- ½ cup thawed and mashed frozen sliced strawberries (measured after mashing)
- 4 ½ cups white cake mix (measured from 2 boxes)
- 1 (3 ounce) box strawberry Jell-O mix
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup whole buttermilk, well shaken
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 16 ounces full-fat block-style cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 lbs. confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
- ½ cup thawed, mashed, and strained frozen sliced strawberries (measured after mashing)
Instructions
PREPARE THE STRAWBERRY CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and dry Jell-O mix. Add the mashed strawberries along with any accumulated juices, eggs, and oil. Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine for 30 seconds.
- Add the buttermilk, increase the speed to medium, and continue mixing for 2 more minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Tap the pans on the counter once or twice to release any big air bubbles. Bake the cakes for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
PREPARE THE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, about 3 more minutes. Add the strained, mashed strawberries and mix on low just until combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use. This frosting is easiest to spread when cool and firm. If it seems too firm after refrigerating, just let it sit on the counter for a little bit until it softens up slightly.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard the extra cake. Place one cake layer on your cake stand or plate. Evenly cover the top with a layer of frosting. Top with the second cake layer and evenly cover the top with another layer of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour (or overnight) before slicing and serving.
Notes
- We prefer frozen sliced strawberries for this recipe because they are easier to mash and incorporate into the cake batter and frosting. The flavor and sweetness of frozen berries is also consistently good, which isn’t the case with fresh strawberries.
- Measure the strawberries after they’re mashed. You’ll need ½ cup mashed for the cake and ½ cup for the frosting.
- Add the juices from the mashed berries into the cake batter as well for extra moisture. It will almost look like a slightly chunky strawberry puree.
- For the frosting, it’s important to strain the juices from the mashed. You don’t want to water down the frosting with too much liquid or it will become runny, so press the berries in a fine mesh sieve (or squeeze gently in a dish towel) before adding them to the cream cheese mixture.
- Recipe slightly adapted from the Very Vera Cookbook.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (1/16 of the cake)Calories: 586kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 6gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 470mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 1gSugar: 75gVitamin A: 632IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 2mg
Recipe Variations
- If you prefer to use fresh strawberries, that’s fine. Just make sure to mash them really well or very finely dice them in a food processor or blender and incorporate any of their juices into the cake batter. Sweet, ripe, in-season berries will yield the best flavor!
- Instead of the strawberry cream cheese frosting, you can frost the cake with this easy cream cheese frosting recipe.
- For even more sweet strawberry flavor and some added moisture, spread a thin layer of strawberry jam in between the cake layers.
More Strawberry Dessert Recipes
Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits
2 hours hrs
Strawberry Crisp {Strawberry Crumble}
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Originally published in April 2021, this post was updated in March 2025.
Hi Blair!
Can this cake be prepared in a single 9 x 13 baking pan? My old gas oven doesn’t always cook evenly, and if I try baking more than one item at a time, the results are usually a mixture of underdone tops or burned bottoms. Of course, I could bake all three layers individually, but I really don’t want to do that!
Hi, Paulette! Great question! If you want to bake the cake in a single layer, you’ll end up with a little bit too much batter for a 9 x 13-inch pan. I would fill your pan 2/3 full, and then use any extra batter to make cupcakes (just bake them for a shorter amount of time about 20 minutes). Since this recipe calls for more than 1 box of cake mix, I worry that it will overflow from a single pan. Hope that helps!
Just use 1 box of cake mix for the 13×9 inch pan.
I love this cake!
Thank you, Dee! 🙂
Hi could I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Strawberry Cake Mix instead if thats all i got or do i have to specifically use the white cake mix with gelatin
Hi, Carmen! It will have a slightly different taste and texture if you use the strawberry cake mix instead of the added gelatin, but it will probably still work fine. Let me know if you give it a shot! 🙂
Can you assemble this cake completely and keep refrigerated overnight?
Yes, ma’am! That works perfectly. 🙂
Help! I let my icing and cake chill for an hour and it still fell off my cake. What am I doing wrong?
Hi, Kristi! It’s hard to know for sure from afar, but it sounds like either the cake or the icing (or both) just weren’t chilled enough yet. The cake may require longer than an hour to really cool all of the way. Did the icing seem thick enough? It should be spreadable, but not too thin. If it’s not thick enough, you can always add some extra confectioners’ sugar. Hope that helps!
It’s to thick with 1/2 buttermilk need a bit more
My son wants a strawberry cake for his birthday 35 :). My other son was a chef and always critical of what I make ugh. Just thinking will the cake be dry if I’m leaving it in the fridge all night? And how does the texture of the cake differ with the jello (jelly) in Aussie land, from a “normal” sponge cake? Appreciate the reply.
Hi, Carmen! The texture is very similar to a normal cake, but maybe just a bit more moist and tender. Hope your son approves! 🙂
This cake was very dry. It uses less liquid than you’d use for just 1 box of cake mix. I wasted a lot of time on this. I would just follow the box directions from now on
Hi, is it Jello-O gealtin OR Instant pudding that I add to the cake mix?
Thank you
Hi Leslie! We use Jell-O in the cake. We hope you enjoy!
This cake look’s amazing. With 4 eggs and the price of eggs anymore. This cake would be very expensive for me. Can you use something other then eggs? I have heard people using regular apple sauce to take the place of eggs.
Hi, Cindy! I honestly have no idea. It would definitely require some testing, and that’s just not something that I’ve tried. Eggs provide structure for the cake in a way that I worry applesauce would not. It’s not a substitute that I would personally use.