This easy, homemade Strawberry Cake is the best dessert for spring and summer! It's an old-fashioned strawberry cake recipe that's made with a box of cake mix, Jello, buttermilk and fresh or frozen strawberries. Finish off the moist layer cake with the most delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting for a simple dessert that's bursting with flavor!
Old Fashioned Strawberry Cake Recipe
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 beautiful pink layer cake that looks so impressive -- but comes together easily with help from a few simple shortcuts. It's 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 with buttermilk isn't quite from scratch!
The Best Strawberry Cake Recipe
There are a few reasons that this strawberry cake is the absolute best recipe you'll ever taste! It has:
- A light, moist, fluffy crumb;
- Rich, creamy frosting;
- Just the right amount of sweetness, without being too sweet;
- Plenty of strawberry flavor -- but not that overpowering fake strawberry taste;
- An easy and simple recipe that every home cook can successfully follow.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need to make this easy strawberry cake. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Strawberries: fresh or frozen will work; see my note below when deciding which is best for your cake.
- White cake mix: you'll need a total of 4 ½ cups, so make sure to purchase two boxes of cake mix.
- Strawberry Jello mix: just the dry mix from a small 4-serving box; do not prepare the actual Jello according to the package instructions.
- Eggs: give the cake structure.
- Vegetable oil: for an incredibly moist cake.
- Buttermilk: the acid in the buttermilk yields a tender crumb, helps the cake rise, and gives a subtle hint of tangy flavor.
- Butter: for the cream cheese frosting.
- Cream cheese: use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting (not spreadable cream cheese from a tub or low-fat cream cheese).
- Vanilla extract: adds flavor to the frosting.
- Confectioners' sugar: sift the sugar to avoid lumps in your frosting.
The Strawberries
Even though this easy strawberry cake starts with boxes of cake mix and Jell-O, we're adding plenty of strawberry flavor to both the cake and the frosting with real strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries here; however, I find that frozen strawberries work best -- unless it's the height of fresh strawberry season where you live!
If you have access to sweet, ripe, fresh, juicy local strawberries (like we do in mid-May here in Virginia), then by all means take advantage. Any other time of year, though? I opt for the frozen sliced version. This is for a couple of reasons: (1) the frozen, thawed strawberries are easier to mash (which helps them incorporate better into the cake batter and frosting); and (2) the flavor of frozen berries is consistently good. We all know that out-of-season fresh strawberries from the grocery store can be downright bland and yucky!
A couple of tips for the strawberries:
- Measure the strawberries after they are mashed or diced. You'll need ½ cup mashed or finely-diced for the cake and ½ cup for the frosting.
- It's fine to incorporate some of the juices from the mashed or diced berries into the cake batter.
- For the frosting, it's important to strain the juices from the mashed or diced berries. 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.
How to Make Strawberry Cake
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!
- Mix cake batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between three 9-inch round cake 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 the strawberry cream cheese frosting, then let the frosting chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
- Frost the cake.
- Chill the cake for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Slice and serve!
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 refrigerator 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.
Storage
Store 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 to prevent freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Cake Recipe
- Purchase two boxes of white cake mix (one box will not be enough to equal the 4 ½ cups of mix called for in the recipe).
- Measure the strawberries after they are mashed or diced. You'll need ½ cup mashed or diced for the cake and ½ cup for the frosting. It might require up to 2 cups of frozen sliced strawberries or fresh whole strawberries to equal just ½ cup once they're mashed.
- Frozen, sliced strawberries that have been thawed are easiest to mash, so they're my top pick for this cake (unless you're lucky enough to have fresh, ripe, super-sweet local berries available).
- It's fine to incorporate some of the juices from the mashed or diced berries into the cake batter.
- For the frosting, it's important to strain the juices from the mashed or diced berries with a fine mesh sieve or dish towel. You don't want to water down the frosting.
- Allow time for the frosting to chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight) before spreading onto the cake layers. I find that it's easier to work with when it's a bit more firm.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
- 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.
More Homemade Cake Recipes to Try
- The Best Coconut Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Grandma's Texas Sheet Cake
- Caramel Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake
Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
STRAWBERRY CAKE:
- ½ cup thawed and mashed frozen strawberries or ½ cup very-finely diced fresh strawberries (measured after mashing or dicing)
- 4 ½ cups white cake mix (from 2 boxes)
- 1 (3 ounce) box strawberry Jell-O mix
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 lbs. confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ½ cup thawed, mashed and strained frozen strawberries or ½ cup very-finely diced fresh strawberries (measured after mashing or dicing)
Instructions
PREPARE THE STRAWBERRY CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans lined with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix and dry Jell-O mix. Add mashed (or diced) strawberries, 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 until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, about 3 more minutes. Add the strawberries and mix on low just until combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use.
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
- Purchase two boxes of white cake mix (one box will not be enough to equal the 4 ½ cups of mix called for in the recipe).
- Measure the strawberries after they are mashed or diced. You'll need ½ cup mashed or diced for the cake and ½ cup for the frosting. It might require up to 2 cups of frozen sliced strawberries or fresh whole strawberries to equal just ½ cup once they're mashed.
- Frozen, sliced strawberries that have been thawed are easiest to mash, so they're my top pick for this cake (unless you're lucky enough to have fresh, ripe, super-sweet local berries available).
- It's fine to incorporate some of the juices from the mashed or diced berries into the cake batter.
- For the frosting, it's important to strain the juices from the mashed or diced berries with a fine mesh sieve or dish towel. You don't want to water down the frosting.
- Allow time for the frosting to chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight) before spreading onto the cake layers. I find that it's easier to work with when it's a bit more firm.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
- 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.
Paulette
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!
Blair
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!
Dee
Just use 1 box of cake mix for the 13x9 inch pan.
Dee
I love this cake!
Blair
Thank you, Dee! 🙂
Carmen
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
Blair
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! 🙂