This secret bakery recipe melts in your mouth with a deliciously fresh and natural strawberry flavor. The extra-moist strawberry cake is paired with a creamy and light strawberry buttercream that dreams are made of. Made with nearly 12 ounces of frozen strawberries, it’s like biting into a fresh strawberry in cake form!1x batch yields 1 6" three-layer cake, and a 2x batch yields 1 8" three-layer cake cut out with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method. Or choose a different pan size by visiting my recommended cake pan chart.
2TablespoonsInstant Clearjel optional, but you will need to add more powdered sugar to reach a thicker frosting if you omit this. I prefer Instant Clearjel as it will provide a less sweet but thickened buttercream.
4ouncesCream Cheese
2 sticks (8ounces)Salted Butterat room temperature
Make the 1 x batch strawberry compote according the recipe instructions. Reserve ½ cup (118 g) prepared compote for the cake batter, another ½ cup (118 g)for the frosting, and the remaining approximate heaping 1 tablespoon for layering the cake. If you make the compote in advance, keep refrigerated until using.
Make Strawberry Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line ¼ sheet pan with parchment paper, then spray the bottom (on top of the parchment) and sides of the pan with cooking spray.
Heat the Salted Butter in the microwave in a microwave safe dish until just melted.
Make strawberry puree by heating the 3 oz (¾ cup) Frozen Strawberries until thawed in the microwave. Then puree the thawed strawberries in the food processor until it's a smooth puree. It should make about ¼ cup puree.
Combine the Strawberry Puree with the remaining Wet Ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and well-blended.
Using a sifter or fine mesh strainer, sift the Dry Ingredients into a separate large bowl. Whisk until well blended.
Pour Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Pour Melted Salted Butter over batter and whisk in until incorporated. Add ½cupPrepared Strawberry Compote and whisk until batter looks uniform and shiny.
Pour batter into the prepared sheet pan and smooth out batter until even (an offset icing spatula works well for this). The batter will be about ¼ inch from the top of a 1" tall sheet pan. (You can also bake in round pans or sheet-cake pans--see Note #3).
Allow pan to set for 5-10 minutes before putting it in the oven. This will give time for the instant clearjel (or instant pudding mix) to thicken the cake batter before it bakes, allowing for a better rise.
Bake in the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of a preheated 325-degree oven for 16 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Check the cake at this point. See if it is done by lightly touching the top of the cake--try to avoid moving the cake pan or baking rack, which could cause an underdone cake to sink. If jiggly at all to your touch, bake for another 1-5 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or small paring knife comes out clean when quickly stuck in the cake. A few moist crumbs on your knife are fine, but they shouldn't look wet.
Allow cake to cool completely. To make a sheet cake, follow the Baker's Shortcut (Note #5), or choose your round cake size using the Cut and Stack method. Leave the cake in the sheet pan, and using a slight sawing motion, cut the cooled cake into your desired cake size with cake rings (You can use a knife and the cake rings as a guide for any halve pieces that you cut.) Brush lightly with simple syrup (optional, Note #4).
Wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze cake in the pan for 2 hours or overnight. (You can even bake the cake up to a week ahead of time and freeze). The cake will be much easier to layer if it is cold or frozen. To wrap the cake, place another sheet of parchment on top of the cake (this will prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake), and wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap. (I pull the plastic wrap out and place the pan on top of it. Then I wrap two ways horizontally and one way vertically so that there are two layers of wrap on all sides of the pan including the bottom).
Make Strawberry Buttercream
If using instant clearjel, whisk it thoroughly with the powdered sugar and set aside.
Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until broken up and softened. Add the room temperature salted butter and continue to beat until there are no lumps, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Once the cream cheese/butter mixture is very smooth and creamy without lumps, slowly sprinkle in the powdered sugar mixture while the mixer is on low. The mixture will be thick, but continue to slowly blend on low until it is fully incorporated.
Add the pure vanilla, strawberry extract, and ½ reserved strawberry compote. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then beat the buttercream on high for two-three minutes. This important step will add air into the buttercream and make it light and fluffy. The instant clearjel will cause the buttercream to thicken over the next 10 minutes. If you didn't use instant clearjel, you may wish to add up to an additional 1 cup(s) of powdered sugar to reach a thicker frosting. The frosting can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated, but remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before decorating your cake so it can be easily spread.
Layer, Decorate, and Serve
The easiest way to layer the cake is to layer the cake from frozen the day before you plan to serve it. If serving the cake the same day you are layering it, use refrigerated cake layers instead of frozen.
Use your two half-circles of cake to make the bottom cake layer (fill in with scraps if needed to make a level surface). Before topping with buttercream, spread each cake layer with a thin layer of your remaining strawberry compote. This just adds a little moisture and flavor boost. Fill your cake layers with around ¼ inch strawberry buttercream. An offset icing spatula (I use the small and medium size on all my cakes) helps with this. I recommend frosting a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the outside of the cake which will catch all the crumby edges, then allow it to set up in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. Read more in my article: How to Bake and Layer Cakes Like a Pro: 5 Easy Steps. Remaining cake scraps can be used for cake truffles, cake parfaits or trifles.
Spread a final layer of buttercream over your set-up crumbed cake, and decorate as desired. I used a small offset icing spatula to make a horizontal texture, then topped the cake with strawberry buttercream rosettes using a disposable piping bag and 1M star tip. Decorate the top of your cake with Fresh Strawberries.
You can let the cake set up in the fridge, but remove it from the fridge 2-3 hours before serving so it can come back to room temperature (avoid warm temperatures). This cake has the best texture at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Notes for 2x batches (some of these won’t apply if you are using the grams measurements): 3 teaspoon = 1 Tbsp 4 tablespoon = ¼ cup
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Pudding mix has Instant Clearjel (modified cornstarch) as the second ingredient, which is why it works similarly in the cake batter. If you don't have instant clearjel for the frosting, just omit it from the frosting and add more powdered sugar till you reach your desired thickness. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. (Make sure what you purchase is labeled as "Instant." Cooktyle Clearjel is a different product that does not work the same in cakes).
If you use a different brand of Strawberry extract than Olive Nation, you may need to adjust the amount to taste--it's always better to start off with less than you need, then add more extract if you think the flavor needs to be stronger.
When baking cakes in a sheet pan, the cake bakes more evenly (flatter on top and with no dark edges), and you get to choose your cake size after baking! With a 1x batch in a ¼ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 6″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles) or several little cakelets. With a 2x batch in a ½ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 8″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), an extra tall six-layer 6″ cake (5 full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), TWO 3-layer 6″ cakes (eat one now and freeze one for later. 🙂 Or have a baking party with a friend and you each get a cake!) or several little Cakelets using a 4″ cake ring or 3″ or 2″ round cookie cutters. You can also choose to bake in sheet-cake pans or round pans. View the pan chart in the article Half-Batches and Cake Pans: Everything You Need to Know.
Simple Syrup is optional, but I use it to seal in the moisture for cakes that will be refrigerated or frozen. While the cake cools, make a simple syrup by combining 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the sugar is dissolved after whisking, about 20-30 seconds. You can also make a larger batch of this (1 part sugar to 1 part water) and keep it in the fridge if you're doing a lot of cake baking. Always cut the cake with cake rings before brushing the cake brush simple syrup, to avoid the cake being too sticky when cut.
BAKER'S SHORTCUT: Make a sheet cake or little Cakelets instead! Once the cake is fully cooled, spread the buttercream on top and top with fresh strawberries for an easy sheet-pan cake. For Cakelets, cut the cake into 4″ or 3″ rounds using cake rings or cookie cutters. Stack two cakelets together with a layer of strawberry buttercream in between and on top (I use a piping bag and 1M star tip for this). The cake will be soft and delicate when at room temperature, so if you have the time I recommend that after it cools, stick the cake in the freezer 10 minutes before cutting your Cakelets. Serve at room temperature.
RECIPE UPDATES: 6-14-22: The frosting ratios were modified slightly to provide the best consistency--see revisions. 9-16-21: The original recipe was for an 8" cake made in a ½ sheet pan. All my recipes now start with small batches, so it is now a 6" cake made in a ¼ sheet pan. Press the "2x" if you'd like to double the recipe for an 8" cake in a ½ sheet pan.