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Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Filling

A delightful and vibrant strawberry cake that captures the essence of summer with a luscious filling and creamy frosting.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Filling
  • 6 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 pinch fine salt
Cake
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional) Optional for extra strawberry flavor.
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup egg whites or 4 large whole eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup strawberry reduction
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pink gel food coloring (if desired)
Frosting
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup strawberry reduction (for frosting)
  • 3 Tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional, for frosting)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (for frosting)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (for frosting)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar (for frosting)

Method
 

Preparing Strawberry Reduction
  1. Blend hulled strawberries with sugar, then simmer them over medium heat with water until the mixture reduces by half.
  2. Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up and let it cool.
Baking the Cake
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare three 8-inch cake pans by greasing and lining them.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, optional freeze-dried strawberry powder, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Gradually add in softened butter until the mixture resembles sandy crumbs.
  4. Add egg whites (or whole eggs), sour cream, strawberry reduction, oil, vanilla, and food coloring if desired.
  5. Mix until fully combined, then divide the batter evenly across prepared pans.
  6. Bake for 33-36 minutes. Allow cooling.
Making the Frosting
  1. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  2. Incorporate the strawberry reduction, optional freeze-dried powder, vanilla extract, salt, and then mix in the powdered sugar.
Assembling the Cake
  1. Once cake layers have cooled, stack with frosting and strawberry filling between each layer.
  2. Chill the cake to set, then coat with the remaining frosting.
  3. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Notes

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best freshness. It can be enjoyed for a few days but may not last long!