Description
This Easy Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake is a delightful, moist cake bursting with real strawberry flavor, topped with a silky smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries. Perfect for spring and summer gatherings, it’s simple to make and impressively delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Sheet Cake:
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (170g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (56g)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk (80g)
- 340g fresh or frozen strawberries (about 1 ½ cups puree)
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (20g)
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Optional: few drops of pink gel food color
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature (340g)
- ⅓ cup strawberry jam (80g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (60g)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (80g)
- Pinch of salt
Assembly & Decoration:
- Fresh strawberries to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the cake batter: Preheat your oven to 350F (conventional, no fan). Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, combine vegetable oil, melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix for about 2 minutes until smooth and well combined.
- Puree strawberries: Blitz the fresh or thawed frozen strawberries in a food processor until you have a puree with some texture if desired.
- Combine wet ingredients with puree: Add the strawberry puree and milk to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined and no lumps remain. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
- Optional coloring: Add a few drops of pink gel food coloring if desired and gently fold it in to enhance the cake’s color.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool the cake: Let the cake cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a bowl, whisk together room temperature cream cheese, strawberry jam, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt on medium-low speed until smooth and lump-free. Do not overwhip to prevent runniness. Add optional food coloring if desired.
- Assemble and decorate: Once cooled, remove the cake from the pan or serve directly in it. Spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting evenly over the cake and decorate with fresh sliced strawberries to taste.
- Serve and store: Slice and serve the cake at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for best freshness.
Notes
- This recipe yields a light layer of cream cheese frosting; increase frosting quantities for a thicker layer if preferred.
- If using frozen strawberries, thaw completely at room temperature for 30 minutes before pureeing.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the cake soft and tender.
- You can substitute milk with a lactose-free or plant-based milk for dietary preferences.
- The cake is best enjoyed at room temperature but stores well refrigerated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 cake)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
