Soft, moist vanilla sheet cake topped with strawberry buttercream – you’ll love the flavor combo and pretty pink color of this vanilla cake with fresh strawberry frosting.
I don’t know about you, but every spring I get so excited as fresh berries come into season. The change in season rejuvenates me, and the new fresh produce always makes me so excited to get into the kitchen and bake.
So when I was grocery shopping and saw ripe, juicy, bright red strawberries coming back in season – it was the perfect reason to make this classic vanilla cake recipe with fresh strawberry frosting.
The cake is a simple vanilla sheet cake that’s made in a 9×13 inch pan. It has a fluffy and moist texture with a soft cake crumb and delicious buttery, vanilla flavor. But it’s the strawberry buttercream made from fresh berries that really makes this cake special.
The buttercream frosting is fluffy and creamy with a delicious strawberry flavor that comes from fresh berries, so there’s nothing artificial or unnatural tasting. I love how the subtle strawberry flavor of the frosting compliments the vanilla cake, without overpowering.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
Here is what you will need to make this tasty vanilla cake and strawberry buttercream frosting:
For the Vanilla Cake
- Dry Ingredients: Cake Flour (sifted, not self rising), Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt
- Wet Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Granulated Sugar, Eggs, Egg Whites, Vanilla Extract, Sour Cream and Milk
For the Strawberry Frosting
- Fresh Strawberries
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Whipping Cream
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Now making strawberry frosting using fresh berries takes a few extra steps, but it’s definitely worth the process. So I’m going into a little extra detail here on the process, and the full instructions and ingredients are listed in the recipe.
- First we process the fresh berries in the blender. Then the puree is pushed through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- The strawberry puree is then boiled in a saucepan to remove the water/excess liquid. The mixture will boil as you gently stir, and after the mixture boils down it will be thick in consistency and about 1/4 to 1/3 of the original volume. It’s so important to really boil down the puree and remove the excess liquid. Otherwise your frosting will be watery.
- Then the puree needs to cool fully. I recommend putting it in the freezer or refrigerator.
- From there, making the strawberry buttercream is straight forward. We’ll beat the butter with an electric mixer, then powdered sugar and the reduced strawberry puree are mixed in.
Note that if the reduced strawberry puree is still warm when it’s added to the butter, the mixture will separate. So be sure that it’s completely cooled.
While there’s a few more steps involved than traditional vanilla buttercream frosting, the delicious flavor of fresh strawberry frosting paired with the fluffy, moist vanilla cake is so worth it. I love this white cake with fresh strawberry frosting if you’re looking for something simple that’s a little extra special. The strawberry frosting makes this cake so pretty, and the strawberries and moist vanilla cake is such a delicious combo.
Why Do Cakes Fall?
There are a number of reasons that a cake can fall in the middle, but here are some of the main culprits:
- If there is too little moisture in a cake, it can fall in the center. However, too much moisture can also affect a cake. This commonly occurs in humid climates, where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour. When this occurs, a cake can rise rapidly and then fall during baking.
- Cakes have a tendency to fall whenever they bake too slowly. This typically happens whenever the oven isn’t preheated properly or the oven temperature is set too low for the recipe.
- Over-mixing the cake batter will result in too little air in it, while under-mixing causes too much air in the batter.
- Cakes that are under-baked are more likely to fall after you take them out of the oven.
- Having too much liquid in your batter can affect the way your leavening agents perform. Too much moisture can result from adding extra liquid, or by adding too much of your dry ingredients. Batter that is too dry may also “puff up” while baking and then sink in the middle.
- Opening your oven door can create a jarring sensation just like stomping across the floor can. This is especially true if your oven is not level or the door is especially difficult to open. For best results, you should open your oven door only as often as absolutely necessary to check for doneness.
- You may think that adding a little extra baking powder or baking soda will actually help your cake rise higher; however, that’s not at all the case. Too much of either one of these ingredients will actually have the opposite effect, causing your cake to deflate in the center rather than raise.
Storing Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Can You Freeze a Cake With Buttercream Frosting?
After you decorate your cake, put it in the freezer for a couple hours to set the buttercream.
When the buttercream is set, wrap the entire cake with plastic wrap a couple times, followed by tin foil if the cake needs to be stored for more than a few days.
Indulge in the perfect springtime dessert with this delicious vanilla cake topped with a homemade fresh strawberry frosting. Impress your friends and family with this easy-to-make treat! Perfect for a birthday cake, a baby or bridal shower, or a fruity dessert for a summer potluck.
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Description
Soft, moist vanilla sheet cake topped with strawberry buttercream – you’ll love the flavor combo and pretty pink color of this vanilla cake with fresh strawberry frosting.
For the Strawberry Frosting
Prevent your screen from going dark
Vanilla Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
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Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan. Or line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease the sides.
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In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside.
2 ½ Cups Cake Flour, 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1/4 teaspoon Salt
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Then in a second large bowl using a hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, 1 ½ Cups Granulated Sugar
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Add in the 2 large eggs, 2 egg whites and vanilla extract and continue beating until combined (about 30-60 more seconds).
2 Large Eggs, 2 Egg Whites, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
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Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Then beat in the sour cream, followed by about 1/2 of the flour mixture.
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
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Finally, beat in the milk followed by the remaining flour mixture. Be careful not to over mix.
3/4 Cup Milk
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
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Allow the cake to cool fully before frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
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Core the strawberries to remove the white centers, then pulse in a food processor or blender until smooth.
1 ½ Cups Fresh Strawberries
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Then put the strawberry puree through a sieve to remove the seeds. You’ll likely need to press the mixture through using a spatula or spoon. You should end up with about 1 and 1/2 to 1 and 1/4 cups of strawberry puree
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Pour the strawberry puree into a medium-sized saucepan over low-medium heat.
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Heat the puree until it gently boils while stirring occasionally.
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Allow the mixture to boil gently for 10-15 minutes until it’s thick in consistency and dark red-ish pink in color.
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When the mixture is done boiling, You should have about 1/3 cup left. Put the reduced strawberry puree in the fridge or freezer to cool fully.
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To make the frosting, in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until fluffy.
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
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Then turn the mixer down to low speed and beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar.
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
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Then turn off the mixer and add in 1/4 cup of the reduced strawberry puree (it must be cold when added), the vanilla and salt.
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1/4 teaspoon Salt
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Beat together on low speed.
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Then beat in an additional 2 cups of powdered sugar.
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
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Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for an additional 30 seconds.
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Beat in a little extra powdered sugar, and up to 1 tablespoon of cream as needed to get the desired consistency and sweetness level.
1 Tablespoon Whipping Cream
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Frost the cooled cake with the strawberry frosting, and optionally decorate each piece with half a strawberry.
**Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Calories: 472kcal
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Post and recipe originally shared by Fiona from Just So Tasty.
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