EASY STRAWBERRY CAKE

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Easy Strawberry Cake with cream cheese frosting tastes and looks like a bakery cake, but is easier than from scratch! It’s full of strawberries in the cake and the icing.

This cake is ‘easy’ because it starts with a cake mix, but don’t worry unless you tell no one will ever know, it tastes homemade. Yep, moist strawberry cake recipe from box. It’s light, tender, moist, and bursting with strawberry flavor.

Easy Strawberry Cake

EASY STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

This is my recipe box. Yes, it’s quite large and it’s not the only recipe box I have. This is the box of my family ‘favorites’; I also have a box of recipes that I want to try. And a binder of pretty entertaining and party recipes and tips. And, I have cookbooks.

So many recipes, so little time! One-third of these recipes are for desserts! I know it’s my passion.

As well, this Strawberry Cake recipe has been one of my favorite desserts for many years. It’s the cake I always wanted my Mom to make for my birthday (or anytime I could persuade her to make it!)

Strawberry Cake recipe tips & suggestions

  • First, this strawberry cake starts with a boxed cake mix. However, because it has fresh strawberries it tastes homemade.
  • You can use fresh or frozen strawberries.
  • For the 1 cup of strawberries, you can mash with a potato masher, hand chop, or chop in a food processor. They add just the right amount of flavor and moisture.
  • As well, you’ll add a 3-ounce box of strawberry gelatin (Jello is the most-known brand) to the batter. If you have a strawberry flavored boxed cake mix, you can skip this step. However, adding strawberry gelatin to a white cake mix is a huge strawberry flavor boost.
  • This cake calls for vegetable oil. It adds moisture and makes the texture amazing. (I haven’t tried reducing the oil amount.)
  • You can make this into either 2 or 3 layers. It also works well in a 9x13x3-inch baking pan as well as cupcakes.
  • For a 9x13x3-inch cake, you may want to reduce the amount of frosting. (I don’t, but I love frosting!)
Easy Strawberry Cake

Cooking times for pan size

I prefer these brands for cake pans: Fat Daddio’s, Wilton, USA Pan Store, and Cuisinart. Various brands are listed below depending on what was in stock at the time I linked them.

If you want to accurately test a cake for doneness, I recommend using a cake thermometer. A cake is done when it reaches 210°F in the center. Use caution to not touch the bottom of the baking pan.

Easy Strawberry Cake

I prefer it made in three 8-inch layers and iced.

But, if it’s easier in a 9×13-inch pan, by all means, you do not have to stack it.

I made it for the teachers at my son’s school and baked it in an aluminum 9×13. It was much easier to transport and I didn’t have to go back and collect a cake pan.

ingredients in bowl

The beauty of this recipe? Dump all ingredients in the bowl and mix!

ingredients in bowl

I like using the whisk attachment for cakes. I think it incorporates more air into the batter.

Mix it all together and pour it into the pan. Bake, then frost. I frosted it with Cream Cheese Frosting.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES.

June 10, 2018. I updated the recipe for the cake and the frosting. This frosting has the same flavor and ingredients, I made it thicker. The changes are correct in the recipe as written.

Easy Strawberry Cake

Easy Strawberry Cake

Easy Strawberry Cake tastes and looks like a bakery cake, but is easier than from-scratch! It’s full of fresh strawberries in the cake and the icing. This cake is ‘easy’ because it starts with a cake mix, but don’t worry unless you tell noone will ever know!
Author: Paula
4.88 from 434 votes
Print Rate
Save To Your Recipe Box
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients

Cake

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

PLEASE READ POST ABOVE FOR MORE INFO

    For the Cake

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray pan(s) with non-stick spray or Wilton cake release.
    • Add cake mix, eggs, milk, and vegetable oil to a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and mix well. Mix in the 1 cup of mashed strawberries and the (dry) strawberry gelatin.
    • Mix 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
    • Divide the batter evenly among layer pans or pour into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Cool the cake layers for 10 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack. Wait until the cake is completely cool before frosting.

    For Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Sift sugar and add one cup at a time to the cream cheese mixture. Add heavy whipping cream and strawberries and incorporate completely.
    • For a more professional cake, remove the domes from the tops of the cake layers with a cake leveler or large serrated knife.
    • Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Spread about 1 cup of the frosting on top in an even layer. Repeat with the next layer of cake and frosting, then top the cake with the final layer of cake (if you have 3 layers).
    • Frost the outside of the cake. An offset spatula makes it really easy to get an even layer.

    Video

    YouTube video

    Notes

    Cooking times for pan size
    • For 9×13 pan bake 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • two 9-inches round or 9×9 inch square 28 to 31 minutes
    • two 8-inch round or 8×8-inch square 30 to 33 minutes
    • three 8-inch round 28 to 30 minutes
    Easy Strawberry Cake original version. Make it like this and ignore the top recipe. OR make the top recipe and ignore this part.
    I revised the original recipe ingredients for the smaller size cake mix. It seemed to confuse everyone. However, I’m now including that change below since I have a lot of people asking for that information. This is the wording that I changed. As well, I used 1 cup oil in the original recipe but I prefer 3/4 cup oil instead.
    “Please note also the original Easy Strawberry Cake recipe used an 18.25-ounce cake mix. For a long time, you could still get the 18.25 size cake mix, but I have been unable to find it recently. Here are two options for adjustments to the 15.25-ounce, 16.5, or 16.25-ounce cake mix to make it work. Everything else remains the same after these additions.
    You can purchase two cake mixes. Use one complete 15.25 package plus measure 3 ounces out of the second cake mix. Likewise, if you have 16.50 or 16.35-ounce box of cake mix, make up the difference with another box of cake mix. Store the remaining for next time.
    Use one 15.25 ounce cake mix PLUS add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.”

    Nutrition

    Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 75g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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    677 Comments

    1. Do you have to prepare the Jello before you add it or do you add it straight from the box?

    2. 5 stars
      I have baked this cake a couple of times and everyone has really loved it. It was soo good that I literally only was able to have a small piece of it the two times that I made it. The taste and flavor is amazing and everyone….. I mean everyone loves the frosting. I just have a problem with the frosting getting it to thicken and was wondering if you could maybe help me out with it. My frosting comes out kind of runny and I do not know what to add to thicken it or if I am just over thawing the cream cheese and butter.

      1. I rewrote the frosting recipe and it’s thicker. It’s hard with fresh fruit, the juice is unpredictable, sometimes you have a lot and sometimes not so much. Just add very little juice or liquid to begin with. If it’s too thin you can add more sugar.

    3. Ho Paula made this cake yesterday for my 12 year old grandsons birthday. He happens to.love all things strawberry. I made a few tweaks . I used the cake recipe with the added flour and sugar as suggested
      It turned out moist and delicious with lots of flavor. I ised a frosting that was a cool whip and pudding combo instead of the cream cheese frosting. For good measure I made ahomede filling of fresh strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to put between the layers. The kids all loved it and my older grandson has ordered on for his next birthday

    4. Hi Paula,
      Would this work as cupcakes? If so, when would you recommend I start checking them?

      Thanks,

      Heather

    5. I baked this tonight in 2 9 inch round cake pans & followed the recipe exactly, but for some reason my cake is very flat. I can’t figure out where I went wrong?!

    6. Hi Paula!! Love your recipes. I noticed you said you changed the frosting to make it a little thicker; but I didn’t see any more comments re frosting. Do the ingredients above make the thicker version?
      Thanks!!

        1. I loved the frosting the way you had it! Gooey frosting on this cake is awesome. Just fyi 🙂 in case you had backlash from the way it was before, I just want you to know we love it.

    7. Thanks so much for this recipe. My son is a big strawberry fan and his birthday is tomorrow. I’m baking the cake now but I tried the batter and am already excited for the finished cake!!!

    8. I made this but the jello made the cake a weird consistency. Did I do something wrong? Should this have normal cake texture to it?

      1. yes. First time anyone has said this so not sure what happened with yours, I’ve never had a problem with this.

    9. 5 stars
      I made this yesterday for my adult son’s birthday! It was incredible! Possibly the tastiest cake I’ve ever made. I did use applesauce instead of oil, but I kept everything else the same. This will be my new favorite dessert!

      1. They used to all be 18 ounce then went to 15 oz, but I thought they had gone back to the 18 ounce. The WalMart in my town has 18 ounce.

    4.88 from 434 votes (340 ratings without comment)

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