Easy Strawberry Cake

4.88 from 438 votes

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, American/Southern

Keyword cake, fresh strawberries, layer cake, strawberry, strawberry cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings slices

Calories 574kcal

Author Paula

Equipment

electric stand mixer

Ingredients

Cake

15.25 ounce box white cake mix (use ingredients listed here NOT what is listed on the box) You can also use 16.25-ounce size
3 -ounce box strawberry flavored gelatin you'll use the powder
1 cup strawberries fresh or frozen mashed or finely chopped (measured after you chop or mash them)
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup whole milk or 2% milk
4 large eggs at room temperature

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

8 -ounces cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup butter room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar (aka confectioners) sifted then measured, more if needed
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream more if needed
¼ cup strawberries fresh or frozen, mashed or chopped fine, drained

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 9x13-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

Notes

Cooking times for pan size

For 9x13 pan bake 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
two 9-inches round or 9x9 inch square 28 to 31 minutes
two 8-inch round or 8x8-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