> Skip to content

Recipe  •  25 October 2023

 

The most incredible strawberry cake

Strawberry decadence.

This strawberry cake packs a powerful strawberry punch! The secret is the filling made from fresh strawberries along with a homemade strawberry caramel, which will ooze out of the cake deliciously when you cut a slice-imagine a caramel sauce, but fruity instead of buttery.

Makes: One 3-layer cake, serves 10
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour to cool

 

INGREDIENTS

For the filling:

  • 18oz (500g) fresh strawberries, plus a few extra berries
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated white sugar
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract


For the cake:

  • 1¾ cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 8 tbsp (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated white sugar
  • 3 tbsp (45g) vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120g) plain yogurt, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120g) whole milk, at room temperature


For the frosting:

  • 4oz (100g) Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 1⁄3cup (40g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp whole milk (optional)

 

METHOD

  1. Make the filling. In a food processor, blend the strawberries and water into a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a sieve into a medium tall-sided saucepan. (Take your time with this and then discard the seeds and pulp. You should end up with about 11/2 cups of seedless product.) Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Stirring continuously, heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts to boil gently. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to boil gently for 10 to 15 minutes (the timing will depend on the water content of your strawberries), stirring every few minutes to make sure it doesn't burn or boil over. It's ready when it lightly coats the back of a spatula. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a medium, heat-proof bowl, allow to cool, and then chill in the fridge.

  2. Preheat the oven and prepare the pans. Preheat the oven to 320° F (160°C). Grease and flour three 7-inch (18cm) cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.

  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

  4. Make the batter. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a handheld mixer), cream together the softened butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture, yogurt, and milk, and mix until there are no more visible spots of flour. The batter should look smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Don't worry if it looks like there's not much batter in each cake pan-these cake layers are designed to be a little thinner than for a two-layer cake.

  5. Bake the cakes. Bake the cakes for 18 to 22 minutes. Do the toothpick test (see page 15). If the toothpick comes out clean, the cakes are ready. (If your oven isn't large enough to bake three cake pans at once, bake in batches).

  6. Cool the cake layers. Allow the cakes to sit in the pans for 5 minutes, then gently turn them out upside down onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper, and allow the cakes to cool completely.

More features

See all recipes
Recipe
The fluffiest cinnamon rolls

Fluffy, sweet, soft and oh-so tasty.

Recipe
Classic New York Cheesecake

A classic dessert for any sweet tooth.

Recipe
Upside Down Fish Pie

Fish Pie is one of those wonderful family meals that everyone can tuck into and a great way to encourage kids to eat more fish.

Recipe
Tahini and Gochujang Noodle Broth with Turkey

This rich and creamy tahini noodle broth with turkey from Dr Rupy is packed with powerhouse flavours and over 40 grams of protein.

Recipe
Aubergine & Fava Beans with Eggs

Bitinjan w Ful ma’ Beyd.

Recipe
Recipe
Parmesan and Herb-Crumbed Chicken Burgers

The sauce is really the star of the show in this burger recipe – it is so full of flavour, creamy and delicious. Serve as burgers or use the same ingredients (minus the buns) to make wraps or bun‑less burgers (use some iceberg lettuce leaves as the bun).

Recipe
Hoisin Salmon Sesame Cucumber Salad

Smashing the cucumbers gives them maximum surface area to absorb the delicious dressing in this salad. Topped with falling‑apart baked salmon, this dish is light, quick and tasty.

Recipe
Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Welcome summer into your kitchen with these moreish tacos. The mango salsa is the perfect balance of sweet, zesty and flavoursome (try not to eat it all before it gets to the table!)

Recipe
Smoky chickpeas with coriander tahini

Hummus Hab bil Tahinia w al Kuzbara

Recipe
Chilli Con Carne Meatballs

Take your meatball game to the next level.

Recipe
Love Monsters

These lovable monsters are perfect for Valentine's Day and can be made without the Oreo mouths, if preferred.

Looking for more recipes?

See all recipes
penguin pop image
penguin pop image