Say hello to your new favorite summer cake! This rustic vanilla strawberry cake is made by topping a classic moist and tender vanilla cake with fresh whipped cream and lots of juicy, ripe strawberries. This delicious, pretty cake is bursting with summertime flavors. And it’s simple to make!
Vanilla Strawberry Cake Recipe
This moist and tender vanilla strawberry cake has everything going for it! Here’s what I love about it.
- FULL OF SUMMER FLAVORS: The cake is topped with one of the greatest flavor combos ever — strawberries and cream! And the taste is fresh and fruity with just the right amount of sweetness.
- MOIST AND TENDER CRUMB: This vanilla cake uses cake flour, buttermilk, and egg whites to help get a wonderfully delicious light and fluffy texture. It’s not quite as airy as a cake baked with oil. But it’s pretty close. And it’s also so much more flavorful!
- EASY TO MAKE: This rustic vanilla strawberry cake is simple to make with 11 simple ingredients. And the cake layers can be baked ahead of time. Which makes it perfect for entertaining. Just assemble when ready to serve.
Vanilla Strawberry Cake Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vanilla cake with strawberry filling.
- CAKE FLOUR: Cake flour is lower in protein than all-purpose flour. So it helps give the cakes a light, fluffy texture.
- SALT
- BAKING POWDER
- BAKING SODA
- UNSALTED BUTTER
- GRANULATED SUGAR
- EGGS + EGG WHITES
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
- BUTTERMILK
- FRESH RIPE STRAWBERRIES: Strawberries are a star player in this recipe. So make sure to use in-season, ripe strawberries in this recipe and not frozen berries.
- HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM: I like to make my own whipped cream. But you can also use store-bought whipped cream.
HELPFUL BAKING TOOLS:
Strawberry Vanilla Cake Recipe Tips:
Here are a few tips for making sure your vanilla strawberry cake turns out perfectly!
- MAKE AHEAD: You can make the cake layers and the whipped cream ahead of time. But I’d wait until just before serving to assemble (whipped cream can soak into the cake if left long enough, making it soggy). The cake layers can be baked, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before using them. The whipped cream can be made up to 4 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- KEEP TOPS OF CAKES FROM BROWNING DURING BAKING: If the tops of the cakes begin getting too dark during baking, you can tent them loosely with foil.
- STABILIZING WHIPPED CREAM: If you’re worried about your whipped cream melting, you can add 1 1/4 teaspoons of cornstarch to the recipe to help it hold up better. This is especially helpful if it’s a hot and/or humid day.
- OTHER PAN OPTIONS: You can also make this recipe in 8-inch round cake pans. The bake time will be a bit longer, about 35-38 minutes. You can also make this as a 3-layer cake using 3 9-inch round cake pans with a bake time of 23-26 minutes. I’ve also made this recipe in 4 6-inch round cake pans (I love 6-inch cakes!). The bake time is about 30-35 minutes. And if you’re not going to use all the layers at once, you can freeze the extras for up to 3 months (see tips above in the make-ahead section.
Looking for More Yummy Summer Recipes? Try These!
The Best Vanilla Peach Cake with Marscapone Frosting
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream
Strawberry Almond Cake {Easy & Delicious}
Summer Vegetable Frittata with Corn, Feta, and Pesto
Sweet Summer Corn and Pancetta Pasta
Refreshing Gin Mojito with Empress Gin
Empress Gin and Lychee Gimlet Cocktail
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Vanilla Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream
- Total Time: 45 minutes + Cooling
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
Description
This moist and tender rustic vanilla strawberry cake is topped with fresh whipped cream and lots of juicy, ripe strawberries.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
FOR THE CAKE:
- 3 2/3 cups flour, spoon & leveled
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs plus 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned, destemmed, and thinly sliced (save a few for garnish, if desired)
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray (or butter and flour) and then line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and set aside.
- CREAM BUTTER & SUGAR Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment (or a hand-held mixer) beat the sugar and butter together at high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed. You can also use a hand-held mixer.
- MIX IN VANILLA: Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- ADD EGGS: With the mixer on medium, slowly add the eggs and egg whites. Mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides, as needed.
- ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients just until combined.
- MIX IN BUTTERMILK: With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. You may need to whisk by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
- BAKE: Pour the batter into two 9-inch cake pans. You can weigh them to ensure accuracy but I usually eyeball it. Bake until the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pan, the tops are starting to turn golden, and the cake is baked through, about 30-35 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If the top of the cake starts to brown before the cake is done, loosely cover the tops of the cakes with foil.
- COOL: Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM: When the cake is cooling, make the whipped cream by adding the cold cream, 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat at medium-low speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Cover and refrigerator until ready to use and up to 4 hours. You can also use a hand-held mixer.
- ASSEMBLE: Place a cake layer onto a serving dish or cake plate. Cover the top of the cake with about 1/2 of the whipped cream. Place the sliced strawberries in a single layer on top of the whipped cream. Add the second layer of cake and add more whipped cream. Garnish with whole or sliced berries, to taste.
- SERVE: This cake is best served immediately after frosted. If you are not serving it right away, make sure to store it in the refrigerator until serving so that the whipped cream doesn’t melt.
Notes
- MAKE AHEAD: You can make the cake layers and the whipped cream ahead of time. But I’d wait until just before serving to assemble (whipped cream can soak into the cake if left long enough, making it soggy). The cake layers can be baked, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before using them. The whipped cream can be made up to 4 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- KEEP TOPS OF CAKES FROM BROWNING DURING BAKING: If the tops of the cakes begin getting too dark during baking, you can tent them loosely with foil.
- STABILIZING WHIPPED CREAM: If you’re worried about your whipped cream melting, you can add 1 1/4 teaspoons of cornstarch to the recipe to help it hold up better. This is especially helpful if it’s a hot and/or humid day.
- OTHER PAN OPTIONS: You can also make this recipe in 8-inch round cake pans. The bake time will be a bit longer, about 35-38 minutes. You can also make this as a 3-layer cake using 3 9-inch round cake pans with a bake time of 23-26 minutes. I’ve also made this recipe in 4 6-inch round cake pans (I love 6-inch cakes!). The bake time is about 30-35 minutes. And if you’re not going to use all the layers at once, you can freeze the extras for up to 3 months (see tips above in the make-ahead section.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake