Strawberry Sheet Cake is a soft yellow cake topped with the most irresistible fresh strawberry frosting ~ the summer dessert everyone secretly hopes will show up!
Hey Friends! I’ve been making this simple strawberry sheet cake every summer for years and it blows all other summer desserts out of the water!
Why You’ll Love It
- The light fluffy yellow cake comes together with a whisk ~ no creaming butter, no hauling out the heavy mixer (it’s a vanilla version of our most popular chocolate cake, so you know it’s going to be good.)
- It’s baked in an easy 9×13 pan, so no layers to grapple with.
- The strawberry frosting is made with a pint of fresh strawberries ~ no food colorings or artificial ingredients (looking at you strawberry jello mix.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I can’t wait for you to try this cake ~ let me know what you think!
sheet cake pan confusion
9×13 Pan: I bake my strawberry sheet cake in this 9×13 pan which makes a nice thick plush cake.
- This is the pan I use for my Mint Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake and my Brown Sugar Peach Cake.
Half Sheet Pan: If you’d like a thinner cake you can bake in this half sheet pan which is 13×18 inches.
- Your cake will be thinner ~ more like snack cake or Texas sheet cake thickness
- It will bake faster, check at 15-18 minutes.
- You can keep the frosting recipe as is for a thinner layer, or double for a more generous topping.
Storing and freezing your strawberry sheet cake
Leftover cake should be refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting. It can also be frozen and it works surprisingly well!
How to Freeze Leftover Frosted Cake
- Chill first: Place the frosted cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the frosting firms up. This helps it stay intact during wrapping.
- Wrap it well: Once chilled, wrap individual pieces (or the whole slab) tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap again in foil, or place in a freezer-safe container.
- Label & freeze: Mark with the date and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw gently: Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for a couple of hours. The texture and frosting should bounce back beautifully.
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Strawberry Sheet Cake
My simple strawberry sheet cake is a celebration of fresh berries ~ it's a classic summer dessert, done right.
Servings: 20
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- parchment paper optional
- stand mixer or electric beaters
Ingredients
Cake
dry ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup warm water
Frosting* (this can be done ahead)
- 12 ounces fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled (this is about a pint)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 5 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
Instructions
Make the strawberry puree for the frosting
- Cut the 12 ounces fresh strawberries in half and blend to a smooth puree in a blender or food processor. You should have about 1 cup of puree.
- Put the puree and 1 Tbsp lemon juice in a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring often with a silicone spoonula or spatula to keep the mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Cook the mixture down until it is thick like a loose jam. You want to end up with about 1/4 cup. This will take somewhere around 15 minutes, give or take. Scrape the thickened puree into a cup and chill. Note: the puree can be made up to a few days ahead if you like. See notes below for doing this in your microwave.**
Make the cake
- While the puree is bubbling preheat oven to 350F. Spray and flour a 9×13 pan. I like to line with parchment paper which is optional, but will allow you to remove the cake for serving.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and whisk until everything is incorporated, but don't over beat the batter.
- Turn into your prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center, or a toothpick comes out without wet batter on it.
- Let the cake cool on a rack. If you used parchment paper you can remove the cake using the ends of the paper to lift it out and set it on the cooling rack, but be sure to let it cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes first so it can firm up.
- When the cake is completely cooled you can frost it. Garnish it with fresh berries if you like.
Make the frosting
- Cream the 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, and 1/4 cup (measure it out) of the chilled strawberry puree together until smooth and lump free. You can use a stand mixer, or electric beaters. See my method for making frosting in my food processor in the notes below ~ it's genius!***
- Start adding the sifted 5 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. You should end up with a creamy thick frosting. If it seems too thin, beat in a little more sugar. If it seems too thick, add a bit of lemon juice or milk.
Notes
* The frosting is my Fresh Strawberry Frosting, and you can get photos and details in the full post.
** To do this in your microwave put the puree into a large 2 quart pyrex measuring cup or other large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 7-8 minutes until thick. The mixture will bubble up as it cooks which is why you’ll need a large bowl. It will be quite hot, so use caution when removing from the machine.
*** You can make this frosting right in a full sized (14 cup) food processor, and there is no need to soften the cream cheese in this case. Put the cream cheese, butter, and puree in the bowl and process until smooth. Add the sugar, a cup at a time, processing between each addition until creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 408 kcal · Carbohydrates: 65 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 16 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 0.3 g · Cholesterol: 53 mg · Sodium: 188 mg · Potassium: 122 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 52 g · Vitamin A: 351 IU · Vitamin C: 10 mg · Calcium: 49 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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our favorite strawberry desserts
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Spring Strawberry Cobbler
- Fresh Strawberry Curd
- Strawberry Crumb Cake
- Strawberry Panna Cotta
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This cake is absolutely delicious! The day I made it the frosting was okay…but I stored it in the fridge and the next day it was the best dessert I’ve made in ages. The frosting became magical and even the very good vanilla cake had a light strawberry flavor. I highly recommend this recipe and will definitely be making it again!
I’m so happy you loved this Wanda, thanks so much and have a nice holiday weekend!
Made this for Juneteenth and everybody loved it!
Haven’t made it yet, because first a question about the frosting. My family isn’t a huge fan of cream cheese in frosting, but I like it! If I were to just use 2 oz. of cream cheese, should I increase the butter by a couple of tablespoons? Thanks!
Hi Sally – yes, that should work! I find frostings are generally pretty forgiving – you can always thin with a little milk or cream if you think it has gotten too thick.