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
- 9x13 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 9x13 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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