Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe

a strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries on it.

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 11

Cool Time: 2

Total Time: 3 41

Servings: slices

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

This easy sheet cake is made with real strawberries for lots of fresh and fruity flavor! It's moist, fluffy, and topped with creamy frosting!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
High Powered Blender
Baking Sheet (make sure it's rimmed!)
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Reduction

2 pounds fresh strawberries washed and sliced*

For the Cake

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1½ sticks)
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk room temperature
½ cup strawberry reduction (from above)

For the Frosting

1½ cups unsalted butter slightly melted (3 sticks)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (35% fat)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
½ cup strawberry reduction (from above)

Instructions

For the Strawberry Reduction

Place the washed and sliced strawberries into a blender and blend on high until you have a smooth strawberry puree, about 3-5 minutes.
2 pounds fresh strawberries
Place the strawberry puree into a medium saucepan and simmer on the stovetop over low heat for 45 minutes, or until the puree is reduced by half. Whisk often. Don’t try to rush this process, slow and steady is the pace you need for this. You’ll want this strawberry puree reduced by half so that you don’t add too much liquid to your cake batter.
Let the strawberry reduction cool completely, at least 2 hours, before combining with the other cake and frosting ingredients.

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (leave the parchment slightly higher than the sides of the pan so it's easy to lift the cake out after). Lightly spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, strawberry Jell-O powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
2½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat (on high speed) the butter and granulated sugar together until well combined and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down sides of bowl.
¾ cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups granulated sugar
Add the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture and beat on high until the mixture is fluffy and well mixed, about 1 minute. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are combined properly.
3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
On low speed, beat the milk into the butter mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture may look a bit curdled but that’s perfectly normal.
½ cup whole milk
On low speed, beat the dry ingredients into the cake batter just until combined (using a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl). Be careful not to overmix this or the cake will not rise properly and it will have a gummy-type texture when baked. Beat just until you no longer see white streaks of flour or large lumps of dry ingredients in the batter. This will take about 30 seconds.
Gently stir (not beat) the strawberry reduction into the cake batter.
½ cup strawberry reduction
Pour the batter onto the prepared sheet cake pan and use a spatula to evenly distribute the cake batter in the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 26-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting and Assembly

While the cake cools, make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
1½ cups unsalted butter, 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Beat in the powdered sugar slowly until fully mixed in, then beat on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5 cups powdered sugar
Beat in the strawberry reduction until well combined.
½ cup strawberry reduction
Smooth an even layer of frosting over the top of the cake and decorate as desired.

Notes

*You can use frozen strawberries, but you'll need to thaw them first to ensure a smooth puree.

Tips:

Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid a dry cake.
If you have more strawberry reduction than you need for this recipe, the extra can be stored in a sealed food-safe container in the fridge and used for ice cream topping.
If you plan to top your cake with fresh strawberries, I recommend doing so just before serving. Over time, the strawberries will begin to give up their juices, making the frosting watery.

For a Layer Cake: You can simply cut out layers from the sheet cake pan, or pour the batter into 2 or 3 round cake pans. They can be 9-inch or 8-inch round pans, but be sure to only fill them about halfway. Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

Storage: Store strawberry cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition