Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

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Fresh Strawberry Cake is my Mama’s favorite and a guaranteed showstopper. I mean look at this y’all. I’ve served this at baby showers, bridal showers, brunches and made for birthdays as well. My favorite place to serve it, though, is at my own dinner table.

When Are Strawberries In Season?

I’ve had strawberries on the brain lately. The national strawberry season can be January all the way through to November so it is usually easy to find them at stores. Prices may vary depending on the time of year you want them.   In deeper parts of the South they are usually ready for harvesting April and May.

When I get them I tend to eat them all on the way home, then throw the container in the trash on my way in the house. The trick is always to hide the evidence! So it’s a big restraint for me to have enough left to make fresh Strawberry Cake! Check out some of my other delicious cake recipes like Triple Chocolate Cake (a.k.a Chocoholic Cake)Red Velvet Bundt CakeChocolate Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Coca Cola Cake ~Oh So Good!~.

I mean Y’all, look at that beauty.  It tastes even better than it looks!

The ingredients you will need for the cake are:

  • White cake mix
  • Strawberry gelatin mix
  • Cooking oil
  • Milk
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Three eggs

Helpful Kitchen Tools

  • Wash your strawberries and cut the tops off, slice them up a bit.

Mashing Strawberries for Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • Put them in a big old plastic bag and crush them a bit. You can use a rolling pin if you want to be civilized but somedays call for a few fun karate chops!

*The amount of strawberries needs to be one cup after they are crushed, not before.

Mashed Strawberries for Fresh Strawberry Cake

You can use any method of crushing that you like but I find a plastic bag and a can of somethin‘ works just great.

Mixing up Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • In a large mixing bowl, place cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, and gelatin.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Batter

  • Mix that up with an electric mixer until you have a smooth, creamy, pink batter, about two minutes.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Batter

  • Add in your crushed strawberries, juice and all.
  • Mix that up again.

Batter for Fresh Strawberry Cake in Cake Pans

  • Now grease and flour two round cake pans.
  • Divide your batter evenly among the cake pans
  • Bake these at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and allow to sit in the pans for ten minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Making Cream Cheese Icing For Fresh Strawberry Cake

Now let’s make us some cream cheese icing.

Ingredients needed for cream cheese icing

Important note: If you want to decorate your cake as I have done in these photos, you will need to double this recipe.

Another note: Your cream cheese and butter really need to be room temperature so set them out earlier in the day before starting this.

  • Place your butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix ’em up til they’re nice and creamy smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • Ice your cake however you like.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Look how pretty this fresh strawberry cake is!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

And this cake is just as delicious as it is pretty!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Now cut it quick! The youngun’s are a waitin’!

Store this cake in the refrigerator. It’s even better served cold!

 

fresh strawberry cake

Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Fresh Strawberry Cake is my mother’s favorite and a guaranteed showstopper. I mean look at this y'all. I’ve served this at baby showers, bridal showers, brunches and made for birthdays as well. My favorite place to serve it, though, is at my own dinner table.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: strawberry
Servings: 4
Calories: 393kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Package Plain White Cake Mix
  • 1 Cup Chopped strawberries with juice
  • 3/4 Cup Milk
  • 1 Package Strawberry Gelatin 3 ounce
  • 3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 3 Eggs

Icing

  • 8 ounce Cream Cheese room temp
  • 4 Tablespoons butter room temp
  • 3 Cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  • Grease and flour two 8 inch round baking pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
  • Wash and cut the tops of strawberries. Coarsely chop them. Gently mash strawberries by placing them in a large plastic bag and rolling over it with a rolling pin or large can.You need to measure out one cup once they are mashed.
  • Place cake mix, milk, gelatin mix, vegetable oil, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about two minutes or so. Add in strawberries and juice, mix again until well combined. Pour into baking pans.
  • Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If using two round pans, allow to sit for ten minutes before turning out of pans to cool completely. If baking in 9x13 pan, simply allow to cool in pan.
  • Combine all icing ingredients and mix with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Ice cooled cake.
  • Store cake in refrigerator.
  • Ice cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Important note: If you want to decorate your cake as I have done in these photos, you will need to double this recipe.
*Some people add 1/2 cup crushed, drained strawberries to this icing as well. I leave them out to make the cake a bit prettier and easier to ice but feel free to add them in for more great strawberry flavor! Just mix them in after your icing is smooth and creamy and all other ingredients have been added.
Another note: Your cream cheese and butter really need to be room temperature so set them out earlier in the day before starting this.
If you don't want to you can make this into a sheet cake as well.  This recipe would be good for a 9 x 13 sheet pan. 

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

The versatility of strawberries…

There are so many strawberry dishes that I love. My personal favorite is my Mama’s strawberry pie, My husband’s favorite is Strawberry punchbowl cake, and my son favors good old fashioned strawberry shortcake. 

“The distance between who I am and who I want to be is separated by my actions.”

~Brian Solis

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323 Comments

  1. Hey thanks for the hi video. I know that you will have a great time in New York.Have fun .. Thanks for all you do …..

  2. Hidy dearie,

    How did you know I brought home a big ol’ container of strawberries that need to be fixed right away AND got some vegan gelatin equivalent (so I don’t look at a recipe needing Jello and think, Darn, gotta experiment with the agar again! If you knew my track record with agar you’d see what a heart-sinking thought that is).

    Thank you especially for the little chat. I feel like we just spoke over the back fence, or met at the post office. Don’t feel so alone – you touch many, many lives, and all for the good. I can’t think of anyone who I’d rather see flown to New York and feted and interviewed and wined and dined! Does the family get to come too? Snatch those kids out of school and take ’em if you can; wasn’t it Mark Twain who said something about never letting schooling interfere with education?

    Take this big hug – there! – and have a splendid day!

    Your pal,

    Julia (to you, Mrs. Welch to most folks)
    Lago Vista TX

  3. Can’t wait to try this one! My daughter loves strawberries and her birthday is next week. Since she is having a Strawberry themed birthday…this will go perfectly. I’m so excited to try it! Looks great!

  4. I’ve made this cake several times over the years – I always garnish the top with strawberry “fans” – really makes a beautiful presentation. Thanks for the memories.

  5. Oh my… my mom always made me smush strawberries the hard way growing up with a potato masher… took forever which is why I got the task. 🙂 I love the way you do it. Wish I had known that method a long time ago!!!!!

    Strawberry cake is one of my favorites. Thanks for the great post.

    Michele

    1. Hey Michele!
      I use my potato masher for so many things it ain’t even funny! Used it for strawberries before, too! You got a smart Mama!

      Thank you for reading and chatting with me!!!
      Gratefully,
      Christy

  6. We love you too!! I can’t wait for you to come to the Houston TX area!!

    I wish my family ate strawberries! I wanna make a strawberry cake so bad!!! I may just have to do it anyway and share with friends!!

    1. you know, you could make this in a 9×13 and then cut it after its all done and iced and put in those sandwich size rubbermaid containers to freeze for little treats when you have company or just need one…ok I’m brainstorming here so you can have this cake! lol

      ~SQUEALS~ Thank you for the love!!!! I really really really hope I get to meet you in Houston!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Gratefully,
      Christy

  7. I love the color-would be a perfect birthday cake. I might like mine frosted with cool whip to keep it light and springlike.

    1. ooh I would love that, too!
      I really like to mix sugar free vanilla pudding with half of the milk it calls for and then fold in my cool whip for icing. I use the light cool whip and then there is so much less guilt and like you say, it is SO LIGHT tasting and springlike!!!

      Always a pleasure to see you, Elaine!

      1. I like the light Cool Whip so much better than the regular. Something about the reg’s taste that seems just off a bit.
        Going to try the strawberry cake for Easter Sunday. Bet it well be a major hit!!

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