Drool-worthy Strawberry Cake, and I’m not even kidding with that title! It totally is.
My mom grew up in the Plant City, FL area, which if you were not aware, is the strawberry capital of Florida, if not the US. So she was raised picking strawberries and eating an abundance of them. Maybe that’s why I love strawberries SO much. They even have a very fun Strawberry Festival every year, which I’ve been to one time and man, oh man, at the homemade strawberry shortcake that comes out of that Festival.
strawberry cake
So began my quest for a worthy strawberry cake, after I decided I need to thaw and use this gallon of frozen strawberries my mom passed on to me. It was time to break them out. I went online and found several recipes that sounded delish, so gave one a try. I used one for the sheetcake factor (since I’m not fond of baking layer cakes). Anytime I can bake in a 9×13 pan, I’m in! So, I picked a recipe for the sheetcake and then found another one with icing that I liked better. Cream cheese icing, YUM.
It has a ton of strawberries in the cake and icing and the good part is, it starts with a basic white cake mix. That I love too, but it tastes homemade.
All frosted and ready to eat. Put it in the fridge to chill for awhile before you cut it.
And then it’s even better with some of those leftover strawberries dolloped on top. Oh myyyyyyyyyyy, was this ever good! Are you drooling yet?
This is now going to be my favorite cake to make. 🙂 And it starts with a white cake mix, you gotta love that.
[rewr id=”7″]
Add freshly sliced strawberries with juice to the top for EXTRA flavor!
And prepare to have your guests fall all over you when they can’t get enough of this cake! Let me know if you try it.
For those of you who can’t see the printable recipe above, here’s a screenshot of it!
Could this recipe work in a Bundt cake pan? What modifications should I make?
HI, Caroline, I’m sure it would probably work fine, give it a try. I have no idea if you’d have to modify, but it’s worth a try the first time.
hi Rhone lookssss delish, making it tonight. ? can u double or triple the batter with no problem?
HI, Krystal, since it is a basic box cake, I don’t see any reason why you can’t double or triple it. Just cut down some on the icing, that recipe makes WAY too much, unless you are doing 2 cakes.
so sorry with my typo, I meant Rhoda
Drove past Plant City several times this week(only 30 minutes down the road from my house), every time with the thought of this cake on my mind. Finally stopped and got a flat ($5!) and commenced to baking. I am so happy with the way this turned out, just the most perfect treat for getting ready for the Strawberry Festival!
I grew up in the strawberry fields of good ol’ Plant City, Florida! Thanks for this delicious recipe. I ♥ anything strawberry!
Are the strawberries fresh frozen or with sugar added? I want to make this for Valentine’s Day. Thanks!
You can get whatever ones you like. I used fresh frozen for all, with no sugar added. Some that I had frozen myself.
Hi Rhoda! I made this cake on Sunday when my fiance and I celebrated Valentine’s Day late. It’s delicious!! Strawberry, strawberry, STRAWBERRRY…in the icing, in the batter…so good. The icing is absolutely perfect for the cake. Can’t stop sneaking to the fridge for stolen spoonfuls…
Some tips for other readers: The half-cup of oil was just fine instead of 3/4 cup, so definitely follow Rhoda’s lead on that.
The cake was, as some who have commented noted, done before the 45-minute mark, but I doubted myself and kept it in until 45 minutes, and wound up with a slightly brown cake. It wasn’t unbearable though! Just a little tougher/drier around the edges.
I switched the cream cheese for neufchatel cheese which is the same, but a little lower fat. Big tip: make sure you let the cream cheese soften all the way or else it won’t beat in with the rest of the icing ingredients and you’ll end up with some thick white bits throughout the beautiful pink icing!
The recipe did make a lot of icing, but I split the cake into two 8″x8″ pans (to keep myself from eating the whole thing – one for the office!) and only ended up with half a Ziploc sandwich bag of icing leftover (which is great for touching up slices that don’t have enough icing).
So, this is truly a great collaboration recipe Rhoda! It’s perfect for princess birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and any other occasion when you’re just craving a pink strawberry cake. Yum. Thanks Rhoda!
Thanks, Jessica for chiming in on your tips. I did this cake on a whim a few years ago and can’t believe all the pins it has gotten, so I’m happy to share it and it truly is a wonderful cake. I’ve got to make it again. I’m so glad many of you are trying it too, it’s delish!
Is the Jello ready to eat stuff or is it the Jello that you have to dissolve? Thanks.
Hi, Audrey, it’s the jello you dissolve, dry in a box.
Thanks, Rhoda.
I made this cake today and it’s the best Strawberry cake EVER!!! Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Oh my gosh! This cake is amazing! It was gone in 10 minutes. Next time I will have to make at least 2 of them. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
Got it in the oven now . Smells Devine! Hope it’s as good as the one that put me into labor 30 years ago. Looks like it!
Quick question, do I add all the regular ingredients from the box cake mix too? Thanks, I can’t wait to try this!
Hi, Robyn, NO, just dump the white cake mix in with the above ingredients, don’t add what the cake mix calls for too, just use the cake mix alone with all above! You’ll love it!
Hey Rhoda,
I just wanted to tell you thank you for this recipe. I made it Saturday for my family and everyone loved it. My husband said it was just like his Grandma Ruby’s cake (which he hadn’t had in many years). He just bragged and bragged on it. Needless to say, I was quite proud. 🙂 Also, Lord willing, I’ll be making it for our Easter dinner. God bless ya!!
Jenni
Can you use fresh strawberries?
Yes, Traci, use those fresh strawberries!
Looks delicious! Do you think I could make this in a bundt cake pan? I want to serve it for Easter and am wanting something that looks a little bit prettier. Will the same recipe work?
HI, Lauren, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in a bundt pan, give it a try! You will need to cut the icing down, it makes a ton!
Rhoda,
Thank you so much for this recipe. It tastes more like my mother’s than anything I have tried. She never wrote it down. I remember the white cake mix, jello and strawberries and she used a stick of butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar in almost every cake frosting she made. She was gifted in the kitchen and rarely wrote things down. With your recipe, just maybe I can recreate some memories when we have our Strawberry Festival in Humboldt, Tennessee. Thank you, again!
I’m not use to seeing someone from my neck of the woods! I’ve marched in the Strawberry Festival parade many times with the Rutherford Jr High and GCHS band. I’m going to be making this cake to take for mother’s day, but I accidentally grabbed strawberry cake mix! Guess I’m going to have an extra strawberryy cake lol.
Got to make this cake, looks so dang yummy!! Thanks so much. I live in Lakeland, FL, one town away from Plant City, hit the Strawberry Festival every year!!
I made this cake and I can not wait to make it again, So good! 🙂
Rhoda, I don’t know if you’ll see this so far down the road, but if you do…please let me know if the frozen berries you use in the cake are in syrup (as they are in the frosting) or if they are just frozen berries with no sugar added. Thanks, Beth
Hey, Beth, I would just use regular berries with no syrup. I think I used all fresh and frozen (from my mom’s freezer) berries with no sugar or syrup. It’s great!
That was fast, Rhoda! Thanks so much. Hope you enjoy your Mother’s Day weekend with your family. Beth 🙂
Don’t wait to make this cake. I have made a similar cake for 20 years and just looking at this picture makes me crave one. I dont use cream cheese in my frosting though. The best cake ever.