From Scratch High Altitude Fresh Strawberry Cake

An easy, moist, fluffy, made-from-scratch strawberry cake made with fresh strawberries and frosted with strawberry buttercream. If you’re looking for a homemade high altitude strawberry cake that’s full of fresh strawberry flavor, made without any strawberry gelatin, boxed cake mixes or freeze dried strawberries, then you’ll love this cake!

Looking for more strawberry recipes? You’ll love this strawberry pretzel pie, strawberry pop tarts with sprinkles, mini strawberry shortcakes, and strawberry vanilla bean ice cream.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Easy to Make.

You only need a bowl and whisk to make the cake batter!

Made with Fresh Strawberries & Perfected for High Altitude.

I’m not kidding when I say I’ve tested this strawberry cake recipe over a dozen times over the last few years to try to get it just right. I’ve tried freeze dried strawberries, which add a strong strawberry flavor, but an odd texture. I’ve tried simple pureed strawberries to replace the liquid, but the cake ends up gummy, dense and lacking in strawberry flavor. And I’ve tried strawberry gelatin, which made the worst cake of them all.

So I went back to my popular vanilla cake as the starting point. I thought that by reducing the sugar a little and adding a concentrated strawberry reduction, I could keep the cake’s soft, fluffy and light texture with as much natural strawberry flavor as possible. I also compared the results of using sour cream, melted butter or vegetable oil, and oil was the clear winner for the softest cake with the best rise and most tender, fluffy texture. And when I got it right, I knew this would be the strawberry cake recipe that high altitude bakers have been waiting for.

Versatile Decorating Options.

While recipe testing, I played around with a few different ways to frost and decorate my cake. One option is with a more natural, subtle pink buttercream, with frosting swirls on top of the cake and fresh strawberries. This is a classic look, and always so pretty. The other look I’ve featured is a cake with a deeper pink buttercream (helped by a few extra drops of food coloring), some simple piped rosettes and a few pink and gold sugar pears. This look is sophisticated and a bit fancier. Which do you love most?

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Strawberry Reduction

• Strawberries. You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for the reduction. By simmering the strawberries, you’ll be cooking off some of the water for a more concentrated strawberry flavor in your cake.

Cake

• Whole Milk. Adds moisture and fat for a tender, flavorful cake crumb.
• Lemon Juice. The acidity in the lemon juice enhances the flavor of the strawberries and also makes the cake more tender.
• Strawberry Reduction. The strawberry reduction gives the cake its strawberry flavor.
• Eggs + Egg Whites. Gives the cake strength and structure.
• Vegetable Oil. Makes the cake moist, light and fluffy.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Cake Flour. Flour gives a cake structure, and the lower protein content of cake flour makes a softer, fluffier cake than if you used all-purpose flour.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
• Baking Powder. Leavening agent to help the cake rise.
• Salt. Enhances flavor and balances sweetness.

Buttercream

• Butter. Makes a rich, buttery, fluffy buttercream. I use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, just leave out the extra salt.
• Strawberry Reduction. Gives the buttercream its strawberry flavor and a natural pale pink color.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Food Coloring. This is optional, but you can add a few drops of red or pink gel food coloring to deepen the pink color of the buttercream.

Instructions

Make the strawberry reduction.

• Wash and hull the strawberries, then use a small food processor to puree the strawberries.
• Scrape the pureed strawberries into a small saucepan. Over medium low heat, simmer the strawberries, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until reduced to 3/4 cup. This may take up to 30 minutes.
• Once reduced, transfer the strawberry reduction to a container, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. You can make the reduction up to 2 days in advance. You’ll be using the strawberry reduction in both the cake and the buttercream.

Bake the cake.

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If making half the recipe for a smaller cake, use three 6-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon juice, 1/2 cup strawberry reduction, eggs, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well combined. Whisk in the food coloring, if using. I added 2 small drops super red gel food coloring; without the food coloring, the cakes will be a paler pinkish tan color.

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• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then whisk until everything is evenly distributed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk for about 10-15 seconds, until combined.

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• Divide the batter between the pans, then bang the pans on the counter a few times to pop any large air bubbles.
• Bake the cakes until the tops spring back when gently touched, or a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 21-25 minutes for three 8-inch cakes, and about 18-20 minutes for three 6-inch cakes.
• Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.

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Make the buttercream.

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter for 1 minute until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup strawberry reduction and the vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and the salt.
• Increase speed to medium (#6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) and beat for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 1 more minute to pop any large air bubbles. If desired, beat in a few drops of red or pink gel food coloring for a deeper pink color.
• Remove the cooled cakes from the pans, and stack, fill and frost the cake with the buttercream. See How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost a Layer Cake for more tips.

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• Fit a piping bag with tip 1M, fill with any remaining buttercream, and pipe swirls on top of the cake, if you like. Then top with fresh strawberries just before serving.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

Yes, but your cake won’t be as light and fluffy.

Can I use strawberry jam instead of making the strawberry puree?

No, these are not interchangeable, since strawberry jam will contain extra sugar, and will not work in this recipe.

Do I have to reduce the pureed strawberries first?

Yes, you have to reduce the strawberries as instructed in the recipe. Otherwise, they’ll contain too much liquid, resulting in a gummy, wet texture and a lack of strawberry flavor.

Do I need to strain the seeds out of the strawberry puree?

There’s no need to strain out the seeds, since they are undetectable in the cake and buttercream.

Can I use melted butter instead of vegetable oil?

I’ve tested this recipe with both melted butter and vegetable oil, and the oil makes a better cake. With butter, the cakes didn’t rise as well, and were more dense, while the oil based strawberry cake was very soft, light and fluffy.

How long does this cake stay soft?

Store your cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature to keep it soft and fresh.

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