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French Strawberry Cake

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Welcome! You are in for a treat with this French Strawberry Cake. Mixed in one bowl with the season’s freshest strawberries, this cake bakes up with a custardy middle and crackly, sugary top. This cake has thousands of fans. Read on to see why…

slice of french strawberry cake on plate with whole strawberry and whipped cream

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This French Strawberry Cake will be your new favorite summertime treat. Reminiscent of a classic French Apple Cake it has a crumb that is sweet and custardy with a top that bakes up light and crumbly. This cake is the perfect way to show off those fresh picked strawberries!

overhead view of french strawberry cake in pan

 

I have Southern Cast Iron magazine to thank for the original recipe. I picked up their Spring 2016 issue because the collection of recipes looked so irresistibly delicious. The Strawberry Skillet Cake was the first I chose to make but my cast iron skillet is much bigger than 9-inches in diameter. So I decided to see how this cake fared in a traditional 9-inch cake pan.

overhead view of french strawberry cake slice

After being wowed by the look of it coming out of the oven my family and I were even more impressed with the taste. The cake is moist and custardy in the middle. I looked up the ingredients for a classic French Apple Cake and other than the addition of sour cream this is basically the same cake but with strawberries instead of apples. So I am calling it French Strawberry Cake.

side view of french strawberry cake in pan

 

Watch how to make French Strawberry Cake:

Helpful tips for making French Strawberry Cake:

  • From the comments it is reinforced that oven temperatures vary wildly. My oven bakes this cake in about 40 minutes. For others they’ve left the cake in for much longer. The center of this cake when baked will still have a custard-like texture. Not raw but more moist than other cakes you may be used to.
  • Be sure to dry your strawberries thoroughly before mixing them into the batter.
  • Save a few strawberries (about 1/2 cup) to place on top of the cake before sprinkling it with sugar if you want the cake to look like the photographs.
  • Use full-fat sour cream, not low fat.
  • Full fat, plain Greek yogurt may be used as a substitute for the sour cream.
  • Read the comments below for more helpful information regarding this cake.
  • I bake the cake and serve it straight from the 9-inch baking pan. Find the baking pan I use for this cake here.

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Made in one bowl. So easy but so impressive! #frenchstrawberrycake #cakerecipes

French Strawberry Cake | Foodtastic Mom #frenchstrawberrycake #cakerecipes

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French Strawberry Cake
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4.91 from 116 votes

French Strawberry Cake

French Strawberry Cake makes a stunning presentation straight out of the pan it is baked in - plus it is mixed together in just one bowl. An easy and impressive cake for strawberry season.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 430kcal
Author Jill McOwen

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
  • Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
  • Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.

Notes

I used a 9-inch, light silver metal cake pan for this cake. I also used fresh, not frozen strawberries.
The cake is meant to be "custard-like" in the middle. Not under baked but not "crumby" like a traditional cake.
Some people have reported needing to bake the cake longer than the recommended time of 35 - 40 minutes. Color of cake pans, size of strawberries and individual ovens will all factor into the correct baking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal
French Strawberry Cake

More strawberry recipes:

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yang says

    5 stars
    It looks so pretty and delicious! Here from where I’m from, it’s a bit tough to find fresh strawberries. Whenever I find some, they’re usually then sold at a pretty expensive price. When I find some, I will immediately purchase and bake following your wonderful recipe. Can I add a few walnut slices to it to add a little bit of crunch?

    Reply

  2. Anita says

    5 stars
    I just made this recipe using frozen raspberries and it is delicious, the only problem I had was that I accidentally grabbed an 8″ pan instead of the 9″ it calls for so it took a lot longer to cook through causing the bottom to brown a little too much .I am wondering if you or anyone has tried using a springform pan I stead for a pretty presentation at the dinner table

    Reply

  3. Karen Nicholl says

    5 stars
    I made this wonderful cake last night and it was splendid! It is strawberry season here on the west coast of Florida and I had tons, I doubled the recipe and threw it all into a glass 9″ x 13″ pan, I added 10 minutes to the bake time and it turned out perfect!! I would make this cake again in a heartbeat and I will share this recipe with all of my family and friends. Thank you so very much.

    Reply

  4. Casey says

    5 stars
    I made this before and was pleased with it. Bought a flat of berries last week and made two this morning, one for my hubs and myself and the other for my mother. Perfect in 40 minutes. Wish I could post a picture!!

    Reply

  5. JeannetheBaker says

    4 stars
    this cake was great. Brought to a dinner and got lots of compliments.

    The most time consuming part of it was slicing the strawberries. I used Greek yogurt(2% fat) and it was a bit dry, so I did need to add a bit more than specified in the recipe.

    Will definately make this again, and would try different fruits (e.g, blueberries or straw/blueberry mixture.

    Reply

  6. Adele says

    5 stars
    I would give this 10 stars if i could
    Its incredible.Great for dessert, for breakfast, or for a coffee break. I had about a cup of strawberries begging to be eaten and a cup of bleberries plus anout 1/2 cup of fresh pinepple. I chopped the pineapple and put it in a nonstick skillet to dry it out and caramelize it. I mixed all the friit and baked. Probably cooked it about 25 minutes longer due to the amount of friit i used. I could eat the whole thing

    Reply

  8. Virginia Wright says

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! I have made it several times and always get asked for the recipe! I have made with frozen apples, blueberries, rhubarb, etc. and it is always delicious! I have several friends that do the gluten free so I made it with almond flour and again it was amazing!

    Reply

  9. Arlene Grace says

    Excellent recipe! May now be my family’s favorite cake, I know it’s mine.. Couldn’t have been more perfect and better than you could ever describe. The baking and preparation hints were invaluable to the results. Very simple and easy to make and a beautiful presentation without all that heaviness of a regular cake and no heavy icing. All the flavor and texture of a truly great cake. Can’t wait to make it again. Definitely going to be my summertime cake. My family will demand it to be. LOL.

    Reply

  10. Julie says

    Had berries that the spouse said were “getting squishy” (they weren’t) so I made the cake today and added mini chocolate chips (because, match made in heaven….). I didn’t add the sugar on top as I’m planning on freezing it for a later date. I’ll circle back once we’ve tasted it 😀

    Reply

  11. KATHRYN says

    5 stars
    I made this exactly as written and it was awesome! I also switched it up and used ripened pears, topping with an almond glaze/drizzle. Both fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply

  13. SHERRY MCCUNE says

    5 stars
    My daughter’s boyfriend is a french foreign exchange student and I made this cake for his birthday because I knew he liked strawberries. He loved it and said that it tasted like it came from a french boulangerie, or bakery as we call it. You knocked this recipe out of the park! I have made it several times since then, and am now making it for Valentines Day, going to drizzle a little chocolate over the top for decoration.

    Reply

  16. Shauna says

    5 stars
    I’ve been making this recipe for years! My family loves it so much, I always end up making it for my moms birthday every year. Love love love this recipe!

    Reply

  17. Diane O'Donnell says

    5 stars
    I have made this a few times and each time it is a hit!!! Many have commented that it is one of the best desserts they have ever had and I have to agree wholeheartedly. It is so delicious on its own but I wanted to “jazz” it up even more and served it with a mascarpone sauce. WOW! Amazing…..Thanks for posting the recipe!.

    Reply

  18. Kj says

    5 stars
    Super recipe as many have attested to . Accidentally added the sour cream before the flour mix…oops . No problem though, just slowly add the flour. I made it in my spring form pan & that worked out perfectly for serving. Also made a simple strawberry sauce to drizzle over a little with a squirt of whipped cream. Super! Do you recommend refrigerating leftovers ? Thanks. Will serve to company when the Covid19 lifts. 🙂

    Reply

  19. Beth says

    5 stars
    Simply the best. This is such an amazing recipe. So delicious and so easy. I used frozen strawberries because it is all I had,, and while it was wetter than some of you may have liked, I thought it was perfection. “Best dessert ever” one of our children said. Can’t wait to make it again. Slam dunk!

    Reply

  21. kitcheniest says

    5 stars
    I’m not a fan of super sweet, and usually cut back on the sugar in any recipe. This I’ve made twice, just as written and it’s perfect! The first time I served, I had some freshly whipped cream to accompany but discovered I actually like it best without. The sprinkling of sugar makes a nice crispy “crust” and the inside is moist and just a bit custard- like. I use a springform pan and find it ideal. We’ll make this often – thank you!

    Reply

  22. Laura says

    5 stars
    Hi, I’m going to make this tonight! I was just wondering about the black and yellow “subscribe” box at the top. There’s no “x” so I can’t delete it, even though I already subscribed. It makes my iPhone screen shorter.

    Reply

  24. Gary Murphy says

    5 stars
    I have made this four times now and it is my favorite cake recipe (I don’t like chocolate). Comes out perfect. A coarser organic raw sugar works best for sprinkling on the top. Another time I substituted fresh blueberries, but it took much longer to bake.

    Reply

      • Joellyn Moynahan says

        I am going to make this French Strawberry Cake this weekend and I was wondering if you think it would be ok to make it in a divided scone pan. Your thoughts please. Thank you, Joellyn

        Reply

        • foodtasticmom says

          I’ve not tried that. But I’m pretty sure someone commented a while back that they made them as muffins. Just decrease the baking time accordingly. Come back and let us know how they turned out!

          Reply

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