French Strawberry Cake is mixed in one bowl with fresh summer strawberries. It bakes up with a tender custardy middle and crunchy sugary topping.
If you like this cake, check out my Classic French Crepe Recipe next!
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French Strawberry Cake will be your new favorite sweet treat. Reminiscent of a classic French Apple Cake, it has a crumb that is tender, sweet and custardy. And a delightful sugar crunch topping. This cake is so easy to make. And it’s a great way to show off freshly picked summer strawberries. This cake is a fan favorite!
More favorite strawberry recipes
I have Southern Cast Iron magazine to thank for this original recipe. I picked up their Spring 2016 issue because the collection of recipes looked so irresistibly delicious. Their Strawberry Skillet Cake was the first I chose to make from that issue. But my cast iron skillet at the time was too large. So I decided to bake it in a traditional 9-inch round cake pan.
After being wowed by the look of it coming out of the oven, my kids and I were even more impressed with the flavor. This 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 have officially christened this cake to be known as a ‘French Strawberry Cake‘.
Ingredients for french strawberry cake
- Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are best for this cake. I’ve only ever baked it with fresh strawberries. But some readers have had success using frozen strawberries.
- Butter, Eggs, Sour Cream and Vanilla – I have only tested this recipe using full-fat sour cream. Some readers have had success replacing the sour cream with plain yogurt.
- Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and Salt – I’ve only tested this recipe using all-purpose flour. The granulated sugar is divided, with one cup sugar mixed into the cake batter. And a quarter cup sprinkled on top. Most readers describe the cake as not overly sweet or just sweet enough.
Pro tips
- 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 might 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 my pictures.
- Read through the many reader comments below for more helpful information regarding this cake.
- I bake the cake and serve it straight from its 9-inch round cake pan.
- Some readers have had success baking it in a springform pan. And then transferring it to a platter before serving.
Kitchen tools
- My favorite inexpensive paring knife for slicing the strawberries
- Nine-inch round cake pan for baking the cake
- My favorite set of magnetic measuring spoons and measuring cups for baking
French Strawberry Cake
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.
- 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 the butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
- Fold in strawberries using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter evenly 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 toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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More versions of this cake
fraisier cake, sponge cake, moisture, preheated oven, large bowl, bite
Wendy says
I made this last night and it was delicious! My oven did take a little longer. Tonight we reheated it and I made a simple powder sugar glaze to drizzle over the cake. Wow! Next level good!
foodtasticmom says
Loving the addition of a glaze. I’m happy you enjoyed the cake. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Janice T. says
made your cake and it was absolutely delicious ! So light and fluffy the texture was excellent! Think I will try with blackberries next . Definite hit in the family as they don’t often comment on food unless it’s really good! Thank you for sharing
foodtasticmom says
I’m always so happy to receive comments like yours. I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed my cake. Thank you!
Kate says
I made this last night w/ fresh berries from a local farm. AMAZING! So quick & easy. My husband wouldn’t let me take it to work to share w/ the office haha
foodtasticmom says
Hahaha! Guess you’ll just have to make it again so your co-workers can try it. Love that he didn’t want to share. That’s a great review! 🙂
Connie M says
I made this recipe for the first time today and my family loved it. I added a few more strawberries to the batter and the time needed for baking was 45 minutes for my oven and cake pan. I love the custard-like center! I made a strawberry sauce to accompany the cake for those who wanted even more of a strawberry flavor. I’ll be making this recipe many times this summer. Thanks for a great recipe .
foodtasticmom says
Oh, I love the suggestion of a strawberry sauce! Please share the recipe with us! And thank you for taking the time to leave a positive rating and review. I really appreciate it 🙂
IKR says
This is an excellent recipe yielding a bakery quality cake. You have got to make this-beautiful and delicious!
Kathy says
I made this cake for my book club yesterday and everyone loved it. There was a piece left which my husband ate last night and told me it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. We’ve been married 54 years so that’s saying something! I’m making another one today to give to my daughter and her family.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
T says
I Have a bounty of Strawberries from my garden, so when I saw this recipe it sounded perfect. No changes and my Oven required 40 min. THIS IS DELICIOUS. So easy too, with ingredients I always have .
I will definitely try different fruits in future cakes as well.
Simone says
Can you use a spring form pan? Will the cake hold up without sides? Don’t really want to serve it in my cake pan.
foodtasticmom says
I have had other readers use a springform pan with great success!
H azel says
Can you put the cake all together rap and put it in the fridge and bake it the next day
foodtasticmom says
I’ve not tried that. You probably need to increase the baking time if you are baking it from cold. Or, take it out beforehand to get the chill off of it before baking. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Cindi says
This is a great recipe. I actually made it for my sister using Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 gluten free flour. That’s the only change I made in the recipe. My sister said it was really really good. I live at 5000 ft and high altitude baking can be problematic, however I cooked for 35 minutes and it was done in the middle. I probably could have taken it out at 30 minutes but opted for 35 because a custard center did not sound appealing with gluten free flour.
I plan to make this with some other fruits. This recipe is a keeper!
Sandra says
I’m always VERY hesitant to make a new cake recipe because you never really know how it’ll turn out. I’ve gotta say this one is wow — 10/10. I substituted the sour cream for a high fat greek yogurt cause that’s what we always have in the fridge and wow 😍
I used freshly picked strawberries and it was divine. Not dry AT ALL. Light crispness on top. I prefer less sweet so I used 1/4 cup less sugar in the batter itself (still used it on top) and it was great.
Will make again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe ❤️❤️
Carol B says
I made this cake today. Had to bake it 46 months nd. I live in Colorado Springs, Co. it tastes so good. Easy to make, not overly sweet and tastes delicious. Wish I could sent a picture of it to you. It looks just like yours!
Fran says
I want to make this cake for the first time for family coming. I read through all the comments but I did see where anyone made this a day before serving it. Is it best to bake it the same day it will be served? Thank you,
foodtasticmom says
You can bake it a day ahead. I apologize for the late reply. Hope you enjoyed the cake!
Doree says
I’ve made this cake many times now and it’s absolutely delicious and everyone always comments how much they love it! Thank you so much for sharing.!!
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to rate and review. I always enjoy hearing how much everyone loves this cake!!
Jess says
We have made this for two summers and just love it. Sweet but not too sweet. Could be eaten for a scrumptious breakfast.
foodtasticmom says
I love a slice of this cake for breakfast! Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review.
Roslyn Freeze says
I made a double recipe and found that it made three cakes. I use three heaping cups of strawberries that were imported from South Carolina, the very best I’ve ever tasted. I am just thrilled to have this recipe that I can share with my neighbors.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks for sharing your experience. This cake really is the best for showing off fresh strawberries like that. I’m so happy you appreciate it!
Ragan M says
-Please forgive my typos- I have cake in my mouth! 🤣😉
foodtasticmom says
Love this! You’re welcome. 😉
Mia says
I made this for my mom & daughter (the biggest strawberry lover ever). We all loved it! They both asked that I make it again. Would it be possible to make this into mini muffins? My daughter’s 6th birthday is coming up and this would be a great class treat to share.
foodtasticmom says
I’m not sure about mini muffins, but I think other readers have converted this cake recipe into regular sized muffins with success! One recipe of the French Strawberry Cake should yield 12 muffins. Here’s a great article that goes more in-depth about how to convert cake to cupcakes. Enjoy!
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2019/04/25/how-to-convert-cake-to-cupcakes
Becky says
Did you make this as muffins? Wondering the same thing.
foodtasticmom says
I’ve not personally tried this but I think some other readers have. Here’s an article for how to turn cake into cupcakes – https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/bake/convert-a-cake-recipe-into-cupcakes/
You should be able to follow my recipe and bake the batter in a muffin tin for about 15 – 20 minutes. Let me know how they turn out.
Suzie says
Can you use canned strawberries?
foodtasticmom says
No I would not recommend it.
Paige Hill says
This is a 10!! Easy recipe and absolutely delicious! We’ll make this again soon.
foodtasticmom says
Yay! So glad you all liked my cake!
Rosie Spain says
Could this be baked in a 9” springform pan? And use the sparkling sugar for sprinkling on top to give it more of a crunchy texture? I would think it would look amazing displayed on a nice cake plate or stand for a brunch.
foodtasticmom says
Yes. Other readers have successfully baked this cake in a springform pan. And I think sparkling sugar should work fine and look pretty!
Solsmiles says
Delicious!! Do you think peaches subbed in for strawberries would work? Fresh or frozen?
foodtasticmom says
Yes I think peaches would work. Since this recipe is written for fresh strawberries, I would use fresh peaches. Hope you like it!
Denise says
I’m having my “girls” over for breakfast next weekend and plan on trying this in individual ramekins. AND making it triple berry, fingers crossed they like it
foodtasticmom says
Oh that is a great idea!! Have fun.
Donna says
This is a delicious, easy dessert. I love a recipe that uses fresh fruit and I see from other comments, just about any fresh fruit will work. I will try apples & peaches when in season. My 2 years old grand daughter loved it so much that she asked for it for her 3rd birthday cake this weekend!
First time I made it I thought it was under baked but in hind sight I needed to be more patient and not cut into it so quickly (hard as it is cuz it’s so yummy). It sets up nicely after cooling completely.
foodtasticmom says
Awe, that makes me so happy to hear that your grand daughter requested it for her birthday cake!! The cake is a little more custardy in the middle than some. But yes allowing it to fully cool helps a lot. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review!
Elizabeth Connolly says
This recipe was phenomenal. I needed to use a whole container of strawberries before they turned. So glad to I close this to do the trick! I topped it with lemon whipped cream. Perfection.
foodtasticmom says
Happy you had such a great experience with this cake. Lemon whipped cream sounds fantastic too!
Lind says
Delicious Will make again. Would like to try black berries!
foodtasticmom says
The blackberries right now (at least in Ohio) are fabulous! That would be so good!