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 Chocolate Strawberry Cake 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
Video
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.
Notes
Nutrition
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More versions of this cake
fraisier cake, sponge cake, moisture, preheated oven, large bowl, bite
IKR says
This is an excellent recipe yielding a bakery quality cake. You have got to make this-beautiful and delicious!
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 🙂
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! 🙂
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!
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!
amy says
I have not made this cake yet–but was wondering how many it serves? Also, I love showing off the cake prior to serving…can it be removed from the cake pan and put on a cake plate without ruining it?
foodtasticmom says
I’ve had readers say they bake it in a springform pan if they want to serve it on a cake plate instead of out of the pan and that it works well to do that. Also this cake serves 8. Enjoy!!
Anne says
I made this in a 9 inch round cake pan, and turned it out onto a serving plate. I cut parchment paper to encircle the bottom, sprayed the bottom with cooking spray, added the parchment, and sprayed that. Once completely cool it came out of the pan easily, and looked wonderful. Wish I could add a photo!
foodtasticmom says
I really appreciate you sharing how you got the cake out of the pan. This is so helpful! Glad you enjoyed that cake. Thanks for your tips!
CakeGrrl says
This cake was very quick and easy to make, but tastes like you spent all day making it. It made my entire house smell amazing as it baked! I turned it into a triple-berry treat by using a combination of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, which encapsulated all the flavors of summer into each bite. I also substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It turned out perfectly and I got rave reviews – my family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll definitely be making it again and again with whatever abundance of fruit I have on hand.
foodtasticmom says
Love your wording … encapsulating the flavors of summer. Fabulous! Thanks so much for takin the time to write such a thoughtful review.
Patty says
Fabulous and delicious!
I added a splash of buttermilk.
I’ve had so many orders for this Fantastic Cake 🍓🍓🍓
Thank you 😊
foodtasticmom says
I love hearing this! Do you have a baking business? Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review!
Juna says
Is it ok to use thawed out strawberries instead of fresh strawberries?
foodtasticmom says
As long as they aren’t mushy. If there’s a lot of extra liquid after thawing the strawberries, be sure to drain them before putting them into the cake. Let us know how it turns out!
Lindy says
I made a cupcake version with blueberries. It cooked for about 20 minutes in a silicone muffin pan. They didn’t come out as custardy as the full size cake, but still delicious! Very light and i love the crackle top!
foodtasticmom says
I love that this recipe is so versatile! Thank for taking the time to rate and review!
Kathybathy says
I made this recipe after we went strawberry picking and ended up with buckets of berries. I decided to try it out and am so glad I did. I’m not a natural cook and I read through all the directions and this was simple for a beginner like me. It took longer in my oven, but it turned out great. I had friends over the next day and they finished it off and begged for the recipe. I can’t wait to make it again
foodtasticmom says
It’s been a while since I’ve gone strawberry picking. Now I want to go! So happy you are your friends enjoyed the cake!
Monica says
I have made this cake probable a dozen times since finding this recipe, I have not met a single persone who does not end un in love with this cake. Whenever i make them I make two at a time just cuz I know one will not last very long before its completely eaten up.
Apart from being absolutely heavenly it’s pretty easy to make and the instructions are perfect.
Thank you Jill for bringing so much joy to our dining tables 🙂
foodtasticmom says
Love to hear this, thank you so very much Monica!!
Amy says
Have you ever doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan! Curious if that will work. I need to feed a large group. Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
I have not tried this. According to this conversion chart (https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cake-pan-size-conversions/) 9×13 holds same volume as two 9-inch round cake pans. So in theory it should work. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Karen Tousignant says
This is absolutely delicious! I used more strawberries, so yummy!
foodtasticmom says
Good to know you can stuff even more strawberry goodness in this cake! 🙂
Christine says
This is one my favorite recipes! It’s also requested a lot by my friends and family. In fact, I’ve been asked to make 4 of them this week – two strawberry and two blueberry.
I am curious on your thoughts of storage (in that off-chance there’s leftovers). Should it be refrigerated?
foodtasticmom says
If it’s just a day, I leave it out on the counter. Beyond that, I refrigerate the cake. It’s good cold! 🙂 I’m always so tickled that this recipe is so well loved… and that it works so well with other fruit. Thanks for taking the time to leave your positive feedback, I appreciate it!
Nancy says
Can this cake able to be frozen?
foodtasticmom says
I have not frozen this cake myself before. I’m not sure how it would work since there are so many strawberries in the cake. My fear is that the cake would get mushy after thawing. If you want to try it, here’s a good article on ‘How to Freeze Cakes’ (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-freeze-cakes/)
Ann says
I made this cake yesterday and it was a huge hit. It’s nice and light and really easy to make. The custard consistency in the middle really put it over the top. I noticed you made this with sliced apples also. I’ve already been asked to make another one. How many apples should I use? Also, can I substitute 1/2 cup buttermilk for the sour cream? Thank you for such a great recipe.
foodtasticmom says
Depending on the size of your apples, you’ll use about 3 – 4 cups of sliced apples. I’ve not substituted the sour cream with buttermilk before. I know others have used yogurt instead of sour cream. The sour cream has a much thicker texture than buttermilk. I’m not an expert level baker, so I’m not sure if that will work or not. Good luck! And I’m so glad the first time you made this cake that it was a hit!
Rafael says
Thanks for sharing this French Strawberry Cake recipe , this recipe seems so delicious . Will love to try this amazing one, just super excited to make this .
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome, enjoy!
Tanya says
Can I use frozen strawberries? And what are the changes I need to incorporate in the recipe to use frozen strawberries?
foodtasticmom says
I have not tried using frozen strawberries, so I’m honestly not sure how to answer. This article talks about baking with frozen vs. fresh berries and might be helpful for you: https://blog.blueapron.com/a-guide-to-baking-with-frozen-berries/
If you don’t thaw them first, I would imagine the baking time needs to be increased. Come back and let me know if you try it and how it turns out for you!
Rafael says
Thanks for sharing this French Strawberry Cake, seems so delicious , will definitely gonna try this.
foodtasticmom says
Glad to hear it. This cake is just amazing! Enjoy!
Rafael says
This French Strawberry Cake seems so delicious , will love to make this one . Thanks for sharing this one
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome!
Laura Hampel says
Not only stunningly beautiful, so delicious! My go to cake when company comes! Thanks so very much!!
foodtasticmom says
You’re most welcome. Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment!