This fluffy Strawberry Vanilla Cake is a wonderful dessert to make for birthdays, Mother's Day, or any other special occasion. The light and fluffy vanilla cake layers are separated with a fresh strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting offering a sweet and tangy contrast. Piped frosting ruffles add a special touch.
First published May 2013
This strawberry vanilla cake is inspired by a recipe my mother-in-law showed me in an old (Mennonite) recipe book (from 1976). One of the cakes in the booklet is "Sternlicht-Torte" which basically means Starlight Cake. It is my mother-in-law's go-to white cake recipe.
For Mother's Day one year, I thought I would treat her to this favorite starlight cake of hers with added strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients (& Substitutions)
Filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, this is a wonderful cake for the early part of summer when strawberries are at their best and available locally in many places. Here is everything you need to make this strawberry vanilla cake.
- sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- unsalted butter - softened
- cake flour
- baking powder
- salt
- milk - whatever kind you have
- strawberries
- heavy whipping cream
- cream cheese - softened
- red/pink food coloring - or a few drops of beet juice squeezed from shredded beet
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Grease, line and flour cake pans.
- Beat the sugar with the eggs and vanilla. Add softened butter beat on high speed until pale.
- Sift cake flour with baking powder and salt. Beat into egg mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, and starting and ending with flour.
- Divide between 3 cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Don't open the oven before 20 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes them remove from cake pans.
- In a food processor pulse strawberries 10-15 times until the consistency looks like chunky apple sauce.
- For the cream cheese frosting, leave 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree in the food processor and puree until really fine. Press through a strainer to remove the seeds.
- Beat the cream cheese with the sugar and strained strawberry puree until smooth (1 minute). Optionally add a few drops of food coloring/beet juice. Add whipping cream and whip until fluffy (2 minutes).
- To assemble, level the cake layers and place first layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread half of strawberry puree over top. Carefully spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries. Place the second cake layer on top and spread with the remaining strawberry puree and another thin layer of cream cheese frosting. Then add the final cake layer.
- Apply the remaining cream cheese frosting on the top and side of the cake in any preferred way. Or for the ruffled look:
- Very thinly frost the top and outside of the cake with an angled spatula. Place remaining frosting in an icing bag with a petal tip (I used Wilton #104). With the wide side touching the cake pipe vertical ruffles around the cake. Start from the top going to the bottom. The thin end from one ruffle should slightly overlap on the thick side of the previous ruffle.
- Pipe hearts (or flowers) on the top. Decorate with optional sugar pearls or fresh strawberry halves.
- Store cake refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting.
Hint: Make sure you thoroughly grease and flour your cake pans to ensure that the cakes come out of the pans easily.
Variations
The fresh strawberries and cream cheese frosting are perfection in this cake recipe but here are some suggestions for how to can change it.
- Make a Raspberry Vanilla Cake: Once the strawberries are past their prime, you can make this cake with an equal amount of raspberries instead. The cake will result in something with a little more tartness due to the acidity in the raspberries but it will be equally delicious.
- Use Vanilla Buttercream: If cream cheese frosting isn't to your taste, you can make this strawberry vanilla cake with a vanilla buttercream instead. This Easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream would work well, too.
- Use Coconut Cream Frosting: If you are dairy-free, feel free to replace the cream cheese frosting with Whipped Coconut Cream instead and replace the milk with a plant-based milk.
Storage
To store the cake, place it in a cake caddy or a cake plate that has a domed lid and place it in the fridge. It should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Once assembled, I don't recommend that you freeze the cake. However, if you would like to make components of the cake ahead of time, you can bake the cake layers, wrap them tightly and freeze them for 1 to 2 months before using them in this vanilla strawberry cake recipe.
Top Tip
To enhance the colour of the frosting, add a few drops of pink or red food coloring or add some fresh beet juice.
FAQ
To prevent strawberries from running on a cake, you can consider several options. One popular method is to apply a thin layer of frosting on the cake before adding the sliced strawberries. This helps create a barrier that can prevent the juices from seeping into the cake layers. Additionally, refrigerating the cake after adding the strawberries can help set the frosting and minimize any potential running.
Typically, there are approximately 2.5 to 3 cups of whole strawberries in a pound. However, this can vary slightly based on the size of the strawberries and how they are sliced or chopped.
One interesting fact about strawberry cake is that it has been enjoyed for centuries, with variations appearing in different cultures around the world. The use of strawberries in cakes dates back to ancient Rome, where they were incorporated into various sweet dishes, including cakes and pastries.
The concept of incorporating strawberries into cakes can be traced back to early European culinary traditions. Over time, the popularity of strawberry cakes spread across various regions, leading to the creation of diverse strawberry cake recipes and variations tailored to different cultural preferences and tastes.
People enjoy strawberry cake for its delightful combination of sweet and tangy flavors, as well as its vibrant and inviting appearance. The natural sweetness of strawberries, when incorporated into the cake, adds a fresh and fruity dimension that complements the richness of the cake itself. Additionally, the bright red color of the strawberries can make the cake visually appealing and inviting for special occasions and celebrations.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Strawberry Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
For the Starlight Cake:
- 1-½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2-⅛ cup cake flour *
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
For the Strawberry Filling:
- ¾ lb strawberries
For the Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting:
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- few drops of red/pink food coloring or beet juice squeezed from shredded beet
Instructions
For the Starlight Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease, line and flour three 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
- With your electric mixer beat together sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add softened butter and continue beating on high speed until pale in color and very fluffy.
- In another bowl sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture in 3 additions alternating with the milk. Start and end with flour.
- Divide batter between 3 cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Don't open the oven before 20 minutes.
- Cool cakes for 10 minutes in cake pans. Loosen sides with a metal spatula and invert onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper and invert back - so the tops are up.
- If not using the cake right away, you can wrap the cooled layers in plastic wrap and store in the fridge or freezer.
For the Strawberry Filling:
- Wash and hull strawberries. Cut in halves or quarters and place in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse about 10-15 times until the consistency looks like chunky apple sauce.
For the Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting:
- Leave 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree in the food processor and puree until really fine. Press through a strainer to remove seeds.
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar and 2 tablespoon of strained strawberry puree until smooth (1 minute). If you prefer a darker pink hue add a few drop of food coloring/beet juice. Add whipping cream and whip until fluffy (2 minutes).
Assembly:
- Level the cake layers and place first layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread half of strawberry puree over top. Carefully spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries. Place second cake layer on top and spread remaining strawberry puree and another thin layer of cream cheese filling. Then place third cake layer on top.
- Very thinly frost the top and outside of the cake with an angled spatula. Place remaining frosting in an icing bag with a petal tip (I used Wilton #104).
- With the wide side touching the cake pipe vertical ruffles around the cake. Start from the top going to the bottom. The thin end from one ruffle should slightly overlap on the thick side of the previous ruffle.
- Pipe hearts (or flowers) on the top. Decorate with optional sugar pearls or fresh strawberry halves.
- Store cake refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- If you want to make a larger cake, you can double the recipe and bake in 8- or 9-inch cake pans. Or, you can bake the batter in just two 8- or 9-inch pan for a wider but not so tall cake.
Nutrition
Pin this Strawberry Ruffle Cake recipe for later?
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
Oh my gosh. I had no idea how behind I was with my blog reading! I'm so ashamed. I gave up on Google Reader a few months ago and look what happens...
I'll catch up tomorrow but just had to say that this cake looks awesome! And love that book. A recipe in German for snickerdoodles. That's just amazing 🙂
Regina
Oh I totally know what you mean, Erin. Life back in the West seems so hectic - I am ages behind on all blogs.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. And I'll definitely have to try the German snickerdoodles sometime 😉
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat
This cake looks stunning!!! I love it!
Regina
Thank you Holly!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
Your cake is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention looks so so delicious!
Regina
Aww...than you for your sweet comment Tina!
Melissa
This is so pretty, Regina. What a wonderful idea for Mother's Day! It looks so tasty!
Regina
Thank you so much, Melissa!
Melissa
This looks so yummy. I love all things strawberry. Aren't old cookbooks so cool?
Regina
Who can say no to strawberries? Haha, this old cookbook is really awesome but using it is an adventure too, because of the very limited instructions. Definitely gets my baking brains thinking everytime 🙂
Manuela
I should've checked your page earlier. I made a cake for L's birthday with cream cheese, cream, coconut oil and a little bit of honey. but it was so warm in the kitchen when I made it, I had to put it in the freezer before icing the cake. I think it was the coconut oil, that made it so runny. well, for next time I know better. Oh, and I used spinach juice for the color. I wish you could have made it. It would have turned out way better.
Regina
I would have loved to make his cake! But it sounds like you got quite creative yourself there 🙂 Love the idea of spinach juice as coloring.
Colleen
That's a gorgeous looking cake, and it looks delicious!
Regina
Thank you very much Colleen!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
Oh my word this is so pretty!! I wish I had this cake today for Mother's Day 🙂
Regina
Aww...thats so sweet Aimee! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday 🙂
Kathleen Richardson
Such a pretty cake, Regina. I loved the cake recipe and the way you frosted and decorated it so I pinned it right away. Happy Mother's day to you, my friend!
Regina
Happy (belated) Mother's Day to you as well Kathleen! Thank you so much for your lovely comment and pinning.
sally @ sallys baking addiction
Absolutely gorgeous cake! I love strawberries and cake together so much. The layers are amazing!
Regina
Aww...you are so sweet Sally! My first memories of layer cake involve strawberries actually.
[email protected]
You are so talented, Regina! This cake is so pretty and any mom is sure to fall for it! xx
Regina
Thank you so much sweet Ashley 🙂
Sharon @ Bake & Bait
What a pretty cake, i love the ruffles and the pink!!
Regina
Thank you for your lovely comment Sharon and for visiting.
amy @ fearless homemaker
What a gorgeous cake! I love strawberries so I know I'd love this. Such a nice treat for moms (or non-moms) everywhere! =)
Regina
Aw...thanks so much Amy 🙂 This must be kind of a special Mother's Day for you this year, as almost mom
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
OK, so I love little cakes, vintage, strawberries, ruffles...in short, I LOVE this cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Regina
Aww...thanks so much Jacquee! It was a great feeling to be caking again. Gotta get comfortable with smoothing frosting again though 😉
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
It looks great! The ruffles are pretty and more importantly, I'm sure it is delicious. Look forward to seeing more cakes from you before you resume your travels.
Natasha of Natashaskitchen.com
That's awesome that you were able to incorporate the filling and frosting into your cake! 🙂 Your cake is beautiful!
Regina
Thank you so much for the awesome recipe Natasha and your sweet comment 🙂