Strawberry Sheet Cake

If you’ve ever been disappointed by strawberry cake that looks pink but tastes like vanilla, you’re not alone. This Strawberry Sheet Cake is packed with real strawberry flavor thanks to a reduced strawberry puree and strawberry buttercream made with freeze-dried berries. With bold berry flavor and a light, fluffy frosting, this easy sheet cake is perfect for summer parties, potlucks, and birthdays.

A Real Strawberry Cake That Tastes Like Strawberry Cake

I’ve spent years working on this strawberry sheet cake recipe. It’s so difficult to get that bright, fresh strawberry flavor to come through in a cake.

Whole strawberries don’t have enough intensity once they’ve been baked. Strawberry puree alone adds too much liquid without enough taste. Some recipes solve this by leaning on Jello mix or strawberry extract, but I wanted the flavor to come only from real fruit.

The solution? Reducing fresh strawberries down into a thick, concentrated puree. Cooking off the excess moisture intensifies the flavor without turning the cake into a soggy mess. We’re starting with 1.5 pounds of strawberries for a single layer sheet cake, which is a lot of strawberries, but absolutely worth it for a cake that really tastes like summer.

For the frosting, we’re whipping butter with powdered sugar and crushed freeze-dried strawberries for concentrated flavor, then lightening it all up with a generous pour of heavy cream. The result is rich and creamy but not overly dense, with a vibrant strawberry flavor that doesn’t rely on extract.

This is the cake I make when local berries are in season and I want something easy to bake, easy to transport, and guaranteed to disappear fast. It’s simple enough for a weekday, but impressive enough for a party (including a recent appearance at my daughter’s 7th birthday party). And most importantly, it tastes like strawberries!