Strawberry Cake with Buttercream Frosting
A stunning three-layer strawberry cake with intense flavor from fresh berries and Jello, topped with light strawberry buttercream frosting. Dense, moist, and beautifully pink.
23 mins
Ingredients
Cake
Frosting
Equipment Needed
- 3 (9-inch) cake pans
- electric mixer
Ingredients
Cake
Frosting
Equipment Needed
- 3 (9-inch) cake pans
- electric mixer
Instructions
Make the Cake
- 1
Preheat and prepare pans
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- 2
Mix batter
In a large bowl, mix all cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low until just combined. Scrape the side of the bowl, and increase mixer to medium and beat for 3 minutes.
- 3
Bake
Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
- 4
Cool cakes
Cool cake in pans on rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. If using the strawberry buttercream frosting, refrigerate cakes until completely chilled.
Make the Frosting
- 1
Beat butter
In a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until it's pale yellow and fluffy.
- 2
Add sugar and strawberries
Add powdered sugar and strawberries and beat at low speed until well combined and creamy.
- 3
Chill frosting
Set in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes to firm it up slightly (you just don't want it to be runny).
Assemble the Cake
- 1
Frost first layer
Spread one of the layers of cake with frosting then refrigerate.
- 2
Frost second layer
Frost the second layer and refrigerate until the frosting on both layers has firmed up a bit.
- 3
Final assembly
Assemble all the layers and frost the top and sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook's Notes
This cake combines the best of both worlds: strawberry Jello for rich pink color and fresh strawberries for intense flavor and texture. The cake is dense and moist (a butter cake, not a sponge), perfect for special occasions. For an extra fluffy frosting, add marshmallow fluff to the buttercream. The cake and frosting both benefit from refrigeration between steps - patience is key! Can be made as 36 cupcakes (bake ~17 minutes) or a 9x13 pan plus 12 cupcakes. For chocolate lovers, substitute chocolate frosting and top with chocolate-covered strawberries. If fresh strawberries aren't available, frozen work in a pinch - chop before fully thawed and drain well.
Get Weekly Recipes
Join our newsletter for hand-picked family recipes every week.