Unbelievably moist, made with two whole jars of strawberry jam (one for the cake and one for the cream cheese frosting), this strawberry cake will make a strawberry cake lover out of anyone. This recipe started as a happy accident in my own kitchen and will be a birthday tradition for many years to come.
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The Story Behind This Recipe
Here’s a little story about a strawberry cake that shouldn’t have worked.
My husband, who doesn’t really care for sweets, had a birthday quickly approaching. I asked our girls (5 and 2) what they wanted to make him. Their response was a unanimous (and unwavering) “strawberry cake!” Cake day rolled around and I grabbed the nearest gluten-free box cake mix (a new to me brand, Cup4Cup). I followed the instructions on the package, though I swapped melted butter for the oil (I do this for all box mixes), and put the ingredients out for the girls to add to a bowl. I also grabbed a jar of strawberry jam and let Gray, our oldest, spoon some in for the strawberry flavor. I turned my back for mere seconds and when I went back …the whole jar of jam was in the mix. Y’all, 15+ ounces of jam. Knowing the cake probably wouldn’t set but that Austin wouldn’t care either way, I showered the girls in “thank you!”s and finished whisking it up. Wanting to give the cake its best chance in the oven, I poured it into a half sheet pan (to maximize surface area) and popped it in the oven.
Then, a miracle happened. The cake actually set! Amazed, I got to work on a quick strawberry frosting. Cream cheese felt right and, as Gray hadn’t steered us wrong on the cake, I also added another whole jar of strawberry jam. The strawberry cream cheese frosting is soft and luscious in the best way.
Once the cake cooled, the frosting was spread over the top and then the 2nd miracle happened …my husband LOVED IT. Truly. Said it’s the best cake he’s ever had and went on to snack on it for days. A birthday tradition in our home is born!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for the cake itself and for the strawberry cream cheese frosting. All ingredient substitutions are listed below, and exact ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card.
For the Strawberry Cake
- Cup4Cup Yellow Cake Mix – we chose Cup4Cup yellow cake mix for this recipe. It’s the BEST gluten free cake mix we’ve come across. If you can’t find it (or just want to use a different brand), though, you absolutely can. Just be sure to adjust the ingredients below (milk, oil, and eggs) to match what your cake mix calls for.
- Whole milk
- Melted butter – any neutral oil of choice will work here. Butter and avocado oil are our favorite options!
- Eggs
- Strawberry jam
- Freeze-dried strawberries – these are for garnish and are totally optional!
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Strawberry jam
How to Make Strawberry Cake
This cake is incredibly easy to make! Keep in mind that your baking time may differ slightly if you’re using a different yellow cake mix. Here’s how you’ll pull it together:
- Prep – preheat the oven to 325°F, and generously grease a 13×18 “half sheet pan” (or line it with parchment paper).
- Whisk together the wet ingredients – in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, and strawberry jam until combined.
- Add the cake mix – add the Cup4Cup cake mix to the bowl with the wet ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the sheet pan.
- Bake – bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the frosting – add the cream cheese, butter, and jam to a large bowl. Beat on high using an electric hand mixer until creamy and combined. Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture one cup at a time and beat to combine.
- Let cool, then frost – once the cake is baked, let it cool completely, then frost with the strawberry cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle crushed freeze-dried strawberries over the top, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Use a different flavor of jam – looking for a raspberry cake? Use raspberry jam! ANY flavor of jam that you love would be a great swap for the strawberry jam in both the cake and cream cheese frosting.
Let cool before frosting – let your cake cool completely before spreading the frosting on. Frosting a still-warm cake will cause the frosting to start to melt and slide right off the cake.
Make a different cream cheese frosting variation – we’ve got several different cream cheese frosting recipes that will knock your socks off. The chocolate chip (think: chocolate-covered strawberry) and peanut butter (think: PB&J) variations would be REALLY yummy on this strawberry cake too.
Make a firmer frosting – the frosting in this recipe is REALLY soft (almost pancake batter-like). If you want a firmer frosting, cut the cream cheese, butter, and jam in half (4 ounces cream cheese, 4 ounces butter, and 8 ounces jam) and combine that with the 4 cups of powdered sugar. Another option to get firmer frosting is to go ahead and make the frosting with the amounts listed in the recipe card, frost the cake, and then put the frosted cake into the fridge to chill for a couple of hours before serving.
Don’t stress about the dehydrated strawberries – if you can’t find dehydrated strawberries, don’t worry – they can be tricky to find. The cake will still be every bit as delicious without them!
How to Store
Because of the cream cheese frosting, you’ll want to store any leftover cake in the refrigerator. Stored in the fridge your strawberry cake will keep for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can absolutely use this strawberry cake batter for cupcakes. Pour the cupcakes into parchment-lined cupcake tins and bake at 325°F for 25 minutes.
Yes, you can definitely freeze any leftover cake. My recommendation would be to cut the cake into slices and place each slice (not touching) on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the freezer to freeze for a couple of hours – this will allow the frosting to freeze so that you can wrap the individual cake pieces! Then, pull the sheet pan out, wrap each slice in parchment paper, and place them in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy.
The strawberry cream cheese frosting accompanying this cake recipe is our recommendation for sure. It’s perfectly sweet with a tiny bit of tang from the cream cheese! The combo is absolutely delicious.
If you’re looking to get really creative, you could top your strawberry cake with homemade lemon curd for a strawberry lemonade spin.
The cake frosting rule of thumb applies to this recipe too! It’s best to wait to frost your cake until the cake has completely cooled so that the frosting doesn’t start to melt and slide down the cake!
More Favorite Cake Recipes
Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 bag Cup4Cup Yellow Cake Mix
- 1½ cups whole milk room temperature
- ¾ cup melted butter (avocado oil, or your neutral oil of choice, work great too)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 16.5 ounces (1 jar) strawberry jam
- Freeze dried strawberries optional, for topping
For the Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces butter softened
- 16.5 ounces (1 jar) strawberry jam
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Generously grease a 13×18 "half sheet pan" or line with parchment paper).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and strawberry jam until combined. Add the Cup4Cup cake mix and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the sheet pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter, and jam to a large bowl. Beat on high using an electric hand mixer until creamy and combined. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat to combine.
- Once the cake is baked, cool completely, then frost. Sprinkle crushed freeze-dried strawberries over the top, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- We chose Cup4Cup yellow cake mix for this recipe. It’s the BEST gluten-free cake mix we’ve come across. If you can’t find it (or just want to use a different brand), though, you absolutely can. Just be sure to adjust the milk, oil, and egg ingredient amounts to match what your cake mix calls for.
- Something to note: the frosting in this recipe is REALLY soft (almost pancake batter-like). If you want a firmer frosting, cut the cream cheese, butter, and jam in half (4 ounces cream cheese, 4 ounces butter, and 8 ounces jam) and combine that with the 4 cups of powdered sugar. Another option to get firmer frosting is to go ahead and make the frosting with the amounts listed in the recipe card, frost the cake, and then put the frosted cake into the fridge to chill for a couple of hours before serving.
- If you can’t find dehydrated strawberries, don’t worry – they can be tricky to find. The cake will still be every bit as delicious without them!
Nutrition
The frosting is SO good, but how do I get it to not have the little specks of cream cheese? The cream cheese was out for a few hours, so it wasn’t cold.
It also was too runny for the cake. Any ideas?
Hello! Has anyone tried making this recipe as egg free? I normally sub applesauce, buy worry that my cake might be too wet. Thoughts?
Great question, Alicia! We haven’t tried it with applesauce, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let us know if you end up trying it!
I noticed the vanilla extract is included in the description but not in the recipe. Do you know how much?
Adding a second comment because I forgot to rate on my first one!
I made it with Duncan Hines Butter Yellow Cake mix, and it turned out great. Just adjusted the times/measurements per recipe notes. Mine needed a total of 45 mins, but I think it had to do with the pan I used.
I hindsight, I think I’d try fully creaming the butter & cream cheese before adding the jam. My frosting still had those little little visible specs of butter that didn’t get fully creamed. Overall though, super yummy & moist – especially user-friendly for those of us who tend to shy away from baking!
Thanks so much for letting us know that this recipe worked with that cake mix! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Looks amazing! And a good one to make with kids. Can you cut the sugar in the frosting by half or a third?
Definitely, Kate! Hope you enjoy it!
Hi! Is there butter in the frosting? It’s mentioned in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. Thank you!
Could this cake be baked as cupcakes instead? Recommended cooking time?
Yes! We haven’t tested the exact timing but 325°F for 20-25 minutes should be good.
There is! It’s been added!
Thank you! I made this cake and it was delicious and refreshing right out of the fridge. The frosting was “softer” than expected but I think that’s normal considering the amount of jam. It does make a lot so it’s perfect for freezing.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Andy!
I saw this in your IG stories and have been looking forward to this recipe! I just bought this mix on Amazon and can’t wait to make this for Easter! I’ll have to report back after we try it ❤️
Please do, Annette! We hope you love it!
Can this recipe be made with non gluten free cake mix?
We haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not, Janet! Be sure to adjust the egg, milk, and oil amounts to match the package instructions of the mix you’re using. Same with the baking temperature and time!
Oh no! I don’t have a half sheet pan. Could I use a 13×9 and increase bake time?
Yes, April! I did that this weekend. Baking time is 45 minutes!