Vanilla Strawberry Cake

Name: Vanilla Strawberry Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs (room temperature); 1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature); 1 tablespoon milk (room temperature); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 8-10 large strawberries (halved)

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This Vanilla Strawberry Cake is one of the most easy and delicious desserts to make! There is a soft and moist crumb inside, topped with juicy fresh strawberries. It will be a great Summer single layer cake that can be served for breakfast or dessert!

A vanilla coffee cake, topped with strawberries, in a white round baking pan on a wooden board.

I love making simple one-layer cakes that are easy to whip together, like this Vanilla Strawberry Cake! It has amazing moist and fluffy crumbs inside, topped with fresh strawberries!

This dessert is based on my other popular recipe, Apple Coffee Cake. No matter what fruit or berries you use as the topping, the vanilla cake makes all the difference! It based on sour cream, which provides a lot of flavor and moisture that produces the most delicious crumbs.

And if you want to try more strawberry desserts, please check out my Strawberry Panna Cotta, Strawberry Crumble, No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe and Strawberry Swiss Roll.

A sliced vanilla coffee cake, topped with strawberries, in a white round baking pan.

Why you will love this recipe

Easy to make. It takes only about 10-15 minutes to put it together and transfer to the oven.
Moist and fluffy crumbs. Thanks to the sour cream, this cake gets the moist delicious and soft crumbs.

Ingredients for Vanilla Strawberry Cake in separate bowls.

How to make it

In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ⅛ tsp salt). Whisk and set aside.

A process photo of mixing dry ingredients in a glass bowl.

In a larger mixing bowl, add ½ cup unsalted butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a spatula, cream it together until light and fluffy.

A process photo of mixing ingredients with a hand mixer in a glass bowl.

Add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract and beat again.

Process photos of adding egg and vanilla extract to a batter in a glass bowl.

Then add ½ cup sour cream and 1 tbsp milk and mix until well combined.

Process photos of adding sour cream and milk to a batter in a glass bowl.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ones, and using a spatula, fold it in. Try not to overmix the batter.

Process photos of mixing dry ingredients with batter in a glass bowl.

Pour the batter in a pre-greased 9-inch baking pan and spread evenly. Then top with halved fresh strawberries.

Process photos of of sreading cake batter in a baking pan and topping with fresh strawberries.

Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let it sit on the counter for 10-20 minutes. Then sprinkle some powdered sugar on top before serving.

Tips for best results

Ingredients. Make sure you use room temperature ingredients, like butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk. That will help them to blend together better without curdling.
Mixing. While you can mix the wet ingredients just using a spatula, I always prefer to use a hand mixer. The main reason is it beats the butter and sugar so much better and helps them to stay light and airy. That creates the base for the fluffy crumbs.
Don’t overmix. It’s important not to overmix the batter, so it will stay light and fluffy. Overmixing makes the cake tough and chewy.
Topping. If you like a crispy topping you can sprinkle some course sugar over the berries before baking.
Serving. I like to serve this dessert simply with powdered sugar. You can also top with some whipped cream or even French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store?

You can store this cake covered at the room temperature for a day or refrigerate for 2 days.

What baking pan to use?

I made this and other similar cakes so many times and used different pans. My usual go-to is a classic 9-inch pie pan, because you can serve the dessert right in the pan. Make sure you grease it well, so the cake doesn’t stick to the bottom. You also can use 8-9-inch cake pan or 8×8-inch square baking pan. When I use a square pan, I like to like it with parchment paper, so it’s easier to take the cake out.

Can I substitute sour cream?

Yes. You can use full fat Greek yogurt. Although, I think that sour cream adds more flavor.

Can I use other berries?

Yes! While this recipe is called “Strawberry Cake”, you can easily substitute them with pretty much any other fruit or berries you have on hand, like blueberries, raspberries, peach, apples, mango, pears, and so on.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

I wouldn’t suggest to use frozen berries in this recipe as they have too much liquid and can make the cake soggy.