Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

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Fresh Strawberry Cake is my Mama’s favorite and a guaranteed showstopper. I mean look at this y’all. I’ve served this at baby showers, bridal showers, brunches and made for birthdays as well. My favorite place to serve it, though, is at my own dinner table.

When Are Strawberries In Season?

I’ve had strawberries on the brain lately. The national strawberry season can be January all the way through to November so it is usually easy to find them at stores. Prices may vary depending on the time of year you want them.   In deeper parts of the South they are usually ready for harvesting April and May.

When I get them I tend to eat them all on the way home, then throw the container in the trash on my way in the house. The trick is always to hide the evidence! So it’s a big restraint for me to have enough left to make fresh Strawberry Cake! Check out some of my other delicious cake recipes like Triple Chocolate Cake (a.k.a Chocoholic Cake)Red Velvet Bundt CakeChocolate Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Coca Cola Cake ~Oh So Good!~.

I mean Y’all, look at that beauty.  It tastes even better than it looks!

The ingredients you will need for the cake are:

  • White cake mix
  • Strawberry gelatin mix
  • Cooking oil
  • Milk
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Three eggs

Helpful Kitchen Tools

  • Wash your strawberries and cut the tops off, slice them up a bit.

Mashing Strawberries for Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • Put them in a big old plastic bag and crush them a bit. You can use a rolling pin if you want to be civilized but somedays call for a few fun karate chops!

*The amount of strawberries needs to be one cup after they are crushed, not before.

Mashed Strawberries for Fresh Strawberry Cake

You can use any method of crushing that you like but I find a plastic bag and a can of somethin‘ works just great.

Mixing up Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • In a large mixing bowl, place cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, and gelatin.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Batter

  • Mix that up with an electric mixer until you have a smooth, creamy, pink batter, about two minutes.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Batter

  • Add in your crushed strawberries, juice and all.
  • Mix that up again.

Batter for Fresh Strawberry Cake in Cake Pans

  • Now grease and flour two round cake pans.
  • Divide your batter evenly among the cake pans
  • Bake these at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and allow to sit in the pans for ten minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Making Cream Cheese Icing For Fresh Strawberry Cake

Now let’s make us some cream cheese icing.

Ingredients needed for cream cheese icing

Important note: If you want to decorate your cake as I have done in these photos, you will need to double this recipe.

Another note: Your cream cheese and butter really need to be room temperature so set them out earlier in the day before starting this.

  • Place your butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix ’em up til they’re nice and creamy smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

  • Ice your cake however you like.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Look how pretty this fresh strawberry cake is!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

And this cake is just as delicious as it is pretty!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Now cut it quick! The youngun’s are a waitin’!

Store this cake in the refrigerator. It’s even better served cold!

 

fresh strawberry cake

Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Fresh Strawberry Cake is my mother’s favorite and a guaranteed showstopper. I mean look at this y'all. I’ve served this at baby showers, bridal showers, brunches and made for birthdays as well. My favorite place to serve it, though, is at my own dinner table.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: strawberry
Servings: 4
Calories: 393kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Package Plain White Cake Mix
  • 1 Cup Chopped strawberries with juice
  • 3/4 Cup Milk
  • 1 Package Strawberry Gelatin 3 ounce
  • 3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 3 Eggs

Icing

  • 8 ounce Cream Cheese room temp
  • 4 Tablespoons butter room temp
  • 3 Cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  • Grease and flour two 8 inch round baking pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
  • Wash and cut the tops of strawberries. Coarsely chop them. Gently mash strawberries by placing them in a large plastic bag and rolling over it with a rolling pin or large can.You need to measure out one cup once they are mashed.
  • Place cake mix, milk, gelatin mix, vegetable oil, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about two minutes or so. Add in strawberries and juice, mix again until well combined. Pour into baking pans.
  • Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If using two round pans, allow to sit for ten minutes before turning out of pans to cool completely. If baking in 9x13 pan, simply allow to cool in pan.
  • Combine all icing ingredients and mix with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Ice cooled cake.
  • Store cake in refrigerator.
  • Ice cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Important note: If you want to decorate your cake as I have done in these photos, you will need to double this recipe.
*Some people add 1/2 cup crushed, drained strawberries to this icing as well. I leave them out to make the cake a bit prettier and easier to ice but feel free to add them in for more great strawberry flavor! Just mix them in after your icing is smooth and creamy and all other ingredients have been added.
Another note: Your cream cheese and butter really need to be room temperature so set them out earlier in the day before starting this.
If you don't want to you can make this into a sheet cake as well.  This recipe would be good for a 9 x 13 sheet pan. 

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

The versatility of strawberries…

There are so many strawberry dishes that I love. My personal favorite is my Mama’s strawberry pie, My husband’s favorite is Strawberry punchbowl cake, and my son favors good old fashioned strawberry shortcake. 

“The distance between who I am and who I want to be is separated by my actions.”

~Brian Solis

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323 Comments

  1. This was one of mom’s favorite cakes. I enjoyed it too but she really loved it. I think I’ll have to make one and think of her (and you) Thanks for reminding me of the beautiful cake. Hugs.

  2. I love the fact that you are sharing all the families recipes. I love to receive recipes from friends and family and have saved quite a collection from over the years. Thank you so much for all the wonderful southern recipes. I am from Minnesota but was raised most of my life in the south. I learned from my southern boyfriends mothers how to cook dishes. Thank you for adding to my collection.

    Weezie

  3. Good grief Christy, love you girl. Thanks for all that you do in sharing your recipes with us. That cake looks so good I want to take a bite out of my monitor. I have what I need to make it but the strawberries. I don’t see how you do all that you do. You are the sweetest person, wish you were my neighbor, and I love your giggle. I really love your stories, reminds me of my upbringing.

    Lotsa hugs

  4. Christy,

    I allow myself one “good cheat” per week and this cake says it all!

    Also, congratulations on your current successes and those yet to come.
    Since I found your website(a month ago), I’ve been living vicariously through you and enjoying every moment!

    Missing My Beloved Alabama,
    LaShawn

  5. Christy,

    The strawberry cake looks awesome! I’ve never made a strawberry cake, but I think I will now!

    I’m sure you will love New York City. I’ve been to Long Island but it was for work and I didn’t get to do any sightseeing.

    My hubbie and I are so looking forward to meeting you and huggin’ your neck when you come to the DFW area on your book tour!

    Take care,

    Denise
    Dallas, TX

  6. Christy,

    That cake looks scrumptious!
    We have a pick your own strawberry field nearby and I can hardly wait to get out there with my grand-kids. Last Spring was so much fun with them. I wonder which had more strawberries our big bucket or their little tummy’s. The evidence was all over their face. : )
    I loved your video Christy. I just know you’re going to love New York. I’ve only been there once. But I hope to go back one day. Spring is a great time for your visit. I know you’re going to have a blast. Now don’t you miss a chance to go to the Empire State building. You have to do that. Have you ever seen “Sleepless in Seattle” or “An Affair to Remember”?… then you know you have to. And you have to get a hot dog from a little man selling them on the street. You just have to. My daughter and I kept putting it off. Then forgot about it all together, my biggest regret on the whole trip was leaving before I ate my hotdog on the streets of New York. : ) Next time it’s first on my list of thing’s to do.
    Take care,
    Blessing’s to you and your’s!
    Sheila

  7. You are just precious! My Mother (the cake lady) is going to love this recipe. Thank you! By the way, I don’t do gradual in my kitchen either.

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