Description
This easy fresh strawberry sheet cake is a delightful way to enjoy the natural sweetness of strawberries combined with a moist, tender cake base. Topped with a smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberry slices, it’s perfect for celebrations or a sweet everyday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Sheet Cake
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (170g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (56g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk (80g)
- 340g fresh or frozen strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups puree)
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (20g)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Optional: a few drops of pink gel food color
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature (340g)
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam (80g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (60g)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (80g)
- Pinch of salt
Assembly & Decoration
- Fresh strawberries to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (conventional, no fan) and line a 9×13″ baking pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Prepare Strawberry Puree: Using a food processor, blitz the fresh or thawed frozen strawberries to create a puree. You can leave some texture if desired for a more natural strawberry presence in the cake.
- Combine Wet Mixtures: Add the strawberry puree and milk to the wet ingredient mixture. Whisk together until fully combined.
- Sift and Add Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a hand whisk just until combined and free of lumps. Be careful not to overmix to maintain cake tenderness.
- Add Optional Color: If desired, add a few drops of pink gel food color and gently fold it in without overmixing.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Avoid overbaking to keep the cake moist.
- Cool Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: In a bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, strawberry jam, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. Whisk on medium-low speed until smooth, silky, and lump-free. Do not overmix to avoid runny frosting.
- Assemble and Decorate: Once the cake is fully cooled, remove it from the pan or keep it inside to serve. Spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting evenly over the cake. Decorate with fresh sliced strawberries as desired.
- Serve: Slice the cake and serve at room temperature. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator to keep fresh.
Notes
- This recipe yields a light layer of cream cheese frosting; increase frosting ingredient quantities if you prefer a thicker layer between or on top of the cake.
- For best results, use fresh strawberries when in season or fully thaw frozen strawberries at room temperature before pureeing.
- To keep the cake moist, avoid overbaking; check doneness at 30 minutes and remove promptly.
- If you don’t have pink gel food color, you can omit or substitute with natural beet juice for subtle coloring.
- Ensure cream cheese is softened to room temperature to avoid lumps in the frosting.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving for best flavor and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg