Easy Strawberry Cake (+Video)
This Easy Strawberry Cake starts with a boxed cake mix, strawberry jell-o, fresh strawberries and is topped with cream cheese frosting!
A SIMPLE STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This Easy Fresh Strawberry Cake starts with a boxed cake mix, strawberry jell-o, fresh strawberries and is topped with a sweetened cream cheese frosting! It is a deliciously simple way to use all those fresh-picked strawberries. The cake mix makes it easy but the fresh strawberries and cream cheese frosting make it taste totally homemade!
TIPS FOR MAKING STRAWBERRY CAKE:
- For this recipe I am using a vanilla cake mix and adding strawberry Jell-O instead of using a strawberry cake mix. This gives the cake a more homemade flavor rather than tasting like a boxed cake mix. But if you want, you could certainly use a strawberry cake mix.
- I’m also using my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe that I like to use for my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake. It really is the perfect frosting for this cake but you can use a store-bought canned frosting if that is your preference.
- Frozen strawberries can be used. Just make sure they are unsweetened and thawed before using.
- If you don’t like a cream cheese frosting, just leave out the cream cheese. It will then be a buttercream frosting. Adjust milk in the frosting to get the consistency you enjoy.
- It’s super important that the cream cheese is fully softened. If not, it won’t mix smoothly and you’ll end up with al bumpy frosting.
- This can be made as a layer cake. Just use (2) 8-inch round baking pans. Adjust baking time as necessary (you can go by cake mix instructions on the back of the box.)
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- vanilla cake mix
- strawberry gelatin mix (Jell-O)
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- water
- fresh strawberries
- cream cheese
- butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- milk
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Y’all know I love this kind that has flour in it. Perfect for baking.
Give your strawberries a good rinse then gently dry them with a paper towel. Remove the stems and dice them up.
Then stick them in a plastic Ziploc bag and start crushing them up. I’m using the flat side of my meat tenderizer here but you can use any heavy object or a rolling pin. This will probably take you a minute or two.
Then stick them in a plastic Ziploc bag and start crushing them up. I’m using the flat side of my meat tenderizer here but you can use any heavy object or a rolling pin. This will probably take you a minute or two.
In the bowl, combine cake mix with strawberry gelatin powder. Mix until combined.
Then stir in oil, eggs and water.
Once that is combined, add in 1 cup of your smooshed strawberries. You will want to gently stir those in by hand.
Then pour batter into baking dish.
Bake for about 30-33 minutes. Oven times do vary, so to make sure it is done, stick a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean, it is good to go. Allow cake to cool completely before adding frosting. If you’ve ever made a strawberry cake before, you know they always brown a bit on top. No worries, that is normal. We are gonna cover it up with frosting anyway.
To make the frosting, mix together your softened butter and softened cream cheese. It’s easiest if you have an electric mixer.
Mix until smooth and creamy and lump-free. Then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Mix until smooth and creamy. Note: If you have any leftover crushed strawberries, you could always add it to your frosting.
Slather frosting onto cooled cake.
Then slice and serve. If there are any leftovers, you’ll want to cover it and put into the fridge.
CRAVING MORE STRAWBERRY RECIPES?
- STRAWBERRY MESS
- STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CAKE
- STRAWBERRY KOOL-AID PIE
- HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES
- STRAWBERRY MUFFIN MIX WAFFLES
Easy Strawberry Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 15.25 ounce box vanilla cake mix (or white, yellow cake mix)
- 3 ounce box strawberry gelatin mix (Jell-O)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, (or 1 cup crushed fresh strawberries)
For the frosting:
- ½ block cream cheese (4 ounces), softened
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Give the strawberries a good rinse then gently dry them with a paper towel. Remove the stems and dice.
- Put strawberries into a plastic Ziploc bag and start crushing them up using a rolling pin or other heavy object. This will probably take you a minute or two.
- In the bowl, combine cake mix with strawberry gelatin powder. Mix until combined.
- Then stir in oil, eggs and water.
- Once that is combined, add in 1 cup of the smushed strawberries. You will want to gently stir those in by hand.
- Then pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 30-33 minutes. Oven times do vary so to make sure it is done, stick a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean, it is good to go.
- Allow cake to cool completely before adding frosting.
For the frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, mix together the softened butter and softened cream cheese. Mix until smooth, creamy and lump-free.
- Then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Slather frosting onto cooled cake. Put the cake back into the refrigerator for about an hour to help the frosting set up.
- Then slice and serve! I like to top each piece of the strawberry cake with a slice of fresh strawberry .
Video
Notes
- If there are any leftovers, you’ll want to cover it and put into the fridge.
- It’s really important the cream cheese is fully softened. If not, it will stay lumpy as you try to mix it.
- If you are not a fan of cream cheese frosting, just leave it out and it will be a buttercream frosting. Adjust milk as necessary in the frosting to get the consistency you enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: February 2013
Updated & republished: May 2020
I cooked this cake, and my nephew, who doesn't eat cake, almost had a fit! Says the best cake he has ever had! Each time I cook it, it is gone in one day! My sister (nephew's mom) cooks it for her church socials, and it's always a hit. However, she keeps losing the recipe, which is why I am on this site today. I lost mine when my computer crashed.
I've made this cake several times and it's absolutely one of my favorites. I found blueberry jello and plan on trying a blueberry version soon. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it's delicious.
Made this for years and I use frozen. Berries…I also put some of the purée in the frosting….makes it pink and really makes the cake better……..better the second day
I made this for our church 4th of July celebration and it was delicious!! I got a small piece and went back to bring the rest home and it was completely gone!! My mama who is not big on sweets even liked this cake and wanted more, but it was gone!! I was ready to make it again the next day, but didn't have the ingredients!!
Dear Brandie,
thank you for your prompt reply. Should I omit the water and the oil then?
Thanks again!
About the boxed white cake mix, if you can't find where you are, just use your favorite recipe for yellow or white cake and replace that with the boxed cake mix for this.
Oil and water amounts are correct as shown for this recipe. And yes, I think blueberries would work. Sounds wonderful! 🙂
Do you think this would work with Blueberries? Would I just look for a blueberry jello?
just curious about the oil water mixtures. i have seen several people ask and didn't see a reply. are those amounts correct? thanks, looks delish
lisa
Hi there!
I couldn't find Betty Crocker white cake mix here in Athens(Greece, not Georgia) so I used a Greek brand white cake mix. The outcome was something inbetween a crêpe and a pancake but so chewy and gluey that was inedible. It was like it was unbaked…
Can I add the strawberries and the jello to a simlpe cake batter or should it be cake mix? I found only devil's food cake mix by Betty Crocker but I don't know if this will work with the rest of the ingredients.
Thanks!
I don't have jello and really don't want to go to the store 🙂 how necessary is it? Or can I leave it out?
I was wondering if anyone has tried freezing this cake and how texture was after thawing
Just checking recipe says 1 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup water. On the cake box it is just the opposite.
Thank you,
I made this for my daughters 15th Birthday today! It was a hit, everone loved it! Sooooooo Good!
I made this cake yesterday and it is delicious. I did alter a few things. I used an entire pack of cream cheese (I think this made it not too sweet), and I used whole frozen strawberries that I thawed out (with no sugar added). So glad I found your site.
I only have raspberry jello will that work?
Making this for my 20 year old for her birthday. She loves strawberry cake but I am going to make cupcakes to make it easier to feed a crowd. Looking forward to tasting!
I was so happy with how this cake turned out. My hubby rarely eats cake but loves strawberries so he thought he would try a sample. He loved it! I can't wait to make it again. Thank you for another great recipe.
Question…when you say "stir in oil, egg and water"…do you use a mixer as it appears in the picture? The cake mix box says to mix 2 minutes on medium speed so I did but wondered if stirring by hand would make a difference.
Thank you for a great recipe! Today is my grandaughters first day of kindergarten and we are having a
Happy First Day of School party tonight and she has been telling me strawberry cake is her favorite although she's never had one! Today another dream comes true….hey, Gramma's got to make what magic she can~ 🙂
Fabulous cake! Was an awesome hit for my 3 year olds party! We have 4 servings left and will make it again in the future! We also added in the rest of the pint of strawberries (minus juice) to the frosting.
Looks amazing! Going to try to make a vegan version for this weekend 🙂 my oldest is allergic to milk and eggs. I think I'll try a soy yogurt frosting 😉
Made this cake w/frosting today with strawberries we picked over the weekend. OMG, yummo!!! Very easy and tasty. I added extra strawberries to the icing but be sure to drain the juice as much as possible (and discard) for the icing or you will be adding a lot of extra sugar to the recipe.
Can this be make in 2 8 inch rounds for a layer cake? If so, should I make more frosting?
I made just one like that/
For the birthday of my princess.
It smells so nice and so good for June… and Summer and for girls who likes strowberries … mmmmm
I know she will be happy
but 🙁 its always one small "but" in nice stories …. My cake isn't that beutifully pink like yours 🙁 its more strange gray 🙁 (inside of course)
Ready to make another one – but to get this nice pink colour . What was the secret ? Cause of Jelly ? By the way my jelly-powder was not that bright-pink as well…
Already tried small piece ))) mmmmm ooohhh so ideal and so moist … with frosting on top and fresh strowberries its will be like from the fairy tale — And I feel my self like a small girl having birhtday my self ;)))
thank you !
Hi! It should definitely be pink inside. Maybe it had something to do with the brand of gelatin you used? There is no secret at all, just red juicy strawberries and the Jell-o is also pink 🙂
Can u use 3cups of all purpose flour instead of box cakemix
Hi Elaine! I’m sorry – I have only made this with boxed cake mix.
I've just tasted this cake and it was sooo tasty! Thank you for the recipe. I had to substitute a couple of ingredients for UK available stuff, but it turned out great. Will be trying one of the pudding poke cakes next! 🙂
That is so great Amanda! SO happy you were able to make this work!