This vanilla sheet cake with strawberry buttercream is moist, tender and crowned with a gorgeous pale-pink frosting made from real berries. The base is a classic, buttery vanilla sheet cake with a soft crumb, and the frosting is a creamy, intensely strawberry-flavored buttercream that truly tastes like fresh strawberries.
This easy vanilla sheet cake is elegant yet simple to prepare, and it’s ideal for serving a crowd. The cake itself is tender and perfectly balanced in sweetness. What makes it special is the strawberry buttercream: smooth, creamy, naturally pink, and made from reduced strawberry puree so the flavor is bright and concentrated. Though the frosting requires an extra step of cooking down the berries, the result is well worth the effort.
Made in a 9×13-inch pan, this sheet cake avoids the fuss of layered cakes and is easy to transport to potlucks, barbecues and parties. The finished cake looks impressive and slices cleanly, making it great for gatherings.
For the Vanilla Cake
The cake is made using the creaming method with common ingredients for reliable results. The recipe relies mostly on butter for flavor while a bit of neutral oil helps keep the cake moist for longer. Both whole milk and sour cream are used to produce a tender, moist crumb without heaviness.
Key tips for success:
- Make sure the butter, eggs, sour cream and milk are at room temperature so the batter mixes uniformly.
- Measure flour accurately — whisk first, then spoon into dry measuring cups and level off, or weigh on a kitchen scale to avoid a dry cake.
- Sift the flour for a lighter texture.
- Don’t overmix. Finish the last additions by hand with a whisk when possible to avoid a tough cake and air tunnels.
- Test for doneness: the cake should pull slightly away from the pan, feel springy on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
For the Strawberry Buttercream
The frosting starts with fresh or thawed frozen strawberries pureed and then gently reduced to concentrate the flavor and remove excess water. Skipping the reduction leaves the frosting weak in strawberry flavor and risks a runny or separated buttercream. This method yields a rich, natural strawberry taste without jam, gelatin or artificial flavoring.
Overview of the process:
- Puree the strawberries until smooth, then pass the puree through a fine metal sieve to remove seeds.
- Simmer the seedless puree over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and reduces to about one-third of the original volume (it will resemble jam). Cool completely.
- Beat butter until smooth, then add sifted powdered sugar, the cooled reduced strawberry puree, a pinch of salt and a little whipping cream if needed. Adjust powdered sugar or puree to reach the desired sweetness and consistency.
Make Ahead Tips
You can bake the cake a day ahead: cool completely, cover and keep at room temperature overnight. For the frosting, puree and reduce the strawberries a day ahead, cool and refrigerate the reduced puree in an airtight container. Finish whipping the buttercream and spread it on the cake the day you plan to serve for the freshest texture and color.
More Delicious Strawberry Desserts to Try
- Strawberry Layer Cake – a strawberry-infused cake with strawberry frosting
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Strawberries n’ Cream Cake
- Strawberry Cupcakes
Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Frosting
Equipment
-
9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (343 grams), measured properly
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened but not melting
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil (60 ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk (240 ml), room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream (80 ml), room temperature
Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), slightly softened and cool to the touch
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar (330–440 grams), sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons whipping cream, if needed
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) metal baking pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–4 minutes.
- Beat in the oil and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
- Mix in the sour cream until combined.
- On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finish the last additions by hand with a whisk to avoid overmixing. Stop as soon as there are no lumps.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake on the middle oven rack for 32–37 minutes, or until springy and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cake should begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan.
Strawberry Frosting
- Place sliced strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
- Push the puree through a fine metal sieve to remove seeds, using the back of a spoon or spatula as needed.
- Cook the seedless puree in a small to medium saucepan over low–medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer until it thickens, darkens and reduces to about ¼–⅓ of its original volume (about 20 minutes). Cool completely — you should end up with roughly ¼ cup of reduced puree.
- Beat the butter until fluffy. Add 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of the cooled reduced puree and the salt, beginning on low speed. Adjust by adding more powdered sugar or puree until the frosting reaches the desired sweetness and consistency. If too thick, add 1 tablespoon of whipping cream at a time.
- Frost the fully cooled cake using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Notes
- Flour: Whisk flour first, spoon into measuring cups and level off, or weigh for accuracy — 1 cup ≈ 125 g.
- Room Temperature: Butter, eggs, milk and sour cream should be at room temperature; remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the best texture; 2% can be used, but avoid skim milk.
- Strawberries: Fresh or frozen work; thaw frozen berries before pureeing for easiest processing.
- Storage: Unfrosted cake can stay covered at room temperature up to 48 hours. Frosted cake is best within 8 hours at room temperature or up to 4 days refrigerated. Bring refrigerated cake to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Nutrition: Values are estimates per slice based on 15 slices and using all the frosting; you can get more (smaller) slices if desired.