Little Strawberry Sheet Cake with Strawberry Frosting

This Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake is tender and fluffy, with roasted strawberries and freeze-dried strawberry powder packing in the flavor! For a full dose of strawberry, pair it with this silky, homemade strawberry buttercream frosting!

Why You’ll Love It

• The Strawberry Flavor. This small strawberry sheet cake gets its punch from pureed roasted strawberries combined with freeze-dried strawberry powder. Using both together makes the berry taste much more intense. There are no strawberry mixes or extracts in this recipe! The buttercream frosting uses the same two key ingredients too.
• The Texture. Beyond the flavor, this strawberry cake is known for being soft and fluffy. Top it with the creamy strawberry buttercream and the two are a perfect pairing!
• The Right Size. This small strawberry sheet cake serves up to 6 people, which is ideal when a full-size sheet cake would be too much. You can bake it in an 8.4 x 6.4-inch small rectangular baking pan (like the one I found at ALDI) or a 6 x 3-inch round cake pan!

What You Will Need

Here is everything you need to bake this wonderfully soft mini strawberry sheet cake. The ingredients in the bulleted list below need a little extra explanation.

• Cake Flour. I use Pillsbury Softasilk cake flour. Its lower protein content (8-9%) gives you a light, fluffy, and tender crumb.
• Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder. Freeze-dried strawberries are sold in most stores and are easy to grind into a smooth powder with a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin. You can also find ready-made freeze-dried strawberry powder at a few grocery stores and online.
• Unsalted Butter. Let it come to room temperature first.
• Granulated Sugar. You can substitute organic cane sugar if you prefer.
• Whole Milk. In a pinch, 1% or 2% milk will work. I haven’t tested this recipe with any non-dairy milk.

Exact amounts and full steps are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Them

Here is a quick overview of how to make this mini strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting. The printable recipe card below uses either US customary or metric measurements, which you can switch with the toggle.

Roasted Strawberry Puree

Step 1. Put the cut strawberries, lemon juice, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Toss to coat.

Step 2. Spread them on the lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

Step 3. Move the cooled roasted strawberries into a food processor.

Step 4. Pulse until you have a smooth puree.

Recipe Tip: Use the roasted strawberry puree right away, or store it in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake

Recipe Tip: Before you start, pulse the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until they form a fine powder.

Step 1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Step 2. In another bowl, beat the freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed.

Step 3. Add the egg, vanilla, milk, and roasted strawberry puree.

Step 4. Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture on low-medium speed until just blended.

Recipe Tip: The batter should be medium in thickness (neither too runny nor too stiff), so it scoops and spreads easily in the pan. It will look light pink, with specks of red puree and flecks of strawberry powder.

Step 5. Pour the strawberry batter into the prepared pan.

Step 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. Let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Step 1. Put the roasted strawberry puree, freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 2. Mix until fully combined.

Step 3. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Step 4. Spread the frosting over the cooled mini strawberry cake, then enjoy! If you like, top it with sliced strawberries.

Storing Them

Wrap any leftover strawberry sheet cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days. For the freezer, wrap it twice in plastic wrap and place it inside a freezer bag.

Leftover strawberry buttercream frosting keeps in an airtight container for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Common Questions

What baking pan did you use to make this mini strawberry sheet cake?

I used a small rectangular pan from ALDI that measures 8.4 x 6.4 inches, but a 6 x 3-inch round cake pan works too. Here is a similar-sized rectangular baking pan I found online.

Where can I find freeze-dried strawberry powder?

You can find it at a few select stores and online, too.

Can I use freeze-dried strawberries instead?

Yes. I’ve found small bags of freeze-dried strawberries at ALDI, Trader Joe’s, and Wegman’s.

How do you crush up freeze-dried strawberries into a powder?

Put them in a Ziploc bag and roll a rolling pin over it until the freeze-dried strawberries are crushed into a fine powder. The powder stays fresh in the bag until you need it. It may clump after a day or two, so break it up again before using.

What should the consistency and look of the strawberry cake batter be?

The batter should be medium in thickness (neither too runny nor too stiff), so it scoops and spreads easily in the pan. It will be light pink, with visible red bits of strawberry puree and flecks of strawberry powder.

If you tried this Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake recipe or any other recipe on my site, please leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!