Welcome! You are in for a treat with this French Strawberry Cake. Mixed in one bowl with the season’s freshest strawberries, this cake bakes up with a custardy middle and crackly, sugary top. This cake has thousands of fans. Read on to see why…
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This French Strawberry Cake will be your new favorite summertime treat. Reminiscent of a classic French Apple Cake it has a crumb that is sweet and custardy with a top that bakes up light and crumbly. This cake is the perfect way to show off those fresh picked strawberries!
I have Southern Cast Iron magazine to thank for the original recipe. I picked up their Spring 2016 issue because the collection of recipes looked so irresistibly delicious. The Strawberry Skillet Cake was the first I chose to make but my cast iron skillet is much bigger than 9-inches in diameter. So I decided to see how this cake fared in a traditional 9-inch cake pan.
After being wowed by the look of it coming out of the oven my family and I were even more impressed with the taste. The cake is moist and custardy in the middle. I looked up the ingredients for a classic French Apple Cake and other than the addition of sour cream this is basically the same cake but with strawberries instead of apples. So I am calling it French Strawberry Cake.
Watch how to make French Strawberry Cake:
Helpful tips for making French Strawberry Cake:
- From the comments it is reinforced that oven temperatures vary wildly. My oven bakes this cake in about 40 minutes. For others they’ve left the cake in for much longer. The center of this cake when baked will still have a custard-like texture. Not raw but more moist than other cakes you may be used to.
- Be sure to dry your strawberries thoroughly before mixing them into the batter.
- Save a few strawberries (about 1/2 cup) to place on top of the cake before sprinkling it with sugar if you want the cake to look like the photographs.
- Use full-fat sour cream, not low fat.
- Full fat, plain Greek yogurt may be used as a substitute for the sour cream.
- Read the comments below for more helpful information regarding this cake.
- I bake the cake and serve it straight from the 9-inch baking pan. Find the baking pan I use for this cake here.
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French Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
- Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
More strawberry recipes:
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Shortcake Baked Donuts
- White Chocolate Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes
- Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake Pie
- Spinach Strawberry Salad
- Summer Broccoli Pasta Salad
mushfika says
Hi can’t wait to make this I just wanna know if the sugar you used in the recipe is icing sugar of normal sugar thanks…
foodtasticmom says
So sorry for the late reply. The recipe uses granulated (normal) sugar.
Sherry says
This looks so delicious, I can’t wait to make (and eat) this cake! I do have one question that I haven’t seen anyone else ask yet– is it possible to use a springform pan for this recipe, or would it not bake the same?
foodtasticmom says
If it’s still 9-inch, a springform pan should be just fine to use!
Madison says
What do the instructions mean by steam the strawberries?
foodtasticmom says
“stemmed”? It means to remove the stems from the strawberries. I double-checked to make sure I did not type “steam”.
Debbie says
I did what I am not supposed to do (but do all the time) and made this cake for the first time for company. It was perfect, exactly what I wanted and so easy to make! This will probably be my go to summer dessert! Thank you for the recipe!
foodtasticmom says
Haha, I always try out new recipes on my company. I’m so glad it turned out for you!
Linda says
Looks delicious!! Could I use Self-Rising flour and skip the baking powder?
foodtasticmom says
You could try but I personally have never had good luck using self-rising flour.
Donna says
Can you substitute the sour cream with cream cheese? I’m thinking this would make an interesting combination.
Donna
foodtasticmom says
I’m not sure about cream cheese. I know people have substituted the sour cream with creme fresh, but not cream cheese
Lisa says
My granddaughter and I made this cake today and it came out great! Delicious and beautiful, too, just like the photos. I used a 10″ round cake pan and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much for this recipe, definitely a keeper!
foodtasticmom says
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed it!
Beth says
I can’t wait to make this next weekend for my father-in-law’s birthday. I saw the comments about the cake taking longer to cook – I wonder if the poster used margarine instead of butter? Just a thought…
foodtasticmom says
That’s a good thought. Margarine would likely change the texture and way the cake bakes.
Tara says
I made this to take to church. It looked good but was definitely undercooked when it was cut open. Kinda like blcake batter in the middle and I even let it bake for ten extra minutes. The flavor is great, the texture not so much. I’m guessing at least an extra 15 minutes would have helped, so a total of 65 minutes in the oven. I used fresh strawberries and Greek yogurt. The top jiggled when I took it out but I should have left it in even longer. Wasn’t sure if it’s supposed to be like that… I will definitely try it again though. Thanks for the recipe!
foodtasticmom says
I guess that just goes to prove how differently everyone’s ovens bake! I hope it works better the next time you try it and thank you for the detailed feedback. It’s always helpful to hear everyone’s experiences 🙂
Tara L Briner says
Hi! I tried the recipe again and this time it came out PERFECTLY! I used plain Greek yogurt just like last time (to cut a few fat grams) but this time I left the cake in the oven for 65 minutes. It was a work of art, and the people at church couldn’t stop commenting on how delicious it was…Perseverance! 🙂
Thanks again for posting it!
foodtasticmom says
That’s fantastic. So glad to hear it. Yay for strawberry cake and church people 🙂
Tracy Reifer says
I made this yesterday with gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mil 1-for-1) and it turned out perfectly! I even doubled it and used 2 – 9 inch cake pans. I had just picked fresh strawberries and wasn’t sure how many cups to use since I don’t have a scale. I found the conversion online and used 3 cups of halved berries per cake. I baked for 35 minutes and they were perfect. I took them to a family gathering yesterday and they were a hit! Delicious!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
foodtasticmom says
Perfect. That’s really good to know that this recipe works with gluten free flour too. Thanks for commenting!
Anberlin says
This was BEYOND AMAZING!! I made this for Mother’s Day and everyone who took a bite said whoa or oh my gosh this is amazing! This will forever be my go to recipe when I need to whip something up for a gathering! So easy and pretty quick to put together!
I was going through the comments while I had passed the 40 minute timer (still wet in the middle) wondering where I went wrong! Thank goodness others had said it took them an extra 15 minutes because that’s exactly how long it took! It came out perfectly browned! I used a 9″ spring form pan that I sprayed well beforehand, it worked perfect. I think all ovens tend to cook slightly different.
One question though, how long should this last in the refrigerator? I let it cool a good hour on a cooling rack then transferred to the refrigerator when cool to the touch.
Thanks again for sharing such a yummy recipe!!
foodtasticmom says
That is so wonderful to hear! I’m glad you all liked the cake and that the additional comments helped. I would say a couple of days at most to keep the cake in the fridge – though it never lasts that long in my house 🙂
Tara Smith says
Just made this cake for Mother’s Day it was easy and delicious!
foodtasticmom says
So glad you liked it!
Melissa says
Hello, wondering if someone can clarify the “jiggle test” before I make this. Do I want it to jiggle or not jiggle? Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
It doesn’t really jiggle. If you press lightly on top it should spring back a bit. Or toothpick should come out clean.
Anika says
Wow, this cake looked so amazing, it inspired me to do this with rhubarb. It was soooo good. I will probably do this again when our strawberries are ready to eat. Thank you for this really great recipe!
https://honeyani85.blogspot.de/2017/05/franzosischer-rhabarberkuchen.html
foodtasticmom says
I LOVE rhubarb. Thanks for the feedback. I think I need to try your version too now!
Braven says
I made this today for memorial day cookout and it was delicious! The recipe said custard- like inside though and it wasn’t like that at all. It was delicious but totally cake-like. Any thoughts on why that would be? Cooked for 40 minutes maybe at 350
foodtasticmom says
Yours may have been a bit over baked. There seems to be quite a variance depending on people’s ovens. I think luckily it seems to be a forgiving recipe 🙂
Holly says
I made this at high altitude with no adjustments and it came out perfectly. I saw other commenters talk about using blueberries, and I think I’m going to try it next week. This is a perfect strawberry short cake in one go.
foodtasticmom says
Wonderful. So glad it turned out for you and I’m going to try blueberries too!
Wendi says
I made this yesterday. Followed the recipe to a T and it took 85 minutes to bake! Glad I followed my intuition and used parchment paper on the bottom or the cake would never have come out of the pan as I had to use a knife to loosen the sides. That being said, it is delicious, but I think I’ll try making it in muffin form next time.
foodtasticmom says
You are definitely not the first one to have to bake this cake longer than instructed. I’m wondering why there is such a huge difference? I am not a baking expert so color of pans, size of strawberries, temperature of ovens, that’s all I can come up with. I’m glad it still turned out for you! I’ve thought about baking the recipe as muffins too – maybe with peaches instead of strawberries. Thanks for the feedback!
Kabia says
Hi!! how many grams of butter did you use ? here we have different sizes of sticks. Thanks !
foodtasticmom says
One stick which here equals eight tablespoons. Good question.
Janet says
I have made this twice now. The taste is fantastic and I love the crunchy sweet top. I have found it bakes best in a ring mold pan (IKEA has a great light aluminum one with a removable bottom, and it has a plain flat bottom insert as well). That helps the center bake through without overtaking the edges, though it was still quite wet. When I used the flat base it was going to be thin so I doubled the batter but didn’t double the number of strawberries because I was concerned about moisture, and before putting the strawberries in the batter I sliced and sugared them, allowing the juices to be drawn ou and set aside (I was going to use it to make a drizzle served on the side). It still was so wet that the center did not bake through. Given that I was going to be taking it to a dinner party, I them had to make an emergency chocolate backup cake.
foodtasticmom says
I’ve made it several times now too and all I can say is that the recipe has always worked as/is for me and my oven and silver (9-inch) baking pan. Doubling the cake batter would definitely make a disastrous difference and I’m not sure even baking it twice as long could make that work.
Tauni says
Made this French Strawberry Cake today and it got raving reviews from the family! It was super easy to prepare. I followed the directions to a tee, with the exception of adding about 1/2 more strawberries. I baked it for 35 minutes.
It cuts like a cake, but it does have a texture more similar to custard as stated above. This recipe will certainly be a family favorite! Thank you for posting and sharing with the rest of us. :o)
foodtasticmom says
That is so great to hear! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this cake 🙂
Courtney says
Mine turned out darker than yours. It also fell after coming out of the oven and cooling and all the strawberries fell to the bottom. I don’t have a mixer so I mixed it all by hand. Could that be why? I did use a ceramic dish instead of metal. It tasted wonderful just didn’t look very pretty and I was disappointed that my strawberries fell. Any tips? Thank you so much for a great recipe!!
foodtasticmom says
It may be the air incorporated using the stand mixer helps the strawberries stay “afloat”. Ceramic probably would make the top of the cake look a darker brown. My metal pan was a light silver (not dark) and so I think that helps in keeping the top from browning. As I am not a baking expert that is about the best I can guess. I’m glad it still tasted good! Maybe try using a hand mixer next time to mix the cake.
Courtney says
Thanks so much hun!
Tanya says
I’d love to make this in a 12″ cast iron skillet. Would I double the recipe or 1 and a half size? Thoughts?
foodtasticmom says
I’d say just 1 1/2, not double. Though be aware that in some ovens this cake for just one recipe already takes longer to bake than instructed. I’m not a baking expert but I know 1 1/2 times will take longer to bake and I hope it bakes correctly. Good luck!
wade says
i just took mu cake out of the pan. my house smells lime vanilla, cake and strawberries. thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!
Sue says
So excited to find this recipe! We just picked our strawberries and i wanted a new recipe and…i will make this NOW!
Thank you for making this available.
foodtasticmom says
You are very welcome. Enjoy!
Cindy says
I made the cake with strawberries last week,yum! My strawberries did not stay pretty and bright red but became more like a jam, none the less delish! Made it with blueberries today, mine in 9 inch cake pan are done at 35 minutes. I think you’re right each oven bakes differently. My next adventure will be peach cake. I love this cake so much I may try making it sans fruit and serving with cut fresh fruit like a shortcake. Thanks for my new favorite cake!
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this Cindy. You are welcome. I baked it with fresh raspberries and blueberries for a Patriotic feel on my friend’s blog recently too! https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/red-white-blue-berry-cake/