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
Ann says
I made this cake yesterday and it was a huge hit. It’s nice and light and really easy to make. The custard consistency in the middle really put it over the top. I noticed you made this with sliced apples also. I’ve already been asked to make another one. How many apples should I use? Also, can I substitute 1/2 cup buttermilk for the sour cream? Thank you for such a great recipe.
foodtasticmom says
Depending on the size of your apples, you’ll use about 3 – 4 cups of sliced apples. I’ve not substituted the sour cream with buttermilk before. I know others have used yogurt instead of sour cream. The sour cream has a much thicker texture than buttermilk. I’m not an expert level baker, so I’m not sure if that will work or not. Good luck! And I’m so glad the first time you made this cake that it was a hit!
Christine says
This is one my favorite recipes! It’s also requested a lot by my friends and family. In fact, I’ve been asked to make 4 of them this week – two strawberry and two blueberry.
I am curious on your thoughts of storage (in that off-chance there’s leftovers). Should it be refrigerated?
foodtasticmom says
If it’s just a day, I leave it out on the counter. Beyond that, I refrigerate the cake. It’s good cold! 🙂 I’m always so tickled that this recipe is so well loved… and that it works so well with other fruit. Thanks for taking the time to leave your positive feedback, I appreciate it!
Nancy says
Can this cake able to be frozen?
foodtasticmom says
I have not frozen this cake myself before. I’m not sure how it would work since there are so many strawberries in the cake. My fear is that the cake would get mushy after thawing. If you want to try it, here’s a good article on ‘How to Freeze Cakes’ (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-freeze-cakes/)
Karen Tousignant says
This is absolutely delicious! I used more strawberries, so yummy!
foodtasticmom says
Good to know you can stuff even more strawberry goodness in this cake! 🙂
Monica says
I have made this cake probable a dozen times since finding this recipe, I have not met a single persone who does not end un in love with this cake. Whenever i make them I make two at a time just cuz I know one will not last very long before its completely eaten up.
Apart from being absolutely heavenly it’s pretty easy to make and the instructions are perfect.
Thank you Jill for bringing so much joy to our dining tables 🙂
foodtasticmom says
Love to hear this, thank you so very much Monica!!
Amy says
Have you ever doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan! Curious if that will work. I need to feed a large group. Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
I have not tried this. According to this conversion chart (https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cake-pan-size-conversions/) 9×13 holds same volume as two 9-inch round cake pans. So in theory it should work. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Kathybathy says
I made this recipe after we went strawberry picking and ended up with buckets of berries. I decided to try it out and am so glad I did. I’m not a natural cook and I read through all the directions and this was simple for a beginner like me. It took longer in my oven, but it turned out great. I had friends over the next day and they finished it off and begged for the recipe. I can’t wait to make it again
foodtasticmom says
It’s been a while since I’ve gone strawberry picking. Now I want to go! So happy you are your friends enjoyed the cake!
Lindy says
I made a cupcake version with blueberries. It cooked for about 20 minutes in a silicone muffin pan. They didn’t come out as custardy as the full size cake, but still delicious! Very light and i love the crackle top!
foodtasticmom says
I love that this recipe is so versatile! Thank for taking the time to rate and review!
Juna says
Is it ok to use thawed out strawberries instead of fresh strawberries?
foodtasticmom says
As long as they aren’t mushy. If there’s a lot of extra liquid after thawing the strawberries, be sure to drain them before putting them into the cake. Let us know how it turns out!
Patty says
Fabulous and delicious!
I added a splash of buttermilk.
I’ve had so many orders for this Fantastic Cake 🍓🍓🍓
Thank you 😊
foodtasticmom says
I love hearing this! Do you have a baking business? Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review!
CakeGrrl says
This cake was very quick and easy to make, but tastes like you spent all day making it. It made my entire house smell amazing as it baked! I turned it into a triple-berry treat by using a combination of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, which encapsulated all the flavors of summer into each bite. I also substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It turned out perfectly and I got rave reviews – my family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll definitely be making it again and again with whatever abundance of fruit I have on hand.
foodtasticmom says
Love your wording … encapsulating the flavors of summer. Fabulous! Thanks so much for takin the time to write such a thoughtful review.
amy says
I have not made this cake yet–but was wondering how many it serves? Also, I love showing off the cake prior to serving…can it be removed from the cake pan and put on a cake plate without ruining it?
foodtasticmom says
I’ve had readers say they bake it in a springform pan if they want to serve it on a cake plate instead of out of the pan and that it works well to do that. Also this cake serves 8. Enjoy!!
Anne says
I made this in a 9 inch round cake pan, and turned it out onto a serving plate. I cut parchment paper to encircle the bottom, sprayed the bottom with cooking spray, added the parchment, and sprayed that. Once completely cool it came out of the pan easily, and looked wonderful. Wish I could add a photo!
foodtasticmom says
I really appreciate you sharing how you got the cake out of the pan. This is so helpful! Glad you enjoyed that cake. Thanks for your tips!
Wendy says
I made this last night and it was delicious! My oven did take a little longer. Tonight we reheated it and I made a simple powder sugar glaze to drizzle over the cake. Wow! Next level good!
foodtasticmom says
Loving the addition of a glaze. I’m happy you enjoyed the cake. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Janice T. says
made your cake and it was absolutely delicious ! So light and fluffy the texture was excellent! Think I will try with blackberries next . Definite hit in the family as they don’t often comment on food unless it’s really good! Thank you for sharing
foodtasticmom says
I’m always so happy to receive comments like yours. I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed my cake. Thank you!
Kate says
I made this last night w/ fresh berries from a local farm. AMAZING! So quick & easy. My husband wouldn’t let me take it to work to share w/ the office haha
foodtasticmom says
Hahaha! Guess you’ll just have to make it again so your co-workers can try it. Love that he didn’t want to share. That’s a great review! 🙂
Connie M says
I made this recipe for the first time today and my family loved it. I added a few more strawberries to the batter and the time needed for baking was 45 minutes for my oven and cake pan. I love the custard-like center! I made a strawberry sauce to accompany the cake for those who wanted even more of a strawberry flavor. I’ll be making this recipe many times this summer. Thanks for a great recipe .
foodtasticmom says
Oh, I love the suggestion of a strawberry sauce! Please share the recipe with us! And thank you for taking the time to leave a positive rating and review. I really appreciate it 🙂
IKR says
This is an excellent recipe yielding a bakery quality cake. You have got to make this-beautiful and delicious!
Kathy says
I made this cake for my book club yesterday and everyone loved it. There was a piece left which my husband ate last night and told me it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. We’ve been married 54 years so that’s saying something! I’m making another one today to give to my daughter and her family.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
T says
I Have a bounty of Strawberries from my garden, so when I saw this recipe it sounded perfect. No changes and my Oven required 40 min. THIS IS DELICIOUS. So easy too, with ingredients I always have .
I will definitely try different fruits in future cakes as well.
Simone says
Can you use a spring form pan? Will the cake hold up without sides? Don’t really want to serve it in my cake pan.
foodtasticmom says
I have had other readers use a springform pan with great success!
H azel says
Can you put the cake all together rap and put it in the fridge and bake it the next day
foodtasticmom says
I’ve not tried that. You probably need to increase the baking time if you are baking it from cold. Or, take it out beforehand to get the chill off of it before baking. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Cindi says
This is a great recipe. I actually made it for my sister using Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 gluten free flour. That’s the only change I made in the recipe. My sister said it was really really good. I live at 5000 ft and high altitude baking can be problematic, however I cooked for 35 minutes and it was done in the middle. I probably could have taken it out at 30 minutes but opted for 35 because a custard center did not sound appealing with gluten free flour.
I plan to make this with some other fruits. This recipe is a keeper!
Sandra says
I’m always VERY hesitant to make a new cake recipe because you never really know how it’ll turn out. I’ve gotta say this one is wow — 10/10. I substituted the sour cream for a high fat greek yogurt cause that’s what we always have in the fridge and wow 😍
I used freshly picked strawberries and it was divine. Not dry AT ALL. Light crispness on top. I prefer less sweet so I used 1/4 cup less sugar in the batter itself (still used it on top) and it was great.
Will make again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe ❤️❤️
Carol B says
I made this cake today. Had to bake it 46 months nd. I live in Colorado Springs, Co. it tastes so good. Easy to make, not overly sweet and tastes delicious. Wish I could sent a picture of it to you. It looks just like yours!
Fran says
I want to make this cake for the first time for family coming. I read through all the comments but I did see where anyone made this a day before serving it. Is it best to bake it the same day it will be served? Thank you,
foodtasticmom says
You can bake it a day ahead. I apologize for the late reply. Hope you enjoyed the cake!
Doree says
I’ve made this cake many times now and it’s absolutely delicious and everyone always comments how much they love it! Thank you so much for sharing.!!
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to rate and review. I always enjoy hearing how much everyone loves this cake!!