Whether you want to impress your little princess with beautiful pink birthday cake of you want to wow your guests with an elegant strawberry cake, this recipe is sure to please everyone!

For each of my three kids, I always bake them a cake for their birthday. It’s my special way of showing them how much I love them. And of course, we get to enjoy a delicious cake!
I first made this recipe for my pretty princess when she turned 5. She was delighted with the badly frosted pink cupcakes because pink was her favorite color.
Another birthday, I made her this luscious beetroot red velvet cake. It was a big hit at her party, especially the parents who knew it had nutritious beets hiding in it! So when she turned 15, I gave her the pink birthday cake she always wanted.
Jump to:
Recipe highlights
- Versatile: This recipe makes enough batter to make 36 cupcakes or a generous 3-layer cake, so everyone can enjoy of this strawberry deliciousness.
- Pinkalicious: If you have a strawberry lover you are baking for, or just love all things PINK, then this strawberry cake with strawberry frosting is calling your name!
- Flavor: This recipe is so delicious and full of strawberry flavor. The cake batter uses puréed strawberries, no oils or essence to give off that fake strawberry after taste.
Ingredients you need
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy
Strawberry Cake Ingredients
- Cake Flour: Cake flour has less gluten than all purpose flour and will produce a lighter, fluffier cake. You can substitute each cup of cake flour by measuring out 1-cup of all purpose flour, remove one tablespoon of flour and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch.
- Butter: The base fat for this cake is unsalted butter. Make sure it is softened to room temperature before mixing.
- Frozen Strawberries: This cake gets it wonderful flavor from frozen strawberries. Just thaw them first and then purée in the blender until smooth.
- Egg Whites: By using egg whites instead of whole eggs, you will have a lighter and fluffier cake. You will need 8 egg whites for this recipe.
- Milk: I used whole milk in my recipe.
- Red Food Coloring: It is optional to add red food coloring to your cake batter. The strawberries provide a light pink color. I just add a couple drops of red to make the pink more vibrant.
- Pantry Staples: granulated sugar, baking powder, salt
Strawberry Frosting Ingredients
- Butter and Cream Cheese: The base of this frosting is a nice combination of butter and cream cheese. You can make it all butter if you do not like the cream cheese flavor.
- Powdered Sugar: As with most frostings, powdered sugar is used instead of regular granulated sugar. It mixes into the fat more easily and has not grittiness.
- Dehydrated Strawberries: Whoever developed dehydrated strawberries gets my adoration! I love using this stuff. Just crush and mix into your frosting or even pie dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds a base flavor to the strawberry frosting.
- Heavy Cream: By adding heavy cream, you can thin the consistency of your frosting to your own personal preference. You can also use whole milk but it isn’t as thick as cream, so use less.
Recipe step-by-step directions
Want to save this recipe?
- Purée strawberries. Add strawberries to a blender and purée.
- Cream butter. Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk strawberry purée into the butter mixture.
- Add dry ingredients. Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Combine wet ingredients. In another bowl whisk together egg whites, milk and red food coloring, if using. I only added a couple drops of red food coloring to make the pink color pop more.
- Finish batter. In two batches, add milk mixture to the rest of the batter and mix until incorporated.
- Divide batter. Apply non-stick spray to three 9-inch round or 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. For cupcakes, place liners in a 36-cup baking pan. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. If baking cupcakes, only fill about two thirds full.
- Bake. Bake the cakes in a 350ºF oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making cupcakes, bake for 12-18 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn cakes out onto cooling rack and peel off the paper liners. Cakes and cupcakes need to completely cooled before frosting, at least one hour.
- Crush berries. Crush dehydrated strawberries into crumbs.
- Make frosting. Whip the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Mix in crushed strawberries, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.
- Frost the cake. Once cake is cooled, spread a generous heap of frosting between each cake layer. Spread frosting over top layer then use remaining frosting equally around the sides of the cake. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS
I am a strawberry lover and I really love this pink birthday cake because it celebrates our favorite berry. Whether you make it a cake or serve up cupcakes, it will be a big hit with your guests.
- You can bake the cake/cupcakes the day before you are serving the cake. Just keep covered with plastic wrap or foil so it doesn’t dry out.
- You can also prepare the frosting a day before, just keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The frosting will need to soften to room temperature before applying to the cake.
- You can also prepare the frosting without the strawberry crumbs for a simple white cream cheese frosting.
Since I bake A LOT of cakes, you should check out my tips for easy birthday cake ideas. I also break down the steps so you can bake a barbie cake or a unicorn cake without fear!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: If your cake is frosted, I suggest storing any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If unfrosted, you can keep it covered on the counter for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Wrap in foil, parchment paper or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 4 months.
Absolutely! If you want to add even more strawberry flavor, top each frosted layer of cake with slices of strawberries. You can also top each cupcake with a single strawberry, as well.
Because the frosting is made with butter, cream cheese and cream, I recommend refrigerating your cake once frosted. This also helps the frosting set. Store any leftovers in foil or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before cake begins to change texture.
If you are enjoying my recipes, please sign up for my newsletter and get my free 28-day meal plan! You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
Pink Birthday Cake (Strawberry Birthday Cake)
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake Ingredients
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 12 oz butter unsalted, softened
- 1 ½ cup puréed strawberries approximately 1-pound of frozen strawberries
- 4 ½ cup cake flour
- 5 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 8 egg whites
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 drops red food coloring (optional)
Strawberry Frosting Ingredients
- 12 oz butter
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 oz dehydrated strawberries
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake directions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Apply non-stick spray to three 9-inch round or 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. For cupcakes, place liners in a 36-cup baking pan .
- Add strawberries to a blender and purée until you have 1 ½ cups.
- Using a stand mixer cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add strawberry purée and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- In small bowl whisk together egg whites, milk and red food coloring, if using.
- Add half of the milk mixture to the rest of the batter and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining half and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making cupcakes, bake for 12-18 minutes.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn cakes out onto cooling rack and peel off the paper liners. Cakes and cupcakes need to completely cooled before frosting, at least one hour.
Frosting directions
- Place dehydrated strawberries in a resealable bag, remove air and crush into crumbs. You can also crush strawberries in a food processor.
- Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy about 1-2 minutes.
- Add crushed strawberries, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
- Mix in 1-2 tablespoon of heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. Keep frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before frosting the cake.
- Once cake is cooled, spread ½ cup frosting between each cake layer.
- Spread ½ cup frosting over top layer then use remaining frosting equally around the sides of the cake and add any extra on top for decorating. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!
Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
What a great recipe with easy to follow instructions. Thanks so much for the detailed how-to! This cake is so good and perfect for a celebration!
The step by step photos gave me so much confidence to try this cake/cupcakes! I opted for the cupcakes but next time I will try the layer cake! Thanks for a great recipe.
So pretty! And they look delicious.
Thanks, Candace. They really were tasty and still my daughter’s favorite.