My old fashioned Strawberry Snack Cake is buttery, fluffy, and packed with fresh strawberries. It’s an easy recipe perfect for small dinner parties, enjoying with morning coffee, or just because you’re craving cake.
When strawberries are in season, this snack cake is a must in our family. It’s an old fashioned recipe that just hits you deep in the soul. You’ll love it’s buttery vanilla flavored cake and the bright notes of fresh strawberry. There’s truly nothing better or more comforting.
For more fresh strawberry desserts, try my Strawberry Blueberry Pie and Strawberry Banana Shortcakes. Or if you have just a couple leftover make one of my refreshing drink recipes, Pink Lemonade or a Strawberry Mojito Mocktail.
Strawberry Snack Cake Ingredients
This snack cake is made with simple ingredients, but keep reading for important notes and potential substitutions.
- Fresh Strawberries: Be sure to wash and dry them well before cutting them into bite sized pieces. If possible get them out of the refrigerator ahead of time, cold berries will slow down the baking time.
- All-Purpose Flour: This recipe has not been tested with other types of flour so I cannot recommend.
- Baking Powder: This is a leavening agent that makes the cake tall and fluffy. Just make sure yours isn’t expired before making the batter.
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure it is soft room temperature butter, this helps it cream with the sugar better. If you use salted butter omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg: This should be brought to room temperature or your cake batter will not mix together properly.
- Vanilla Extract
- Buttermilk: This contributes to the moist crumb and balanced flavor. I do not recommend swapping it our for anything other than half and half or homemade buttermilk (1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar, whisked and set out to sour for 15 minutes).
Special Baking Equipment
Other than basic measuring cups and spoons, spatulas, whisks, parchment paper, here are 2 more things you will need to make this strawberry cake.
- Electronic Mixer: Grab either your hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This is most important for creaming together the sugar and butter, it needs to be very combined to have a light cake.
- 8×8 Inch Baking Pan: My recipe is made for a square pan. It’s also a tall cake so make sure it has high sides or your cake could spill over.
How to Make a Strawberry Snack Cake
1. MIX UP SNACK CAKE BATTER. Cream together the butter and sugar, add the vanilla and eggs. Fold in half of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt), add the buttermilk, fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
2. TOSS STRAWBERRIES with a tablespoon of flour and fold them into the snack cake batter. Spread it into your prepared baking pan.
3. BAKE THE STRAWBERRY CAKE until golden brown and a toothpick test comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool before removing from the baking pan, cutting into 9 to 12 pieces, and serving.
How To Store Your Snack Cake
Always store leftover strawberry cake in an airtight container or the crumb will dry out. You can keep it at room temperature for 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7 days.
This cake also freezes beautifully, up to 3 months. It’s great for enjoying a slice of cake anytime or as a last minute dessert option for when company comes over unexpectedly.
Another thing, I like to warm up my leftover cake so it tastes like it just came out of the oven.10 to 15 seconds in the microwave is more than enough.
2 Recipe Notes You Need To Know
Before you keep scrolling to the recipe card, read these 2 recipe notes. I think you’ll find them interesting and it will help you make a successful snack cake.
MEASURE YOUR FLOUR THE RIGHT WAY. Too much flour will make this cake dense and dry. Always whisk your flour to aerate it, then scoop with a spoon into your measuring cup, and once it’s full level it off with a knife. That’s how you get the perfect amount of flour.
SUPER SOFT BUTTER IS KEY TO A LIGHT CRUMB. For this recipe I like to set my butter in the window to soften it up. When the butter is very soft it breaks down with the granulated sugar more evenly for the lightest, buttery texture.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Single Layer Cake Recipes You Might Like:
I am all about simple, one layer cakes! They are beautiful, rustic, and perfect for dinner parties or snacking. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
Strawberry Snack Cake
EQUIPMENT
- electric mixer - stand or hand mixer, with paddle attachment
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups strawberries - chopped in half, then 3s or 4s
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 tablespoon removed for tossing with strawberries
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - room temperature (very soft)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg - room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk - room temperature
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar - for dusting on cake before baking
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 °F and prepare an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and a light coating of non stick cooking spray.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour (set aside 1 tablespoon to toss with the strawberries), baking powder, salt, and set aside.
- Chop the fresh strawberries in half and then in threes or fours. Toss together with the 1 tablespoon of flour and set side.
- In another bowl cream together the very soft unsalted butter and granulated sugar until well incorporated, fluffy, and pale in color (2 to 3 minutes). NOTE: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment ensures the sugar and butters are well combined. If it is well creamed, the cake's texture will be super light and moist throughout.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg, combine until incorporated.
- Add half of the flour mixture and combine until it is completely absorbed into the batter.
- Add the entire amount of buttermilk, combine until incorporated.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and combine until almost all the flour is absorbed. Fold in the flour coated strawberries just until the flour is absorbed and the strawberries are scattered in the batter.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of additional granulated sugar on top of the cake.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.NOTE: If the strawberries are cold or chopped large, the cake may take 5 to 10 minutes longer to bake.
- Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for a 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut the Strawberry Snack Cake into 9 or 12 equal pieces and serve. Enjoy Entirely!
RECIPE NOTES
Storing Information:
- At room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- In the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- In the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
