Strawberry Poke Cake
Strawberry cakes for a crowd — Strawberry Poke Cake, Magic Strawberry Cake, strawberry shortcake cake — easy potluck and birthday desserts.
★ dessert
dessertHomemade Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
This homemade strawberry cake is bursting with real strawberry flavor and a delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Alyssa CooleyIngredients
- 1 pound Strawberry Puree
- 2 and 1/2 cups Cake Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 and 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
- 5 Egg Whites
- 1/3 cup Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Reduced Strawberry Puree
- 1–2 drops Red or Pink Food Coloring
- 1 cup Freeze-Dried Strawberries
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 cups Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- 1Make Strawberry Puree: Puree strawberries, reduce over medium-low heat until you have 1/2 cup. Cool completely.
- 2Preheat Oven: 350°F (177°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- 3Prepare Cake Batter: Mix cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream butter and sugar, add egg whites, then sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, then milk and strawberry puree. Optionally add food coloring.
- 4Bake: Pour batter into pans. Bake 24-25 minutes. Cool completely.
- 5Make Frosting: Process freeze-dried strawberries into powder. Beat cream cheese, butter, and strawberry powder, then add sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.
- 6Assemble Cake: Level cake layers, frost between layers and on top. Chill for 45 minutes before serving.
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Open in Pepper →The Cake That Soaks Up Strawberry
A strawberry cake is the one people ask about. Poke holes in a warm cake, pour something sweet over the top, and by the time you slice it, every bite is pink and soft all the way through.
Cooks on Pepper reach for these when there's a birthday, a church potluck, or a Sunday dinner that needs a dessert nobody has to fuss over.
Every recipe here is a real strawberry cake, from Strawberry Poke Cake with a box of butter yellow cake mix to Magic Strawberry Cake with mini marshmallows, plus Homemade Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and a strawberry shortcake cake.
Quick Tips
- 1
Poke the cake warm
Wait about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven, then poke holes with the handle of a wooden spoon so the filling sinks in instead of sitting on top.
- 2
Space the holes evenly
Aim for holes about 1 inch apart across the whole pan so every slice gets filling, not just the middle.
- 3
Chill before frosting
Refrigerate the poked cake at least 2 hours, or overnight, so the gelatin or condensed milk sets and the whipped topping doesn't slide.
- 4
Cook down fresh berries
For a homemade puree, simmer 2 cups chopped strawberries 15 to 20 minutes until thick, then cool completely so the batter stays the right texture.
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