You'll love this fresh gelatin-free Strawberry Sheet Cake made from scratch!
It's a vintage, light dessert that features all-natural ingredients, with no boxed cake mix, gelatin or artificial sweeteners.
There are a million strawberry cake recipes out there and most of them contain Strawberry Jell-O™.
Now, don't get me wrong, I grew up on Jell-O™ as a kid, but now that I'm a big kid, I prefer the natural strawberry flavor minus the gelatin, which is actually derived from animal collagen...no thanks. Not in my fresh cake:)
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Delicious, light flavor--not too sweet
- All-natural ingredients -- no box mixes or weird ingredients
- Pretty -- nice color and texture
- The perfect for any occasion--picnics, birthdays, potlucks, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, wedding showers and baby showers!
- Your guests will rave about the fresh, subtle fresh strawberry flavor!
What you'll need:
For the batter and icing, you'll need one pound of fresh strawberries (grab a few extra for garnish), cake flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla, butter, eggs, sugar, cream of tarter, cream cheese and powdered sugar.
Here's how you make it:
Follow these simple steps
Prep
First things first: Get out the eggs, milk and butter and allow them to come to room temperature, preheat oven to 350ºF, and lightly oil or butter a 9 X 13 baking dish.
Make the strawberry puree
Puree strawberries in food process and cook on stovetop until the puree thickens; remove from heat; set aside
Make the cake batter
Use one big bowl for the dry ingredients and combine flour, baking powder and salt; use a smaller bowl for wet ingredients: milk and vanilla
Whip the egg whites
Use another large bowl and stand mixer to whip egg whites and cream of tartar to a soft peak; gradually add sugar to stabilize the egg whites
Fold egg whites into the flour mixture
Pour batter into a lightly oiled 9 X 13 baking dish
Bake 40 - 45 minutes, or until the center is done (test with toothpick)
Make the icing
Using the stand mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, vanilla and remaining puree together
Gradually add powdered sugar in increments; it's is at the right consistency when it lightly sticks to the paddle
Once its done in the center, allow to cool before applying to cooled fresh strawberry sheetcake
Short on time?
Make the strawberry sheet cake in advance. Store it and extra puree in the refrigerator for up to three days. When you're ready to serve this dessert, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. While it's resting, make the icing.
Make the strawberry puree and icing in advance. You can store both in the fridge for up to three days. When it's time to serve, let the strawberry cream cheese icing come to room temperature first.
Fresh or frozen strawberries?
I love to serve this homemade dessert in the Spring, when strawberries are at their best, but if you don't have fresh berries, you can certainly use frozen strawberries. Just rinse and thaw!
Related recipes:
- No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- No Bake Coconut Cream Pie
- Original Texas Sheet Cake
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake
- Classic Southern Pecan Pie
- Texas Pecan Bars
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below! I love to hear from you!
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Cake Batter Ingredients
- 1 lb. strawberries (pureed = 1¾ cup); 1 cup for batter; ¾ cup for icing
- 3½ cups sifted cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk , 2% or whole
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 sticks butter ,unsalted
- 1¾ cups sugar (for batter)
- ¼ cup sugar (for egg whites)
- 8 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Icing Ingredients
- ½ stick butter , unsalted
- 8 oz. cream cheese , room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup pureed strawberries
Instructions
Prep
- Get eggs, butter, milk and cream cheese out and allow to come to room temperature1 cup milk, 2 sticks butter
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Lightly oil or butter 9 X 13 baking dish
- Clean and pull stems from strawberries1 lb. strawberries
- Make strawberry puree
Strawberry Puree
- Place cleaned and stemmed strawberries in food processor and pulse 2-3 minutes until they are liquid
- Pour pureed strawberries into saucepan on low heat and cook for 30 minutes; stir occasionally
- Once strawberries have reduced down to about half, remove from stove and allow to cool (or put the strawberry puree in the fridge if you're in a hurry)
Make the Cake
- In a large bowl, add cake flour, baking powder and salt; combine and set aside3½ cups sifted cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a smaller bowl, combine milk and vanilla; set aside1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a stand mixer, use a really big bowl and the paddle attachment; cream butter and sugar together; beat on low for 5 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy2 sticks butter, 1¾ cups sugar
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture while the mixer is on low; add the flour mixture in increments of 3; add the milk/vanilla mixture; add 1 cup of the strawberry puree; combine well; set aside
- Using a clean mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, add egg whites and cream of tartar; whisk on medium until soft peaks form
- Once soft peaks have formed, turn setting to high and gradually add in remaining ¼ cup sugar¼ cup sugar
- Use a spatula and fold egg whites into cake batter
- Pour batter into prepared pan
- Bake 40 - 45 minutes, or until the center is firm and a toothpick comes out clean
- Allow to cool before icing
Make the Icing
- Use the stand mixer with a paddle and a large bowl
- Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla in stand mixer on medium speed
- Add remaining ⅓ cup of strawberry puree; combine well
- Gradually add powdered sugar in one cup increments; icing is done when it holds to the paddle
- Use a spatula or off-set knife to apply the icing
- Garnish with any remaining fresh strawberries
I'd love to hear from you!