This delicious from scratch Strawberry Cake recipe has no artificial colors or flavours! Paired with fresh strawberries and mascarpone buttercream.
“Blue Monday is a name given to a day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) claimed to be the most depressing day of the year.” (source: Wikipedia).
Well, here we are, the third week in January. We’re dealing with post-holiday doldrums, crappy weather (in most places), and NY resolutions that you’ve likely already broken or cheated on (it’s ok, happens to everyone). Are you feeling it? I know I certainly am.
Further in the article… “The date is generally reported as falling on the third Monday in January, but also on the second or fourth Monday, or the Monday of the last full week of January.” So, every Monday in January? Sounds about right!
This time of year is always challenging for me, so I try to focus on some bright and vibrant things to bake (you know, to help with those resolutions!). Today, I’m bringing you this cheery Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream!
How to make this Strawberry Cake recipe
A strawberry cake recipe has been on my radar since last year, but it kept getting postponed. I thought this would be the perfect way to say goodbye to the holidays and look ahead to better, non-January times.
Initially, I was planning on using pureed fresh strawberries in this cake and frosting, but I wanted to try something different to give it a more intense strawberry flavour and color (without using something like Jell-O or artificial color gel). I knew that fresh strawberries would not give me the result I wanted, so I decided to hunt down some freeze-dried strawberries.
It is ridiculously hard to find freeze-dried strawberries in Vancouver. I checked like 5 or 6 stores before giving up and ordering them online from Amazon. Apparently they are available on every corner in the US (exaggerating, but still). They are available in most grocery stores and you can get them for a deal at Trader Joe’s. I wish we had a Trader Joe’s here!!
Is there a difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated fruit?
Freeze-dried fruit is different from dehydrated fruit. Dehydration, which typically involves slicing fruit and then dehydrating it in an oven or a food dehydrator, removes about 90% of the moisture. Freeze drying, which involves freezing the sliced fruit (which releases more moisture) and vacuuming out the moisture, removes about 98%.
Though that may not seem like a huge difference, you cannot use regular dehydrated fruit in place of freeze dried in most recipes (including this one).
Freeze-dried fruit is less perishable, but often more expensive than dehydrated due to the process. And it is perfect for baking!! The flavour and colors that come through are amazing. I’ll probably still scour the stores here to see if I can come across some raspberries or blueberries to give them a try.
I bought sliced freeze dried strawberries because I wanted to chop some up for garnish, but you could just by freeze-dried strawberry powder for ease. I put the strawberry powder in both the cake layers and the frosting.
Initially I was going to pair this cake with a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to do mascarpone for something different but equally delicious. If you don’t like mascarpone, you could totally do a cream cheese frosting or even an American Butterceam or Swiss Meringue. All would work perfectly well.
I used whole eggs in this Strawberry Cake recipe, but using just egg whites would take away the yellowish tint from the layers. Either works perfectly fine, it’s just a matter of preference. I just didn’t want to waste good yolks! Use 5 large egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs if you’d like to go this route.
I sliced fresh strawberries to put in between the layers, but should have sliced them thicker. I used my food processor for ease, but should have adjusted the setting — oh well! Learn from my mistakes, people. Cut your strawberries thicker, and press them into the frosting between the layers.
This cake has an intense and wonderful strawberry flavour. The mascarpone buttercream is a perfect match. If you are a strawberry fan, you will LOVE it.
More Berry Cake Recipes you might like:
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Raspberry Mango Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Blueberry Banana Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Tips for making this Strawberry Cake recipe:
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans. For three 8โณ pans, 1.5x the recipe.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
- You can purchase freeze-dried strawberry powder instead of whole freeze-dried strawberries, if it’s easier to find. Do not use dehydrated strawberries — they must be freeze-dried.
- If you like, you can add some pink or red color gel to the cake batter to make the color more vibrant.
- You can use 5 large egg whites instead of 3 large eggs so the yolks don’t affect the color.
- In hindsight, I should have either cut my strawberries thicker or added more of them between the layers. The thickness or amount is up to you, but note that adding too much can make the cake a bit unstable and hard to stack (it will slide around) — try to press the berries into the frosting to avoid this.
- I added in the strawberry dust from the bottom of the freeze-dried strawberry container into the frosting, as I wanted some seeds showing throughout it.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients
Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder
- 3 oz freeze-dried strawberries approx. 4.5 cups *
Strawberry Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups milk room temperature
Strawberry Mascarpone Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder more if desired
Assembly:
- 6 large fresh strawberries thinly sliced
- freeze-dried strawberries finely chopped, optional
- thyme sprigs optional
Instructions
Strawberry Powder
- Pulse freeze-dried strawberries in a coffee grinder or food processor to a fine powder. Pass through a fine mesh strainer. Measure out 1/2 cup for the cake batter and 6 Tbsp for the frosting (more if desired). Set aside.
Strawberry Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, 1/2 cup strawberry powder, baking powder, and salt. Sift to ensure it's well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Strawberry Mascarpone Buttercream:
- Beat butter until smooth. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth and combined.
- Slowly add in powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time). Add vanilla and 1 Tbsp cream and beat on med-high for 5mins. Reduce speed to low and beat for 2mins. Add more cream if desired.
- Strawberry powder to be added during assembly below.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream, spread evenly. Top with a thin layer of sliced strawberries.**
- Repeat with remaining layer and apply a thin layer of frosting all over to crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- While cake is chilling, add 1/4 cup strawberry powder to the remaining frosting. Beat to combine.***
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth with an icing scraper. Using a 1M tip, pipe dollop ruffles onto the top of the cake. If desired, sprinkle top with chopped freeze-dried strawberries and garnish with thyme sprigs.
Notes
** The thickness or amount is up to you, but note that adding too much can make the cake a bit unstable and hard to stack -- try to press the berries into the frosting.
*** I also added in the strawberry powder from the bottom of the freeze-dried strawberry container as I wanted some seeds throughout the frosting.
Savannah says
Hey FYI! They sell freeze dried strawberries at the dollar tree (small bags but less expensive than Trader Joeโs) for a budget-friendly option ๐ค
Olivia says
Hi Savannah! Awesome, thanks for the tip!
Sarah says
I’m about to make this double with less sugar in the frosting, blackberry blueberry lemon curd between layers, and a layer of pistachio cardamom cake in the middle fof a 3-tier 9″ birthday cake. Hooray! I’ll comment later to tell if it worked!!!!!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Sounds amazing. Let me know how it turned out!
Tia says
How much freeze dried strawberry powder is in the cake and frosting by weight as opposed to volume? Making this for Valentineโs Day
Olivia says
Hi Tia! I never got the weight amount when I made it but I cross-referenced it with another recipe of mine and it says that 1/4 cup is 30g.
Tia says
Thank you! That seems like it makes sense, I referenced the King Arthur ingredient weight chart, which only listed blueberry powder and a 1/4 cup is 28g
Marie says
Was wanting to know if using cake flour what amounts would I use? The same as you say flour? Also, if I use cake flour can I cover in fondant without falling apart?
Olivia says
Hi Marie! Just swap the AP flour for cake flour and it should be fine. The cake should still be sturdy enough for fondant.
Jennifer says
I made this cake just as written and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone at the party loved it and I will definitely be making it again. Bravo!
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! So happy you and everyone loved it!
Pearl says
Hi Olivia,
I would like to try your French buttercream frosting for the strawberry cake. Would it go well together?
Also, can I use beetroot powder instead of FDS to color the frosting?
Olivia says
Hi Pearl! I think any kind of frosting would be delicious with this cake. The FDS is used to add flavour to the frosting. YOu can use beetroot powder to color it but I’m not sure how it would affect the flavour. Let me know if you try it!
Pearl says
Thanks Olivia. Will let you once I try it.
I made your orange & cranberry cake with German buttercream frosting. It was so delicious. My family enjoyed it. Thank you so much.
Andrea says
Hello! Do you think that this buttercream can survive a dripping ganache?? Thank you so much ๐
Olivia says
Hi Andrea! Yes, it should work fine! Be sure to chill the cake before doing the drip.
Aanchal Gupta says
Hi olivia I want to caover this cake in black chocolate ganache. will it be possible to layer ganache over mascarpone cheese frosting?
Olivia says
Hi Aanchal! I think it would be tricky to layer it over the frosting. I don’t think it would adhere well and the frosting is more on the softer side anyhow, even after chilling. I would use the frosting as a filling and then cover the cake with ganache ๐
Aanchal Gupta says
thank you, will do that ๐
Aanchal Gupta says
I did get few more questions :
1. can it be dyed black (then I wont need to do ganache)
2. if not, can you suggest any other frosting that’s more stiff and eggless , other than ABC (that’s too sweet ).
Aanchal Gupta says
I do need this frosting to survive 4 hour car ride..!!
Olivia says
Honestly, I really do think your best bet is to do a ganache!
Sandra salbaum says
Made this cake for my husbands bday. Did not like it at all. The icing was good but the cake not good at all. No idea why but I think fresh strawberries would have worked much better
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. Fresh strawberries would change the texture too much.
Erin says
Hello! How many cupcakes will this recipe make?
Olivia says
Hi Erin! It should make 18-24 depending on size.
Carmelina says
hi, if i can’t get the freeze dried strawberries, would this cake work as a vanilla bean cake? adding vanilla bean instead in cake batter and using the fresh strawberries and mascapone buttercream as per recipe.. thoughts please
Olivia says
Hi Carmelina! I would give this one a try instead if you can’t find the FD berries ๐ https://livforcake.com/strawberry-shortcake-cake/
Dianne says
Hi Olivia,
This cake looks beautiful! I would like to make this for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. Can i bake this in three 7 inch by 3 inch pans? I have the Fat daddios pans brand. And also I would like to use cake strips. Should i use 1 or 2 strips on each 3 inch pan? How long is the baking time? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Dianne! I think that should work fine. You’ll have to bake them a bit longer though. I would just use one strip per pan and place it near the bottom. Let me know how it turns out!
Dianne says
Thanks Olivia. I would like to try to bake a third portion of the recipe in one 7 ” x 3 ” baking pan. Should I divide all the ingredients in thirds? Would that work?
Olivia says
Yes, that should work! For ease, you can adjust the Servings to 4 to get the amounts.
Dianne says
Awesome! Thanks! That’s was really handy. I tried baking a third portion of it today in a 7 inch by 3 inch cake pan. I baked it for 35 minutes. The toothpick came out clean, the cake started to pull away from the sides and the center springs back when pushed gently. I used a Wilton cake strip. I soaked the strip for 5 mins. My cake has no dome, it was pretty flat. But It didn’t rise equally level. It was shorter on one side. The height was 2cm on one side and 1.5cm on the other side. The shorter side, I think that was where the ends of the cake strip meet. Would like to ask you, why do you think that happened? And how tall should this cake be if baked in a 6 inch pan? After the cake has completely cooled, should i wrap it in plastic wrap then place it in the fridge or freezer?
Olivia says
Hi Dianne! Strange that it’s shorter on one side — do you use convection by chance? Or perhaps your oven is uneven? I wrap the cooled cakes and freeze them.
Dianne says
My oven is not convection. Should I rotate my pan halfway through baking? Your cake layer looks tall. Is it 1.5 inch?
Olivia says
Hi Dianne! I find that the cakes aren’t quite set enough to rotate at that point. Mine is not convection either. I just bake one of the layers longer if needed. Each of my cake pans is 2″ tall and each layer baked up to be about 1.5″.
Dianne says
Hi Olivia,
I compared this cake side by side with another strawberry cake recipe and this cake has more strawberry flavor! Tasted great, but it is sweeter and I wish it has a more pronounced strawberry flavor. Can I reduce the sugar? How much can I reduce it to without affecting the structure? Also, I think the cake deflated and turned out denser. The other cake baked taller but too moist. This cake is like eating a yummy strawberry muffin (just a bit lighter). I may have to brush the cake with a strawberry sugar syrup to add moisture and strawberry flavor. What do you think?
Olivia says
Hi Diane! You can cut the sugar back to 1 cup and that should be fine. Adding sugar syrup would add more sweetness though so keep that in mind. You can also try using cake flour instead for a lighter cake. It is more on the dense side for sure due to the freeze-dried berries, but it should not be dry unless overbaked.
Zuza says
Hi, I am preparing to make this awesome cake on my birthday and I wanna ask how much grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder I used in the batter I just don’t wanna buy not enough ๐ , that would be a bummer. Thanks ^^
Olivia says
Hi Zuza! I used 3oz (or about 85g) of the powder between the cake and frosting.
Jess says
Hey! Can you use this recipe to make a marble cake with your graham cake in a bundt pan? We love your recipes! Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jess! You want to marble the strawberry and graham cakes together? The batters might be a slightly different consistency, but you can give it a try. I don’t think it would be a disaster at any rate ๐
Elizabeth says
You can purchase freeze dried strawberry powder from Kraus Berry farms in Langley BC!
Olivia says
What?! That is amazing. Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to head out there soon ๐
Jas says
Hello! I was wondering if fresh strawberries can be used instead of dried ones for the strawberry cake.
Thanks in advance ๐
Olivia says
Hi Jas! Not for this particular recipe. It would affect the texture too much.
Lisa Griffiths says
This tasted great but mine was pretty dense. I think my cakes actually deflated slightly after baking which made it a bit more dense than its supposed to be I think. It wasnโt dry at all but I would prefer it to be a little bit lighter. Would whipping egg whites or using baking soda help?
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! The cakes will be a bit on the denser side due to the freeze dried strawberry powder in them. You can try using cake flour instead to lighten it up a bit. The deflating shouldn’t happen though, that can be due to overbaking or overmixing the cake batter. Be sure to only mix until the flour is just incorporated.
Allison Dean says
Hello! Can you please tell me if this cake is dense enough to allow covering with fondant? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Allison! Yes, the cake is definitely more on the dense side.
Kayla says
Could you use real strawberry puree to flavor the cake rather than freeze dried?
Olivia says
Hi Kayla! I haven’t tried it with the puree. It would change the texture and require some experimenting to get the proper results.
Clarissa says
Reduce the puree to make it thicker. If you don’t reduce it, the batter will be very watery. ๐
Mini says
Looks lovely! Would love to bake for my daughter’s birthday, but I am out of all purpose flour. Can I make this with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Mini! The whole wheat flour will affect the flavour, color, and texture a bit, but either should be a fine substitute ๐
Marquia says
I saw in the comments that the freeze dried strawberries could be replaced by using Strawberry extract. Is there a particular amount of extract that should be used so that it equals the amount of the freeze dried strawberries? (In terms of flavor).
Olivia says
Hi Marquia! I haven’t tried the extract myself so I can’t say – I would check the directions on the bottle and/or start with 1 tsp.
Angela Tavaglione says
I made this for my co-workers birthday and it was an office hit! She even took the remainder home to her 1 year old baby girl. Baby girl hated her chocolate birthday cake (I didnโt make it). She LOVED this Strawberry cake!
Best and most sincere complement ever!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for the great feedback ๐
Madeline says
Amazing recipe! You always have the best cake recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Madeline! So happy you liked it ๐
Pam says
I would like to make this recipe using Cake Flour. If I swap out AP flour for Cake flour would I use the same amount of flour or do I need to make an adjustment?
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Pam! A straight swap to cake flour should be just fine. Let me know how you like it!
Nadia says
Instead of powder can strawberry flavoring be use?
Olivia says
Hi Nadia! Yes, you can use strawberry extract but it won’t give the same color.
Allison says
Hi Olivia!
Made the cake, it was delicate and not too sweet. Now Iโm attempting different variations of frosting to see which pairing I prefer. If Iโm switching out the marscapone and using cream cheese, would it be the same measurements for each ingredient for the frosting?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Allison! Let me know how you like it with the CC. I would use the same measurements, but this king of buttercream is very forgiving. You can experiment a bit and add more/less CC or sugar.
Dee mee says
Can I put fondant over this cake because of the marscapone cheese, will it be ok? Can I stack it?
Olivia says
Hi Dee! I’m not sure – I’d compare it to cream cheese frosting so if you can use fondant on that then this should work fine.
Gio Andino says
I would like to try! For know, I’m going to make your buttercream with mascarpone for my daughter’s birthday. Can I use gel coloring. for buttercream without affect texture? Thanks in advance.
Olivia says
Hi Gio! You can but be careful not to overmix the buttercream as the mascarpone can split if too overwhipped.
Eva says
Hi!
The cake looks amazing! And im trying it out today! I was doing it in cups and then measuring it in grams to have it for later. I do have few questions thou.
Do you turn the batter around to cool down or just take it out of the pan and why?
When you measure the flour, do you sift/sieve it and than measure?
If you bake the batter a day or two before how do you recommend to store it. Wrapped in plastic and refrigerate?
Thansks for your help. I love your cakes and the pictures are amazing๐
Olivia says
Hi Eva! I don’t totally understand your first question. I let the cakes cool for 10mins in the pans and then turn them out to cool completely. Any less time in the pans and they might break when you flip them out. Any more time and they’ll stick to the pans.
I don’t sift my flour before measuring, but be sure to spoon and level the flour into your cups rather than using the cup to scoop it.
For baking in advance, I always recommend wrapping the cakes in plastic wrap and freezing. The fridge tends to dry cakes out but the freezer doesn’t. If only a day or two though they will be fine in fridge or even on the counter. I hope that helps!
Kat says
After reading through the comments, I made sure to not overmix the batter, and I was rewarded with a very soft, delicate crumb. It was not dense or dry or hard at all. Great flavors! Next time, I might sub out some of the vanilla extract in the cake for a bit of natural strawberry extract, just to intensify the strawberry flavor further. I think the mascarpone is perfect to add that bit of tang to contrast with the sweetness of the cake and frosting. Sometimes I feel like cream cheese goes overboard in that department, but the mascarpone definitely provided a happy medium.
Olivia says
Hi Kat! So happy to hear you loved this recipe! I love the mascarpone pairing too ๐
Wendy Christopher says
This recipe sounds amazing – but do you have any European equivalents for the measurements? We use either ounces or grams, and have no idea how much a ‘cup’ would be. (Especially us Englishers – we even have different sized cups for our tea and coffee. ๐ )
Olivia says
Hi Wendy! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients ๐
April says
My daughter has requested mango and strawberry for her birthday cake. My thought is to adjust or double the recipe and do half with freeze dried mango and half with the strawberry. Do you think that will work? I’ll probably use excess batter for cupcakes.
Olivia says
Hi April! Yes, I think that would work fine! or you could do a berry cake with mango frosting like I have done here: https://livforcake.com/raspberry-mango-cake/
Ciara says
Hi just curious why wouldn’t one want to use cake flour instead of all purpose?
Olivia says
Hi Ciara! You can use cake flour if you like. I find most people have AP flour in their kitchens rather than cake flour, so I tailor my recipes to that.
Melanie says
In the process of pre baking and freezing ahead for my daughter’s bday party. I’m thinking about adapting the flavors a bit. Is the mascarpone frosting sweet enough to balance a small amount of lemon curd between layers in lieu of fresh strawberries? As A side note I love a dense cake which is what I got in baking. I did have some cracking but I’m assuming that is moreso due to my oven (we’re in a love hate relationship these days) I also split this between 9 in cake pans.
Olivia says
Hi Melanie! The cracking would be due to an oven that might be too hot — do you have an oven thermometer to test if the temp is off? I have a love/hate relationship with my oven too!! The mascarpone is pretty mild (not as tart as cream cheese) so I think it would work well with lemon. If you’re concerned though, you could just swap more butter instead of the mascarpone.
Sherry Sprich says
Do you measure out the 3 cups of freeze dried strawberries whole/straight from the bag, or do you blend them down to powder form first then measure 3 cups?
Olivia says
Hi Sherry! The 3 cups is *whole* freeze-dried strawberries that you blend down to a powder and measure out from that for the rest of the recipe.
Paulina says
Hi Liv! I was wondering if you thought I could swap out the milk for buttermilk?
Olivia says
Hi Paulina! That should work fine I think. Let me know if you try it!
Yvonne says
Hi Paulina, did u try using buttermilk? Iโm considering the same since I have some left over from making a chocolate cake.
Maureen says
Hi! May I ask if I were to swap the freeze-dried strawberries with strawberry Nesquik do I need to cut down some of the sugar?
Olivia says
Hi Maureen! I’m not sure how using Nesquik will affect the overall texture of the cake, but yes, I would reduce some of the sugar if you try that.
Alisha Lord says
Is there a way to make this gluten free? My niece is allergic to gluten.
Olivia says
Hi Alisha! You can use a GF all-purpose flour blend.
Alisha Lord says
Thank you!
Jenn says
For those asking about 9โ pans, I just made this and made 1 1/2 batches of cake batter for 3 9โ cake layers. I had two small bags of freeze dried strawberries that yielded exactly enough for the cakes AND icing. I did not have to make extra icing, although I didnโt pipe on top. Very excited to try the cake tomorrow. The batter tasted delicious. And unlike most American buttercreams, it wasnโt too sweet- the addition of marscapone helps with that.
Olivia says
Thanks so much for the tips Jenn! I hope you liked it ๐
Regina says
Did you bake for the time indicated in the recipe when using 9″ pans? I want to make this for a friend’s birthday on Saturday
Esther says
Beautiful cake!!! Iโm trying this today!!! Also what green herbs did you put on the cake to garnish?
Olivia says
Hi Esther! It’s fresh thyme. I hope you like it!
Jeannie Christian says
I have tried for years to get a strawberry cake just right and the strawberry powder made all the difference. Thank you for this brilliant idea, so much better than the puree. I even used the strawberry powder to make scones.
Olivia says
Hi Jeannie! So happy you loved this. The powder really is a game changer!
Xena says
This recipe looks awesome – do you think I can make it in a sheet pan i.e 9X13 and adjust the cooking time?
I’m also from Canada and found freeze dried strawberries online at Walmart Canada. Hope that helps!
Olivia says
Hi Xena! Thanks for the tip about Walmart! I think it will work fine in a 9×13 pan, though the layer might be a bit thinner, so definitely adjust the baking time ๐
Lindsay says
I love all your cakes! About to try this and Pina colada for my daughters 16th. Do you have any recommendations for freezing them after made?
Olivia says
Hi Lindsay! I always portion my cakes into slices, wrap them in plastic wrap, and stick them in a freezer bag ๐
Lilian says
Is this cake supposed to taste nauseatingly sweet? I made it for a birthday party and people didnโt finish their slices saying it was way too sweet. I tried it and it tasted like I was eating jam on cookies with butter, definitely not a fresh summer cake like described above. four cups of powdered sugar in the icing alone? Cmon. At least it was pretty, I am a bit emberassed to this day when I remeber that birthday party.
Olivia says
Sorry to hear this wasn’t to your liking! 4 cups of powdered sugar is actually much less than a typical American buttercream would have. Perhaps you’d prefer meringue frostings better.
Olivia says
i mix and match cakes and frostings. this time i used a different cake recipe with this frosting recipe. i read all the comments ahead of time, and was very cautious in pouring powdered sugar since it specifically said 4 cups. initially i marked by it maybe reduce down to 2 cups. when i started making this buttercream i decided to try sweetness as i go, as my family doesn’t like super sweet cake. i used tablespoons to measure out cups. i only used about 9 TBS of powdered sugar and the buttercream came out pretty nicely. 9 TBS is less than one cup….. our sugar preference may not be typical, but i would suggest to measure out sugar either tablespoon by tablespoon, or cup by cup to find your own preferred sweet level. other than this tweak, this frosting worked out really nicely and i love the strong strawberry flavor infused into it with freeze dried strawberries. thanks Olivia for the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Olivia! Thanks so much for all your tips! So glad you liked it ๐
natalie waldron says
Hi Olivia,
This cake looks amazing! thank you for the recipe. May I ask if you use freeze-dried powders in your personal time too, for yogurts or smoothies or milkshakes etc? Or do you just like them for baking?
I’m curious because I just see them for just baking at the moment. I would like to start a line of them, but for all uses. Would be great to hear your thoughts if you have the time.
Many thanks,
Natalie
Olivia says
Hi Natalie! I’ve only used them for baking so far, but I think they would be delicious in smoothies, ice cream, etc.
Stephanie N says
Hi Olivia! Thank you for this recipe! I just made (yesterday) a strawberry cake with freeze dried strawberries (3 cups) and fresh Purรฉe (2 cups). It was way too intense in flavor, and the texture was very dense. Iโm excited to try this recipe omitting the purรฉe, as I think it was make a better flavored, less dense cake!
Will let you know how it turns out!
Olivia says
Hi Stephanie! The puree would definitely have a huge impact on the texture, especially that much of it :\ I hope it’s better the second time around!
Robin says
I just made this recipe and still have to assemble so I’m not sure how it has turned out. My cakes looked great out of the oven. I let the cool slightly then turned them out. I just went in to check them and the middle of each cake has sunk in. Any idea what could have caused this? I believe they got bake through, my toothpick was clean and they were pulling away from the pan.
Olivia says
Hi Robin! I find that with the freeze-dried berries I need to cook my cakes a little bit longer. How much did they sink? Are you at high altitude by chance?
Danielle says
Can i put the whole cake in the refrigerator until ready?
Olivia says
Hi Danielle! Yes, that will work fine. Take it out 2-3 hours before serving.
Kelly says
Ok I tried to bake this cake. I am a novice baker so this was my first time with 6″ pans and the cake strips and I did 5 egg whites. My cakes turned out raw. They looked done and toothpick came out clean. I just don’t have a clue what happened. Do I need to bake longer with cake strips? I baked for 38 minutes.
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! Yes sometimes you need to increase the baking time when using the strips. Oven temperatures vary too, so that could be a factor as well. Wait until the cake starts to just pull away from the pans and springs back when you press it lightly.
Charlene LiuChen says
How fluffy and moist are these cakes? I’m concerned about it being a little dry
Olivia says
Hi Charlene! They should not be dry if properly baked, but they are a bit on the denser side. You could always brush them with simple syrup if you want them extra moist ๐
Rachelle says
Hi Olivia
Mine came out a litt Dry also. Can you please tell me how to make a simple syrup for this cake, please
Olivia says
Hi Rachelle! For a simple syrup all you need is to boil equal parts of sugar and water for about 3mins, then cool completely. I hope that helps!
Kelly says
Hey Liv, Is it possible to replace the mascarpone cheese with goat cheese?
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! I’m not sure that would work well as the texture is quite different, I think? You can give it a try though, but make sure the cheese is at room temperature.
Erin says
Hi! I want to use this cake batter recipe to make cupcakes. Do you know how many regular sized cupcakes this recipe will make and can I substitute with other freeze dried fruit such as mango? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Erin! I haven’t made this into cupcakes but I would guess about 20 depending on the size? And yes, you can totally use any freeze-dried fruit!
Timm says
Hello! This cake looks awesome. Can you tell me if other other cake tin sizes would work? As in larger rounds. Would this be enough batter for two 8 or 9 inch rounds? Going to attempt to make this for my mothers birthday on Friday. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Timm! Yes, this recipe would work as is in two 8″ pans. It would work in 9″ too but the layers would be quite a bit thinner.
Sammi Harasymchuk says
Hi,
When you measure out your ingredients, are you weighing them or doing the spoon and scoop method? I weighed them for this recipe and my cake turned out to be dense and too moist, but cooked through. I’m just wondering if I had the measurements wrong. Every time I have a baking fail, I want to know why! It’s definitely something on my end because your cake in the pictures are perfect! P.s I’m a big fan girl since discovering your blog a few weeks ago!
Olivia says
Hi Sammi! So glad to have you following!! ๐ I usually fluff up my flour and then scoop it. It would be more accurate to spoon and level, but I just can’t be bothered.
When you made this recipe, did you use the metric conversion button below the ingredients or did you convert on your own? Also, did you use freeze-dried strawberries and everything else exactly as listed (at room temp)? I have to ask to help identify the issue!
If everything was followed correctly then perhaps the batter was overmixed? That’s often one of the main culprits for dense cakes. I only mix mine until the flour is just barely incorporated and often do the last little bits by hand.
Laura says
I was disappointed that I had the same issue. It was not terribly dry but an extremely dense more like a quick bread than cake. Frosting was amazing. I used homemade stawberry preserves as filling with the freeze dried strawberries. NOt sure I will make this again.
Angela says
I’m excited to try this recipe! I just purchased 12 .71 ounce bags from the dollar tree online for $12.00. Amazon is selling the identical item for $12.00 for three bags! Now that I have my freeze dried strawberries I’m ready to try this gorgeous cake!
Olivia says
Awesome!! I hope you like it ๐
Jenny says
Thanks for this recipe! I just finished making it this morning and will serve it this afternoons! I didn’t have 6″ pans, so I used 2-9″ pans and it turned out lovely. We are practically neighbors, except I’m just across the border. I bought my freeze-dried berries at Bellingham Trader Joe’s for $3.69/1.2 oz bag. I just bought 2 bags but had more than enough for the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Jenny! You are so lucky to have a trader joes close by! I snagged some bags of freeze-dried berries when I was there recently. So glad you liked this cake!!
Meg says
Made for my daughterโs BIrthday. IT was a big hit
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Meg!
Leandi says
This is a beautiful cake. Do you think I would be able to put fondant on this cake and frosting ?
Olivia says
Hi Leandi! The frosting is a bit on the softer side, so I would definitely refrigerate it before doing the fondant. I don’t do fondant cakes though, so you may want to sanity check that with someone else!
Joanna says
I would use a different icing- a swiss or italian meringue buttercream would be best so it doesnt get too sweet. Good luck!
Kim says
I made this over the weekend for a get-together with some friends and it was a huge hit. It was stunning and absolutely delicious. Loved it!
Olivia says
So glad you guys liked it Kim!
Amanda says
First of all, this cake is delicious! So tender and flavorful. You made me a believer in the power of freeze-dried fruit in baking!
Question: Have you ever made this recipe as cupcakes? Just wondering if I can go ahead and make in cupcake tins as is, or if I need to adjust the recipe at all? Any tips appreciated! Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! So happy to hear you loved it and are a freeze-dried fruit convert! I think it will work just fine as cupcakes. All you need to do is reduce the baking time ๐
Sarah says
This cake is so pretty! You might want to know: I found freeze dried strawberry powder at Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver. You probably checked there, but were still looking for the whole freeze dried berries. I also recently tried making French buttercream with a homemade raspberry curd mixed into it to flavour it, and that was absolutely amazing. I imagine you could do the same with strawberries, so I will try that and let you know how it works! Do you ever make French buttercream? Itโs my new favourite thing!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Yes! I had just seen the freeze-dried berries there a few weeks ago! I bought some blueberries ๐ I’ve only made French buttercream once here (https://livforcake.com/french-opera-cake/), but it was SO good that I have to try it again ๐
Manju says
Hi, what’s the alternative to the freeze dried fruit?. I get only fresh strawberries. Can I use puree?
Olivia says
Hi Manju, no puree won’t work with this recipe, only freeze-dried. You can try the puree in the frosting though like I did here:
https://livforcake.com/chocolate-strawberry-cake/
Alyssa says
Hi! Do you think the 1/2 cup of freeze dried strawberry powder could be added to any vanilla cake recipe without altering the moisture/texture??
Olivia says
Hi Alyssa! What I did was alter my fave vanilla cake recipe – I added 1/2cup freeze dried strawberries and increased the milk by 1/2cup to compensate. Not sure if the extra milk was necessary, but it worked out!
Kiesha says
I love Trader Joes, but it is about 50 miles from me, so I rarely go๐. Going to have to make a trip though because one small bag of freeze dried berries in most stores is 4-6 bucks…… and that bag will only make about 1/4 cup powder, if that. That would make this cake cost prohibitive for meโน. I even looked into a freeze drier lol. Quickly abandoned that idea.
Olivia says
LOL, I don’t blame you — they are pricey for sure!! Lucky that you have a Trader Joes down there ๐ Let me know if you try this one!
Harriet says
Aldis and Target ($3.49) sell the bags of freeze dried fruit.
Olivia says
Thanks for the tip, Harriet!!
L.Conner says
Hello Liv-
Are you using 6โ โFat Daddyโsโ?
Olivia says
Hi! Yes, 6″ round and 2″ tall. 3″ tall would work too though.
L.Conner says
Great, Thanks.? Also, which attachment did you use for the frosting?
Olivia says
I used the paddle on my KitchenAid ๐
Zana says
Hi Olivia
I watched your video tips just now. It’s a good tips. But where can i get the cake strip?
Olivia says
Hi Zana! You can find them here: http://amzn.to/2ESTDaF
Nancy says
This looks so yummy! I’m going to make this for my sister’s birthday in a couple weeks! I am so sad that you don’t have Trader Joe’s! Are you close enough to the border that you can do to Bellingham? I think that Target has a variety of freeze dried fruits as well, I seem to remember seeing them while shopping awhile ago. Thank you for the recipe and brightening this most depressing day!
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! I really should head across the border to get some — Bellingham is not that far — but the exchange rate isn’t the best. Still though, I’ve actually ever been to a Trader Joe’s before so I should head down just to check it out! We used to have a Target here, but it’s gone ๐ Another reason for me to head across the border I suppose! I hope you and your sister like this recipe! Please let me know how it turns out ๐
Lorraine Parente says
I noticed all your layer cakes are made in 6 inch round pans, which I do not have. Could they be made in one 6 or 7 inch pan that is 4 inches tall which I could then cut into the 3 layers?
Olivia says
Hi Lorraine! One 6″ pan that is 4″ tall might not be tall enough for all of the batter. You could try it with a 7×4″ though, and just be sure to not fill it more than 2/3rds full. Let me know how it turns out!