The ultimate Vegan Strawberry Cake! This 3-layer cake is loaded with fresh berries and has a simple, freeze-dried strawberry frosting. Plus, there’s a secret ingredient inspired by the very first cake I ever made. Veganizing this flavorful trick was long overdue. If you’re looking for the best vegan strawberry cake recipe, look no further!
I’m so excited to finally share this strawberry cake recipe on the blog! I first made a version of this cake about a year ago for a friend’s birthday party. That was a few months before I launched My Quiet Kitchen, and this recipe has been in the back of my mind ever since. I suppose I was waiting for 2019’s strawberry season to roll around. Recently I made this cake for a baby shower, which led to me being hired to make it for a birthday party. Then I made it once more for these photos (Mark took this one to work the next day to share with co-workers).
To get to the point, this vegan strawberry cake has been tasted by more non-vegans than probably any other recipe I’ve ever made. I have total confidence that you can serve this cake to any strawberry cake-lover, and they will LOVE it. It’s seriously the best!
The Inspiration for this Vegan Strawberry Cake
Have you heard of The Cake Mix Doctor? Anne Byrn found herself “doctoring” cake mixes to give them more flavor and personality. This concept took off, leading to multiple cookbooks, lots of press, and now she even sells her own line of cake mix. Anyway, her recipe for strawberry cake was the first cake I ever made.
It was probably close to twenty years ago when a family member came to me and asked if I would make a cake for an upcoming family gathering. She handed me a clipping from Southern Living magazine (hmm, or was it the local newspaper? It was so long ago I can’t even remember!), and said something along the lines of, “I think you can do this. It uses cake mix, so it should be easy.”
I was in my twenties and hadn’t done much baking, so I was actually pretty nervous about her request! There were some serious bakers in the family, and I was feeling the pressure to provide a successful layer cake for this joint birthday party with extended family. I decided to trust my mother-in-law and go for it. Not only was the cake SO over the top delicious, it changed how I thought about baking. It changed how I thought about myself and what I could do with a few cake pans. And it turned me into the family cake baker.
But before I have you thinking the recipe I’m sharing today uses cake mix, let me clarify. This is most definitely a from-scratch cake. No cake mix here. But the secret ingredient is inspired by the other trick Anne Byrn employed in that Cake Mix Doctor strawberry cake recipe, and it’s the thing that puts the flavor so over the top.
It’s strawberry jell-o, but this time, in vegan form (and without artificial red dyes)!
You can find Simply Delish products at most Whole Foods stores, but they don’t always have all of the flavors. So ordering online is the safest bet! I’ve seen it on Amazon (click the link in the list below), Thrive Market, and Vitacost, to name a few.
*If you can’t get your hands on this Simply Delish vegan jello, you can omit it and increase the sugar by 1/4 cup. The cake is still absolutely delicious without it but doesn’t have quite as much strawberry OOMPH!
Ingredients in Vegan Strawberry Cake
- all-purpose flour
- organic cane sugar
- 1 pound of fresh strawberries (turned into 2 cups of puree)
- Simply Delish strawberry jel dessert
- canola oil
- non-dairy milk
- almond extract
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
Below is a photo of the freshly pureed strawberries. You can use a food processor or blender to make the puree. From one pound of berries you should get 2 cups of puree, and it’s a good idea to measure it since it provides the majority of the liquid in the batter.
Ingredients in Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Earth Balance vegan butter
- organic vegetable shortening
- organic powdered sugar
- 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries
- almond extract
- non-dairy milk
Tips for a successful cake
- Always fully preheat the oven. 😀
- Use a kitchen scale to measure flour, or if you don’t have a scale use the whisk/fluff and spoon method described below. As flour sits in storage it compresses. It’s amazing how much more flour you’ll get in your measuring cup if you just scoop it straight out of the bag or container!
- Use a whisk to fluff up the flour.
- After whisking, spoon flour into a measuring cup, and level off the top with your finger or the back of a knife.
- Always sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
- Oil your cake pans and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan. I find that refined coconut oil works really well for greasing pans. Oils that are liquid at room temperature don’t stick to the pan quite as well, but the saturated fat in coconut oil means it’s thicker and stays in place. And by using refined versus virgin coconut oil, you won’t have any coconut flavor transferred to the outside of the cake.
- I usually mix cake batter with a large spoon. Some people like to use whisks or even electric mixers, but those feel like overkill to me. Whisks and beaters are harder to clean, hang onto more batter (which means less batter in the bowl and into the pans), and they make it easier to overmix the batter, which can lead to a gummy cake.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until there’s no dry flour left. The batter will be very thick.
- Since we’re using baking soda for some of the leavening you want to work fairly quickly once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Baking soda reacts with the natural acids in the strawberries to create carbon dioxide bubbles (remember the super exciting volcano science experiments from elementary school?). So this isn’t a batter you can walk away from. You want to stir everything together, immediately divide the batter among three 9-inch cake pans, and pop them into the preheated oven to take full advantage of the baking soda reaction.
- To determine whether the cakes are done, lightly press near the center of the top of the cake. If it bounces back even just a little bit, they’re done. Press near the outside of the cake, and you’ll get a lot of bounce back. You can also insert a toothpick in the center. If it comes out with streaks of batter on it, the cakes are not done. If it comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs on it, you can pull the cakes from the oven.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip them out onto cooling racks.
Tips for making vegan strawberry frosting
- Let the butter and shortening come to room temperature before beating with a handheld or stand mixer. Until recently I’ve always used a stand mixer for frosting, but now that I’ve gotten used to the control of a handheld, I actually prefer it over my KitchenAid stand mixer. I use this inexpensive Hamilton Beach handheld mixer.
- Be sure to SIFT in the powdered sugar and strawberry powder.
- Add non-dairy milk in very small amounts. If the frosting becomes too thin it will be very difficult to backtrack. Start with just a tablespoon of milk, only adding one or two more when the frosting is almost finished. You want just enough milk to make it fluffy, soft and spreadable.
- If the frosting seems too warm and soft when it’s time to frost the cakes, just pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes.
I hope you fall in love with this this Vegan Strawberry Cake just like I have! If you make it I would love to hear from you. Please comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it turns out. And of course I want to see those gorgeous cakes, too! So be sure to snap a pic and tag me @myquietkitchen on instagram. Happy baking!
Want more cake?
- Chocolate Cake With Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Layer Cake With Bourbon-Apple Filling and Cinnamon Buttercream
How about more strawberries?
Vegan Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (590 g) See Notes for tips on measuring flour.
- 1 (.7 oz) packet Simply Delish Strawberry Jel Dessert **If you can't get this product where you live, omit it and increase sugar by 1/4 cup.
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, divided One pound is for the batter and one is for layering/decoration.
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 1 3/4 cups organic cane sugar
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk I used unsweetened soy milk, but any sweetened variety is fine, too.
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
For the strawberry frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) Earth Balance vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup organic vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract, optional
- 2 to 3 Tbsp non-dairy milk, for consistency
- 1 ounce freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
Make the freeze-dried strawberry powder (for the frosting):
- Using a blender or spice grinder, pulverize the freeze-dried strawberries until mostly powdered. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl, and sift the powder to separate the seeds. Discard the seeds, and set the strawberry powder aside.
Make the cakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and oil three 9-inch cake pans (refined coconut oil works well). Place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan, and set pans aside.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and Simply Delish vegan jello. Whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients and distribute the jello powder. Set aside.
- Wash and dry the strawberries, and set 1 pound aside for use in decorating the cake. Trim the stem ends from the other pound of berries, and place them in a blender or large food processor. Blend until pureed. Measure to make sure you have 2 cups of puree.NOTE: If using a food processor smaller than 14 cup capacity, don't add all of the wet ingredients to the bowl or it might leak. Puree the strawberries first, then transfer the puree to a large bowl to be mixed with the remaining wet ingredients.
- Add the oil, sugar, milk, and almond extract to the strawberry puree, and pulse several times to combine.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed with no visible dry flour remaining. Work quickly, but be careful not to overmix. The batter will be very thick. Divide batter evenly among the three pans, and bake 28 to 32 minutes or until the tops bounce back when lightly pressed.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. *If preparing in advance, wrap each layer individually in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to frost the cakes.
Make the frosting:
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, in a large bowl cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. One cup at a time, sift in about 4 cups of powdered sugar, beating on low speed between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1 tablespoon milk and the extract, if using, and beat until smooth.
- Add strawberry powder, and beat on low speed. Taste for sweetness, adding more powdered sugar if desired. If the frosting seems too stiff, add another tablespoon of milk. Beat on medium-high speed until fully incorporated and smooth. If the frosting seems too soft for decorating the cake, place bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Decorate the cake:
- Trim the stems of 10 to 12 strawberries, reserving at least a few berries for the top of the cake. Place trimmed berries cut-side down on the cutting board, and make vertical cuts through each berry to create slices of similar thickness (see photo).
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Arrange sliced strawberries on top (it should take about 5 or 6 berries to cover it, depending on the size of the berries). Using an offset spatula, carefully spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the strawberries. Repeat the process for the second layer.
- Place the 3rd cake layer on top, and frost the top and sides. Decorate with remaining fresh strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Measuring Flour
Flour settles as it sits, so if you scoop a cup of flour straight from its bag or container, you will get MUCH more than is needed. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour, but if you don't have one, follow these steps:- Use a whisk to fluff up the flour.
- After whisking, spoon flour into a measuring cup, and level off the top with your finger or the back of a knife.
Storage
Store your decorated strawberry cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The cake is best consumed the day it's frosted. Once cut, as with all cakes, it will begin to dry out. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
