Strawberry Cake Recipe for a ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Celebration

Celebrate a whimsical slice in Wonderland with a delightful strawberry cake that would make even the Cheshire Cat grin wider. This enchanting dessert is decorated with fresh strawberries, which makes it a visual and culinary delight. Serve each slice with a mischievous smile, and watch as guests disappear into a world of sweet fantasy, just like Alice following the Cheshire Cat’s mysterious allure.

This Fresh Strawberry Cake is the perfect dessert year-round. Loaded with strawberry flavor in both the cake itself as well as the frosting, it’s perfect for a family get together or anytime you find yourself with extra berries!

This Fresh Strawberry Cake is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh strawberries. I find myself making this dessert often in the summertime when berries are in abundance, but it’s truly an incredible dessert any month of the year. It’s very similar to strawberry shortcake but with even more strawberries in the cake batter and the fluffy frosting on top. This cake is SO easy to whip up and it is always a crowd-pleaser. Even my husband who doesn’t really like fruity cakes LOVED this one! The frosting is light and creamy and brings out all that fresh strawberry deliciousness.

Ingredients in Fresh Strawberry Cake

Take some help from the store with this recipe! Grab a box of cake mix and that takes a lot of the work out of a homemade cake. Here’s what you need:

FOR THE CAKE:

• White cake mix – one box dry, unprepared cake mix. This flour mixture has all of the dry ingredients you need (baking powder, salt, all purpose flour, etc.) and it so much easier than baking from scratch.
• Strawberry gelatin – one 3-ounce box dry, unprepared mix
• Fresh strawberries – one cup of strawberry puree, blended using a blender or food processor.
• Vegetable oil – one cup
• Buttermilk – half a cup. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own! Just add one tablespoon of white vinegar and enough milk to make one cup.
• Eggs – Four large eggs. Crack each large egg, one at a time and use the paddle attachment to incorporate each egg on low speed until completely mixed together.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• Cream cheese – 16 ounces, or two packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
• Fresh strawberries – blend another ¾ cup of fresh strawberries into a strawberry puree, either with a food processor or blender. blended
• Powdered sugar – about two cups, sifted and measured. Set aside some extra if you want a bit thicker frosting.
• Cool Whip – one cup. If the tub has been in the freezer, make sure to thaw in the refrigerator before mixing into the stand mixer. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the yummy goodness mixed in.

Can I Use Other Berries?

If you are not a strawberry fan, you can easily sub out a different type of berry and change this fresh strawberry cake into a totally different flavor. Some fruits that would work well instead of strawberries are:

• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Huckleberries

Cake Texture

This cake is a moist, dense cake. It’s not quite as airy as some versions, but that’s thanks to the fresh strawberries added in. The cake will still puff up in the oven, but you will need to make absolutely sure the cake is done baking or it may fall once it cools.

Fresh Strawberry Cake Frosting

• Cool whip and cream cheese serve as the base for this yummy frosting, along with blended fresh strawberries.
• When making the frosting, you need to make sure both the cool whip and the cream cheese are at room temperature or you risk the frosting separating.
• For extra pink color, whisk in a drop or two of red food coloring.
• If you prefer, you can use whipped cream in place of the cool whip. Again, just make sure it is at room temperature before mixing, and whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
• You can make this more of a buttercream frosting by substituting one cup of unsalted butter in for one of the 8-ounce packages of cream cheese. Strawberry buttercream is so yummy on this cake as well!
• Frost the cake using an offset spatula.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

This fresh strawberry cake recipe makes an awesome cupcake as well. To convert this recipe into a cupcake, simply pour the batter into cupcake liners rather than the pan. You will need to adjust the cooking time down to baking for 15-20 minutes—just check for doneness before pulling the cupcakes out. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Make it a Chocolate Strawberry Cake

If you are a chocolate lover, this cake also works incredibly well as a chocolate strawberry cake. Just sub out the white cake mix and instead use a chocolate cake mix. Nothing else in the recipe changes.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

This Fresh Strawberry Cake is a great summer dessert, loaded with fresh strawberries in both the cake and frosting! Perfect for a family get together.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Equipment

• 9×13 Glass Pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 box white cake mix dry, unprepared
• 3 oz box strawberry jello dry, unprepared
• 1 cup fresh strawberries blended
• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 4 eggs

Strawberry Cream Frosting

• 16 ounces cream cheese softened
• 3/4 cup fresh strawberries blended
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cool whip thawed

Instructions

 

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place strawberries in blender and puree well (one pint size package of fresh strawberries was about right for both the cake and frosting).
  
• Step 2: Combine cake mix and strawberry gelatin in large bowl.
  
• Step 3: Mix in 1 c. blended strawberries, oil and buttermilk.
  
• Step 4: Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
  
• Step 5: Pour into a 9×13 inch pan lined with cooking spray.
  
• Step 6: Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
  

Strawberry Cream Frosting

• Step 1: Mix together cream cheese and ¾ c. blended strawberries until smooth.
  
• Step 2: Add powdered sugar. Mix well.
  
• Step 3: Fold in cool whip.
  
• Step 4: Pour over cooled cake.
  
• Step 5: Garnish with additional fresh strawberries if desired.
  
• Step 6: Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
  

Notes

• This fresh strawberry cake recipe makes an awesome cupcake as well. To convert this recipe into a cupcake, simply pour the batter into cupcake liners rather than the pan.
• You will need to adjust the cooking time down to baking for 15-20 minutes—just check for doneness before pulling the cupcakes out. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
• If you are a chocolate lover, this cake also works incredibly well as a chocolate strawberry cake. Just sub out the white cake mix and instead use a chocolate cake mix. Nothing else in the recipe changes.

Keyword disney cake

Frequently Asked Questions about Fresh Strawberry Cake

Interested in more Disney Recipes?

From a yummy Dole Whip recipe to a Tea Sandwich recipe for an Alice in Wonderland-themed celebration, these recipes will transport you to the Disney Parks and movies. Check out Disney foodie favorites on our recipe page!

This post originally appeared on Favorite Family Recipes.