This might be the easiest and tastiest cake ever. It comes together super quickly with minimal ingredients. The strawberry flavor is the star of this cake and the texture is fluffy and tender. The berries cook down in the oven and their flavor seeps into the batter underneath, resulting in a jammy strawberry top with a fluffy and moist cake underneath. It’s one of my favorite summer desserts, and I make it every year!
Why I love this jammy strawberry cake
This cake is truly amazing because it’s so delicious, yet so easy to make! It’s made with simple ingredients and doesn’t require any special ingredients, which makes it so easy to whip up. The secret is in the baking technique: the strawberries and their juices are spooned directly on top of the cake, which allows it to seep into the batter as it bakes. This results in a super flavorful and moist cake with jammy strawberry bits on top. It’s the perfect lazy summer dessert! It’s especially good when made with super fresh strawberries and topped with ice cream.
This cake is also made with less sugar, which means that it’s not overpoweringly sweet. This lets the true flavor of the strawberries shine through!
Ingredient notes for this jammy strawberry cake:
- Strawberries – strawberries are the star of this show! This cake tastes best when the strawberries are extra sweet and flavorful, so I recommend using high quality berries! You can also use frozen strawberries that have been thawed.
- Flour – this recipe calls for all purpose flour, but you can also change it up if you would like. Feel free to substitute up to 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with whole wheat or almond flour.
- Milk – Whole milk will result in the richest and most tender cake, but any fat content will work. I have gotten great results with just 1% skim milk.
- Unsweetened applesauce – applesauce keeps this cake extra moist. If you don’t have it, you can substitute buttermilk, plain yogurt, or neutral oil.
Tips for making this jammy strawberry cake:
- Mashing the strawberries: make sure to mash only half of the sliced strawberries. If you mash all of them, you’ll end up with too much juice and the cake will be soggy. You want to have a mix of mashed strawberries and unmashed slices.
- Mixing the wet ingredients: it is okay if applesauce does not fully combine with the rest of the wet ingredients. Just whisk until everything is evenly incorporated and you’re good to go!
- Ingredient temperatures: it’s important that the milk and eggs are at room temperature or they will solidify the melted butter when mixed. If I’m in a rush, I like to microwave the milk for 15 seconds to quickly warm it up. You can also place the eggs under warm running water to quickly bring them to room temp.
- Leftovers: if you have any leftover cake, cover in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to serve, simply warm it up in the microwave.
Ingredient variations and substitutions for this jammy strawberry cake:
- Other fruit: feel free to try this recipe with other fruit! I recommend blackberries, peaches, or even mangoes. Let me know what you try!
- Flour – this recipe calls for all purpose flour, but you can also change it up if you would like. Feel free to substitute up to 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with whole wheat or almond flour.
- Milk – Whole milk will result in the richest and most tender cake, but any fat content will work. I have gotten great results with just 1% skim milk.
- Unsweetened applesauce – applesauce keeps this cake extra moist. If you don’t have it, you can substitute buttermilk, plain yogurt, or neutral oil.
If you liked this jammy strawberry cake, you might also like…
- Healthy One-Bowl Berry Cake
- Healthy Berry Clafoutis
- Strawberries and Cream Castella Cake
- Summer Peach Cake
- Strawberry Coconut Oat Bars
Easy Jammy Strawberry Cake
This jammy strawberry cake is so easy to make and super delicious, perfect for lazy summer days. The strawberries get jammy and soft in the oven, and the cake is moist and fluffy. Put the cake in the oven right before you sit down to dinner, and it will be done just in time for dessert!
Servings: 1 8 inch cake
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar divided
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg room temperature
- 3/4 cup milk room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or substitute plain yogurt or buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 inch square cake pan or 9 inch circle pan with butter.
- In a medium bowl, add the sliced strawberries and mash around half of the berries. There should be a mix of mashed strawberries and unmashed slices. Add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar to the strawberries and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, melted butter, and egg. Whisk until well combined. Add the milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is just combined. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan and spread into an even layer.
- Spoon the strawberries with all of their juices over the batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When done baking, remove from the oven and let cool briefly.
- Serve the cake warm, optionally with ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to substitute 1/2 cup of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour or almond flour.
Be careful not to over mix the batter! It’s ok if there are a few lumps.
Modified from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021174-strawberry-spoon-cake
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