Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 301kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Naturally-flavored strawberry sheet cake topped with homemade cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries

Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake

1 ½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter melted
¾ cup milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour sifted or fluffed (see notes)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 strawberries
½ ounce freeze-dried strawberries optional

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
8 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup unsalted butter melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 strawberries

Instructions

Making the Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a rectangle cake pan and set aside.
Combine sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and stir until uniform.
1 ½ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup milk, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
Mash or puree strawberries to your desired consistency then stir into cake batter. If adding freeze-dried strawberries, crush or pulse in a blender to form a powder then mix into batter, as well. Batter will be thick.
6 strawberries, ½ ounce freeze-dried strawberries
Spread cake batter into prepared pan. Place on middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.

Making the Cream Cheese Frosting

Sift powdered sugar into a bowl then add in cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. Beat for about 1 ½ minutes or until smooth, glossy, and uniform.
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
While frosting mixes, dice strawberries into about ⅓ inch pieces. Fold diced strawberries into frosting by hand. Slice additional strawberries to decorate cake, if desired.
3 strawberries
Frost cake once it cools to room temperature. Spread frosting over top almost to edges then place strawberry slices over top.

Notes

How to Measure Flour

Flour tends to get compacted, which can lead to too much flour in your baked good and result in a denser or drier texture than desired. To avoid this, it's important to sift the flour before measuring it. This can be accomplished by running the flour through a sifter or mesh sieve or fluffing the flour in its original container, then using a small measuring cup to scoop the flour into the size measuring cup you need (example: using a half-cup to scoop flour into a one-cup), then leveling off the excess with a knife or leveler.

Preparation

To make strawberry puree: hull strawberries and cut in halves. Add to a food processor or blender with one tablespoon of water. Pulse until smooth.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake should be refrigerated if not consumed right away.

Nutrition