Real Strawberry Cake Recipe: The Fruit In This Recipe Went Viral & Sparked a Debate by Jan Mostrom

I’ve been so blessed to have spent the last several days visiting my daughter, who lives in Portugal. The first day I was here, we went walking through the neighborhood and passed by one of our favorite local markets where they beautifully display the local produce available.

I immediately spotted beautiful fresh strawberries, and I just had to have them. These are the local, juicy, red strawberries that one can only get in season and smell and taste like real fruit. I was so excited they were in available during my visit.

Little did we know that when my daughter posted a TikTok of me enjoying these amazing little gems and talking about how wonderful they were, we’d ignite a debate we just didn’t see coming. So to all those sweet people who commented and anyone else who loves strawberries like me, I decided to share a recipe for this easy strawberry cake. (Cake served in beautiful Portuguese pottery gifted to me from my sweet kids for Mother's Day!)

All you need to have on hand is fresh strawberries, yellow cake mix or flour, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, cold butter and optional toppings of ice cream or whipped cream. Serve this sweet strawberry cake for dessert or as a snack just because.

Do you always wash your fruit before eating? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 to 55 minutes
Total Time: 60 to 70 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced, plus more for topping if desired
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, thinly sliced into square pats
• 15.25 ounces (1 box) yellow cake mix (optional ingredients in Recipe Notes)

Recipe Notes

• Instead of a box cake mix, you can use 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.

• You can use a 21-ounce can of strawberry pie filling instead of the fresh strawberries.

• I had to use soft butter instead of cubes that slice better. Just make sure to cover as much of the cake mix as possible with the butter you do use as this is essential so that the dry ingredients get the moisture from the butter. If you have a few dry spots when you take it out of the oven, add a bit more butter and cook for a few more minutes.

• Store the strawberry cake in the fridge or on the counter for two days in an airtight container.

• The cake reheats very nicely in the microwave in about 15 seconds.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Wash and slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl with the granulated sugar. Gently toss and set aside for 10 minutes.
   
2. While the strawberries sit, prepare the cake mix, if needed, and slice the butter into thin slices.
   
3. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan or similar-size pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the strawberries with any juices over the bottom of the pan.
   
4. Sprinkle the dry cake mix or cake mix ingredients over the strawberries to cover them completely.
   
5. Place the butter slices over the top of the dry ingredients, trying to place them close together. (Photo shows them a bit too far apart!)
   
6. Place decorative slices of strawberries, if desired, and cook a preheated 350-degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
   
7. Remove from oven and serve warm with optional whipped topping or ice cream, and enjoy!
   

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 144

Total Fat: 7.3g

Saturated Fat: 4g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sodium: 109mg

Total Carbohydrate: 20.1g

Dietary Fiber: 0.7g

Total Sugars: 15.8g

Protein: 0.7g

Vitamin D: 4mcg

Calcium: 20mg

Iron: 0mg

Potassium: 56mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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