Vegan Strawberry Cake
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My vegan strawberry cake recipe uses fresh strawberries to make a light, fluffy, refreshing cake enveloped in strawberry frosting. I love how simply it comes together.
When strawberry season approaches, I love coming up with new recipes to incorporate them. My fresh vegan strawberry cake recipe is one of my partner’s favorites. Topped with pink cream cheese frosting, it’s the kind of cake people ask for the recipe right away.
As someone who has developed vegan desserts since 2015, the tricky part wasn’t the cake batter itself. Rather, it was how best to impart strawberry flavor and color into the cake without affecting the texture. The trick is to blend the strawberries into a puree so they blend seamlessly into the batter, rather than staying whole and releasing extra moisture.
The result is a naturally pink cake that doesn’t rely on artificial flavorings or colors.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Simple baking staples. Aside from the strawberries, everything else is a standard pantry item. No specialty vegan ingredients are needed.
- Bursting with strawberry flavor. Most strawberry cakes look pink but don’t taste like strawberries. I tested this until you could taste strawberry flavor in every bite.
- Perfect texture. Vegan cakes are notorious for falling apart, but this recipe uses the right ingredient ratios to yield a tender crumb.
- Baked in under 30 minutes. And the prep time is kept to a minimum, too.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This was delicious! I made the cream cheese icing with freeze-dried strawberries (ground into powder). Absolutely delicious! Thank you!” – Melanie
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into a dairy free strawberry cake, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour. I suggest sifting it first to remove any clumps. If you need this cake to be gluten-free, I tested it with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour successfully.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Using both gives the cake a lighter crumb than one leavener alone.
- Powdered sugar. I tested regular sugar, too, but I loved the airy, fluffy texture you get from the powdered sugar. If you only have granulated sugar, blend it until it reaches a powdered consistency.
- Oil. To add moisture without using eggs. Use a neutral-tasting oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. I tested coconut oil, but in the end, I thought it made the cake too dry.
- Dairy-free yogurt. Coconut yogurt or soy yogurt works. I used plain, but vanilla pairs well with the strawberry flavor.
- Fresh strawberries. They’ll be blended into a puree. If you only have frozen strawberries, let them thaw overnight and drain the excess juice.
- Vegan frosting. I made my own and included instructions below, but you can buy vegan buttercream frosting at most grocery stores.
- Natural pink food coloring. Optional, but use a few drops if you’d like a pink cake. I like all-natural gel, as it gives a more vibrant pink color.
Frosting ideas
Any frosting will work, but I made a vegan cream cheese frosting. Here’s how it’s done:
- Combine 8 ounces vegan cream cheese with ⅓ cup softened vegan butter and beat until creamy.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and continue beating.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and another 2 cups of powdered sugar, and beat until smooth. Fold in pink food coloring if using.
If you want to make a vegan strawberry buttercream frosting, fold in freeze-dried strawberries. If you want to make a chocolate frosting, fold in ¼ cup of cocoa powder.
How to make vegan strawberry cake
Step 1- Prep. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.
Step 2- Blend the strawberries. Using a high-speed blender or food processor, blend the strawberries to a puree.
Step 3- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 4- Finish the cake batter. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar, yogurt, strawberry puree, and food coloring (if using). Whisk in the dry ingredients slowly until combined.
Step 5- Bake. Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, then remove them and frost.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Prepare the pans. Trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil and cut it out. It takes 30 seconds and makes removal completely clean. If possible, use a springform pan for easier removal.
- Avoid overbaking the cakes. They’ll continue to cook as they cool, so pull them from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out mostly clean, not completely dry.
- Guarantee even-sized cake layers. Use a food scale to weigh the cake pans as you add the batter.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt, and the cake will begin to sink.
- Don’t skip blending the strawberries. Whole or chopped up strawberries release too much moisture during baking, and will make the cake dense. Blend completely smooth before adding it to the batter.
Variations
- Add more strawberry flavor. Add one teaspoon of strawberry extract or fold in ¼ cup of strawberry jam for a texture change.
- Make vegan strawberry cupcakes! To make cupcakes, pour the batter into a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover strawberry cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Wrap leftover cake slices in parchment paper and store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
Vegan Strawberry Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries blended and pureed
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour use gluten free, if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil or any oil of choice
- 1/2 cup dairy free yogurt can use any plain or vanilla yogurt
Frosting
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line 2 8-inch pans. Cut a circular piece of parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan with a pencil and cutting it out.
- Using a high speed blender or food processor, blend your strawberries until a pureed texture.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, oil, yogurt, and strawberries, and mix until combined and creamy. Gently fold through your dry mixture, and mix until just combined.
- Distribute the cake batter amongst the two cake pans. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out just clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans completely. Once cool, remove from the pans and frost, if desired.
- To make the frosting, combine the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter and beat until fluffy. Add half the confectioners sugar and continue beating. Add the vanilla and the remaining confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. If using food coloring, stir that through at the end.
Notes
Nutrition
More vegan cake recipes
- Vegan chocolate cake– The chocolate cake I make for any occasion, vegan or not.
- Vegan lemon cake– A moist, bright cake topped with a simple cream cheese frosting.
- Vegan German chocolate cake– If you love sweet cakes, this one is for you.
- Vegan birthday cake– The perfect cake for any birthday or celebration.
Originally published July 2020
This cake was outstanding! It got rave reviews when I made it. The only thing I’d like to point out was that I used 9 inch round cake pans and it definitely wasn’t enough for two layers, following this recipe as stated. I had to double the cake part of the recipe to have enough for 2 adequate layers. Will definitely be making this again😋Thank you!
Wow, this is the first time I made a cake that turns out fluffy & moist inside! Amazing!
I only made one layer as I only have 1 cake tin. I used coconut oil which is the only difference from the recipe. It came out nice, not red as in the pic, since I didn’t use any coloring. Just that it’s slightly thinner than in the pic. I wonder what could cause the difference in height. 😛
Anyway thanks for sharing this recipe! I’m glad I made it! : )
Love to hear that, Angelina. Hmmm odd that it was thinner for you- did you use the right size cake pan? Glad you enjoyed the flavor 🙂
Hi! I am going to make this! 1 cup of strawberries as in whole strawberries, or 1 cup of pureed strawberries? It will be difficult to gauge if some strawberries are big and take up the whole cup with just a few. ‘:P
Thanks for your reply! : )
Hi Angelina, one cup of strawberries, whole, before blending 🙂
What a nice colour of the cake. Like strawberries so much!
Hi your cake look good but is it truly moist. I want to make it but I want a batter for three layer 9 inch cake pans. Could you please tell me the exact amount of ingredients that I should use please?
I want to make it for some one who lost a family member and she’s a vegan.
Made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. It turned out so good! Some alterations I made were using organic yogurt instead of vegan yogurt (so it was almost vegan), and I ground the dehydrated strawberries and added vanilla for the icing. Superb!! I should have doubled the cake recipe for either two taller layers or for a total of four short layers. Next time…
I made this cake today. It didn’t come out the way I expected. I used gluten-free flour, olive oil and half a cup of the powdered sugar. It came out really gooey. Maybe next time it’ll come out better.
This was delicious! I made the cream cheese icing with freeze dried strawberries (ground into powder). Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Can this be converted to cupcakes with gluten free flour?
The cake was scrumptious 😋😋😋
Thank you for the recipe🙏🏻😊
the best strawberry cake recipe I’ve ever made.
Hi,
Do you think this would work as cupcakes ?
Wondering if the bake time would be the same.
Thanks for the recipe !
I don’t see why not- you’ll need to reduce the baking time to around 15-20 minutes.
Made this cake for my friend since she’s lactose intolerant. I didn’t get to try the cake (I usually do) because I only had enough batter for the cake. She said it was delicious so definitely saving this for next time! Thank you!
Hello,
I am wondering if spelt flour will give the same effect?
Haven’t tried- feel free to experiment and see!
Very clever recipe. I made the gluten free version along with your cream cheese frosting. It really is yummy!
My family loved this! They said it was “bakery quality.” I love the fresh strawberry flavor. A lot of cake recipes call for making a strawberry reduction but I really prefer the flavor of fresh strawberries in this cake. A great way to enjoy strawberry season!
Love the “bakery quality” compliment! You must have done an amazing job!