Description

This easy fresh strawberry sheet cake is a moist and flavorful treat featuring a vibrant strawberry puree in the batter and topped with a light, silky strawberry cream cheese frosting. Perfect for gatherings or a sweet everyday dessert, it’s made with simple ingredients and baked to perfection in a 9x13 inch pan.

Ingredients

Scale

Strawberry Sheet Cake:

¾ cup vegetable oil (170g)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (56g)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup milk (80g)
340g fresh or frozen strawberries (about 1 ½ cups puree)
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (360g)
2 tbsp cornstarch (20g)
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Optional: few drops of pink gel food color

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

12 oz cream cheese, room temperature (340g)
⅓ cup strawberry jam (80g)
¼ cup granulated sugar (60g)
⅓ cup heavy cream (80g)
Pinch of salt

Assembly & Decoration:

Fresh strawberries to taste

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Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (no fan). Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy cake removal.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk or beat until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Make Strawberry Puree: Blitz fresh or thawed strawberries in a food processor until they form a puree. Leave some texture if you prefer.
Combine Wet Ingredients: Add the strawberry puree and milk to the wet mixture. Whisk everything together until well combined.
Add Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk these dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined and no lumps remain. Avoid overmixing to maintain cake tenderness.
Add Food Coloring (Optional): If desired, add a few drops of pink gel food coloring and gently fold it through the batter for a lovely pink hue.
Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Avoid overbaking to keep the cake moist.
Cool the Cake: Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
Prepare the Frosting: In a bowl, whisk together the room temperature cream cheese, strawberry jam, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt using medium-low speed until silky smooth and lump-free. Do not overmix to prevent the frosting from becoming runny.
Assemble and Decorate: Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the pan or frost it directly in the pan if preferred. Spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting evenly over the cake. Decorate with fresh, sliced strawberries as desired.
Serve and Store: Slice and serve the cake at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator to keep the frosting fresh.

Notes

This recipe yields a light layer of cream cheese frosting. To increase the frosting-to-cake ratio, simply double the frosting ingredients.
Using frozen strawberries requires thawing at room temperature for 30 minutes before pureeing.
Do not overmix the batter as it can make the cake dense and tough.
Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake center; it should come out with moist crumbs only.
The cake is best enjoyed at room temperature but can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
Calories: 350 kcal
Sugar: 35 g
Sodium: 180 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 42 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 55 mg