This is the best Vegan Strawberry Cake ever! Made with plenty of fresh strawberries, it’s simply bursting with flavor. The pretty pink frosting is to die for!
This wonderful Vegan Strawberry Cake is adapted from my Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe. It’s incredibly moist, fluffy and made with plenty of fresh strawberries! I took a lot of tips from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and used reduced strawberry puree in the cake batter and freeze dried strawberries in the frosting.
If you’d rather use fresh strawberries in the frosting as well, you can easily make the frosting from these Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes instead. You can’t go wrong with either recipe!
Do you love strawberries as much as I do? If you do, make sure to check out my Vegan Strawberry Pie, Strawberry Rolls and Vegan Strawberry Shortcake.
How to make vegan strawberry cake
Find the complete recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
First, prepare the reduced strawberry puree
The first step in making the cake is to prepare your reduced strawberry puree. You will need 1 pound of fresh, ripe red strawberries. Rinse and hull them, then add to a food processor or blender and blend. Transfer the puree to a small pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes. The mixture will thicken and reduce to just over 1/2 cup.
Why not just use strawberry puree that is not reduced? It’s too much liquid, and not enough flavor! By reducing, you get a very concentrated strawberry flavor without adding a ton of liquid to the cake batter. Perfection.
Mix the cake batter and bake
In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer), cream together the vegan butter, oil and sugar. Mix in the vanilla and food coloring, if using. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the vegan buttermilk (this is simply soy milk mixed with apple cider vinegar) until combined each time. Do NOT over mix. Finally, mix in the reduced strawberry puree until just combined.
Pour the cake batter evenly into the greased and parchment lined pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Make vegan strawberry frosting and frost the cake
Why use freeze dried strawberries instead of fresh in the frosting? Fresh strawberries can cause the frosting to curdle, and freeze dried strawberries add a ton of concentrated flavor. You may also go make the frosting from my cupcakes recipe if desired.
Using a food processor or blender, blend freeze dried strawberries into a powder. Using a mixer, beat the vegan butter until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until it’s all incorporated. Now add in the strawberry powder, then the vanilla and milk as needed.
Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost as desired and decorate with fresh whole strawberries. Enjoy!
Tips for success
- To prepare your pans, please use a small circle of parchment paper and place it in the bottom. Then spray or grease the pans all over, including the sides. Trust me, I’ve had many cakes ruined by not properly preparing my pans!
- Use both the vegan butter AND oil. This makes the cake super moist and fluffy, while giving it the best possible buttery flavor.
- Make sure to cool the cakes COMPLETELY before frosting. If it’s warm at all, you will have a big melty mess on your hands. Trust me, I’ve been there… If I’m in a rush, I’ll put the cakes in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
- Let your reduced strawberry puree cool a bit before adding to the cake batter. I stuck mine in the refrigerator while I prepared the cake batter, and it was just fine.
- Use deep red, sweet and delicious strawberries for the best results! Frozen strawberries will work in a pinch, but fresh seasonal strawberries are best.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I turn this into a sheet cake or bake as cupcakes? Yes, for cupcakes, fill liners halfway full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. For a 9×13 inch cake, bake for 40-45 minutes. Or make it a true sheet cake with an 11×17 inch pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Can I add strawberry extract for more flavor? Sure! It already has a lot of flavor, but you could add 1-2 teaspoons strawberry extract in the batter when you add the vanilla.
- Is the food coloring essential? You don’t have to add any food coloring, but your cake will not be pink. Make sure to look for a vegan friendly pink or red color. Or make your own DIY pink food dye!
- Can I make a gluten free strawberry cake? Try substituting an all purpose gluten free mix for the cake/regular flour. It won’t be quite the same, but it works pretty well.
How to store leftover cake + freezing
Store the cake at room temperature for about 4 days. Make sure to cover the cut parts to prevent the cake from drying out.
You can also keep it in the refrigerator if you prefer, but when served straight from the fridge, it will be a bit crumbly and dry. So try to let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving if possible.
The whole cake or individual slices can be frozen. Or prepare the cakes ahead of time, wrap and freeze, then later make the frosting, frost and serve.
Want more incredible vegan cakes?
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Tres Leches Cake
- Vegan German Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
Vegan Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 1 pound fresh strawberries (1/2 cup reduced, see instructions)
- 1 1/4 cups soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pink food coloring optional
- 3 cups cake flour or all purpose flour, but cake flour is best
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries*
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons soy milk, as needed
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Cake
- Prepare the reduced strawberry puree: Rinse and hull the strawberries. Using a food processor or blender, puree them. Pour the puree into a small pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to about 1/2 cup. You might have a little more than that; save for topping ice cream or waffles. Allow it to cool for several minutes before adding to cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spraying with oil.
- Make the vegan buttermilk: Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir a little, then set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream together the softened butter, oil and sugar until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and pink food coloring, if using.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk to the bowl with the butter/oil/sugar mixture, mixing until just combined each time.
- Now add in the reduced strawberry puree with the mixer on low and mix until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, the surface looks and feels set and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with no wet batter.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the Strawberry Frosting
- Using a food processor or blender, blend the freeze dried strawberries into a powder. Set aside.
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened vegan butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
- Now add in the strawberry powder and mix in. With the mixer on low speed, add in the vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons of soy milk as needed to thin the frosting to a desirable consistency. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk until it's just right.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost, decorate with more strawberries and enjoy!
- The cake will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure to cover the cut part to keep it from drying out. The whole cake or individual pieces also freeze well.
Video
Notes
- Flour – Cake flour is the best choice for a light and fluffy cake, but all purpose flour works pretty well. For gluten free, try substituting a gluten free all purpose flour.
- Milk – You can substitute any plant based milk for the soy milk.
- Different sized cakes/cupcakes – You can also make this cake as a 9 by 13 inch cake. It will need to bake more like 40-45 minutes though. Or to make cupcakes, fill liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Can’t find freeze dried strawberries? Go make the fresh strawberry frosting from my Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes recipe instead.
Nutrition
*This cake was originally published July 2019 and has been updated with new photos. The original version called for half vegetable shortening/half vegan butter in the frosting, but I have since found I like using all vegan butter and no shortening.
I made this as a birthday cake for my husband and it was so good – the freeze dried strawberries in the frosting was so good, I was licking extras off the spoon. Husband loved it and couldn’t tell it was vegan til I told him after. Moist cake, yummy frosting, will make again when the craving strikes!
That’s so great!!
I just made your cake for my family and I put it in the fridge for tomorrow. Looking forward to trying it. How long can I leave the frosting out without it going bad since it has vegan butter in it?
The frosted cake will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, the frosting is fine to leave out just as long. Thanks!
Is the strawberry flavor strong in the cake? If I wanted a stronger flavor how many more strawberries should I add in the mix? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I think it’s pretty strong, yes. I would not change the amount of strawberries in the cake, it will disrupt the recipe. You might be able to find strawberry essence or extract to add if you really want to.
would love to make this as three 6in cakes – any advice on cooking times?
It should work just fine, but the bake time will be a little less, probably 25 minutes or so, but I would check with a toothpick to make sure the cakes are done.
Hi there! This recipe looks perfect for a client of mine who wants an eggless cake! I just wanted to know, am I able to use dairy milk and dairy butter? or should I stick to the non dairy milk and non dairy butter? Also, can I use lemon juice for the buttermilk? or should I stick to apple cider vinegar?
Thanks so much!!!
Hi! I don’t think using dairy would have an adverse effect on the cake, but I haven’t tested it so I’m not totally sure. Lemon juice should work just as well for the buttermilk. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you so much for your reply! I’m sorry I have one last question, can the cakes be made ahead and frozen? I need them for this Sat but I’m worried about the strawberries going bad, so I was thinking about cooking them down tomorrow (Wed) and baking the cake Wed as well.
Yes, the cakes can be frozen ahead of time. I just wrap them well when freezing, then thaw and frost. Enjoy!
Hi, i’m baking this cake right now, actually! And the batter for this cake vs your chocolate cake is different in consistency. Can you explain why this cake doesn’t need the boiling water? My batter on the non chocolate recipe’s tends to be too thick and I’m not sure why!!
Yes, they are very different recipes. Unfortunately, the boiling water trick does not work for this cake or other non-chocolate cakes. I can’t exactly explain why, but I have tried it and the cake will not come out good. The batter is thicker for this cake (compared to the chocolate cake), but it’s fine. Just make sure not to scoop and measure too much flour, even a little too much can make the cake dry.
Soooooooo good! We went fruit picking and had a ton of strawberries. I love all your recipes and found this cake recipe and it turned out DELICIOUS!! The cake was moist and perfect! I could not find freeze dried strawberries and after waiting in line in the quarantine I opted for freeze dried blueberries. We ended up with a fourth of July cake them for the 4th. We could not wait so we decided to have it today and now I’m not sure it will last for the 4th. Thanks again Nora!
You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the great comment!
I was curious how many packages of the freeze-dried strawberries you had to use to get 1 cup of powder? Thanks!
Just 1 package is enough! 🙂
It tastes amazing but mine was very crumbly. Would aquafaba help, do you think, please?
This is definitely one to show off to the non vegan disbelievers.
Did you make any substitutions? The cake should be not crumbly, it almost sounds like maybe it was rather dry? Make sure you are measuring the flour correctly, not scooping too much. I haven’t tested it with aquafaba, but I don’t really like that would help here.
Hi! I want to try this recipe but having a hard time understanding how much freeze dried strawberries to buy. The one you linked says it’s 1.2 ounces. How many of those packs would I need to get for 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries?
Hi there! One of the packages is enough, there is more than 1 cup in there.
This recipe is amazing! The perfect texture! The crumb is tender and melts in the mouth. I added some lemon zest and strawberry extract to enhance the strawberry taste. I’m making a cake for my sisters birthday and I think this will pair well with a coconut whipped cream frosting. I hope she likes the final product as much as I liked the tester layer. Thanks for this beautiful recipe!
I think that would pair nicely together, yes. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much.
I followed the recipe to a T, sifting the flour, folding it in while alternating with the buttermilk, and making sure not to overmix, but the cake came out INCREDIBLY dense! Wish this worked out, since I made this for my partner’s birthday.
I’m sorry to hear that! It’s a bit hard to know what went wrong without being there with you, but a few reasons the cake may have come out dense could be that the batter was over mixed, you accidentally measured a bit too much flour or baked the cake too long, making it dry out.
I’m so excited to try this recipe for my daughters’ birthday party! We LOVE your chocolate cake recipe so I’m know this is going to be yummy!
I have some freeze dried strawberry powder instead of whole strawberries… do you know how much I would measure out when it’s already a powder? Thank you!
Thank you so much! I hope you love this one, too. I would say about 1/2 cup of the powder for the frosting.
This is fantastic! I first made it for my son’s birthday and we liked it so much that my daughter requested it for her birthday too.
Wow, that’s so great to hear!
I decided to try this cake for my dad’s birthday and it came out so delicious!!! My family was shocked that it was a vegan cake! Simply amazing 😀
That’s so great!!Thanks for the comment!
The cake is yummy but dense. Is there a way to make this with 2 cups of flour?
Try not to over mix the batter, that will help it be light instead of dense. You can also use cake flour instead of all purpose, which will make the cake more tender and light. I wouldn’t go down to 2 cups of flour.
Hi, I want to try this but with coconut sugar/honey/maple syrup instead of sugar. What could be used instead of confectioner’s also as I can’t take sugar 🙁 Also, can this use almond milk instead of soy milk? Also allergic to those.
This looks delicious and I’d love to try it 🙂
Coconut sugar might work in the cake itself, but you need some sort of powdered type sugar or sugar substitute to make the frosting, unless you have another sugar free frosting you normally use.
Dear Nora,
Can I just skip the reduced strawberry puree part? Would it be affect of the result too much? Many thanks.
You could but then your cake itself won’t taste like strawberry, just the frosting would. Plus you would need some extra moisture if you totally skip it, so maybe replace it with applesauce or aquafaba. I haven’t tried this though, sorry!
Hi Nora! I have an question, would I be able to use strawberry syrup instead of fresh strawberries? I don’t have access to fresh or frozen produce due to quarantine right now.
I bet that would work, with slightly different results. I would sub 1/2 cup for the fresh strawberries in the cake.
I’m probably the only person that had this problem, but step six says to alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, and never says to put in the butter/oil/sugar mix. I now assume you meant to alternate adding the two mixes to the flour? By the time I had added the oil mix the mix was a terrible consistency and didn’t bake right. Anyway like I said I’m not the best baker so I follow every word exactly and it kind of messed me up. I’ll try it again tomorrow and hopefully it works!
I’m sorry you had trouble here! I see the problem, you are supposed to alternate adding the flour and buttermilk to the butter/oil/sugar mixture. So if you think about it like the bowl with the butter/oil/sugar is your MAIN bowl that everything gets added to. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora , can i add almond milk instead of soy milk? Also can i half the measurements if i only need to make 8 pieces ,Thanks in advance.
You can use almond milk instead of soy, yes. If you cut the measurements in half it won’t work cooked in two 8 inch pans, but if you want to bake it in just one 8 inch pan, that should work.
Where do you find vegan shortening ?
Pretty much any store, or you can order it. It’s actually nothing special, Crisco vegetable shortening is vegan. But you can also simply use all vegan butter, which I do sometimes.
Delicious recipe. Instead of oil I used 1/2c of aquafaba and still cane out super good. Thank you Nora fir the recipe.
You’re so welcome!
How will the measurements change if I use cake flour instead of regular ?
No, use the same amount.
Are you using unsalted vegan butter? What brand?
I usually Earth Balance, and it is salted. I haven’t found an unsalted brand.
I’m planning on making this cake. What type of vegan shortening do you use?
Any vegetable shortening is fine. I usually use Crisco.
This turned out amazing and very moist! I used extra crushed up freeze dried strawberries to decorate the top
I’m so glad it was good!