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.
Nora, it’s Lila from Port Orchard, Beana’s Mom. So I made your strawberry cake and I’m happy with it, but I do have a question. I baked it for 35 minutes, it was a little brownish around the edges and the toothpicks came out clean. But after they cooled and I put them on a plate to frost; they both had a round crack in the middle and fell slightly. Any advice? Benjamin says from licking the beaters that it was delicious ? thanks, I love your recipes
Oh hello there! 🙂 I actually wonder if the cake baked just a bit too long, and that’s why there was a crack. Mine don’t usually brown much at all, and oven temperatures can vary. I don’t think it was from licking the beaters lol! I hope you still are able to enjoy the cake, once it’s frosted no one will know about the crack hopefully! So glad you love my recipes, great to hear from you.
Wow! Spectacular, this is my fourth dessert that I made from your recipes and we love it it’s fantastic! Moist, sweet, perfect combination!
You are my go to Chef for all vegan desserts!
I feel honored! Thank you four sharing you wonderful review and comments! Happy cooking!
I had plans to entertain a 7 year old faerie child and her family. This recipe popped into my Instagram feed just a few days before. It was a huge hit with all of us. I made it with the frosting from the cupcake recipe since I only had fresh strawberries. I put a bit more strawberry puree in than the recipe called for and it still turned out great. Baked it in a 9″x13″ pan for 30 minutes at 375 (my oven runs 25 degrees cold).
I sent some home with my friends and then wound up baking half the recipe in a 8″ cake round for me and the husband just two days later.
So good.
Hi Nora – I love your name! That sounds like a fun time! Thank you or sharing your great feedback and review! I’m so glad you loved the cake!
I love everything I have made off of your site. I mean, how could I not? Vegan Noras unite!
Thank you for your fun and encouraging feedback! I’m thrilled you are loving my recipes! Wishing you happy cooking!
Could this be made using frozen strawberries?
Absolutely!
I bought country crocks vegan butter sticks, but it has almond oil in it. Will that be ok ?
Yes, the butter should still be fine to use (although the recipe will no longer be nut free).
Awesome! Looks pretty and tastes absolutely amazing (:
I made this into an Easter bunny cake for my non vegan family and everyone loved it!
Any tips for helping it rise more? Mine came out pretty dense…only thing I did different was almond milk instead of soy. Could that be the issue?
Did you use the cake flour? Using almond instead of soy milk will not make the cake dense, but using all purpose flour does make for a denser, less light and fluffy cake. Also, make sure not to bake it too long. Hope that helps!
Oh my goodness! This cake is a strawberry explosion! So delicious! This cake is a must-make for strawberry lovers. The crumb was soft, fluffy and moist. The icing with the freeze dried strawberries was beyond delicious! I served this Easter and I was the only vegan out of 12 people and everyone was ranting about how delicious it was. I made 1.5 recipes for the icing for extra decorating and used golden Oreos crumbs along the bottom and whole Oreos on the edge on the top. The strawberry flavour went really well with the golden Oreo flavour. Thanks for another wonderful cake recipe!
Your cake sounds so beautiful, and delicious! Thank you or sharing your wonderful feedback and ideas! I’m thrilled the cake was a hit!
In the metric measurements, I think the butter measurement should be double? I tried to rely on weight measures as much as possible.
This was my first vegan cake. I appreciate being about to bake something without eggs. Like most baked goods with a purée, this cake is a little dense and more moist, but still very good. The strawberry flavor is unmistakable.
I did add 1/4 tsp salt to the frosting. I only added 1/4 tsp pink gel food color, but I might go even lighter on it next time, because I can kind of taste the bitterness of it. It’s heavily pigmented stuff. That said, I’d make this again.
Hi Nora,
This looks delicious and I was hoping to make it for an Easter brunch but I would need to make something I can prep the day before in the interest of time. Is it possible to make this cake portion the day ahead? If so, any recommendations?
(I love to bake but I’m no expert so I appreciate the advice ahead of time!)
Thank you!
Hi Lora! You can absolutely make the cake a day ahead of time. Just make the cake, frost as desired, and store in the refrigerator overnight. No need to cover it, the frosting will keep the cakes moist overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator an hour or so before you plan on serving it. I hope everyone enjoys it for Easter!
Has anyone tried cutting back on the sugar in this recipe or using monkfruit? 4 1/2 cups total is a lot!
How do I prevent my layers from forming a dome when they cook? I always have to take a knife to cut the dome off so it lays flat.
That’s pretty normal when baking cakes, and it’s never a problem to have to slice a dome off. However, I don’t find vegan cakes rise as much as regular cakes, so often it’s not needed.
I made the cake last year and it was delicious- your recipes never fail me. I’m wondering if you happen to know how long to bake off using a loaf pan? & Do you think it would make a good loaf with glaze instead of frosting?
Thank you so much! You can bake the cake in a loaf pan for about 40-55 minutes. I like it best with the strawberry frosting but a glaze is a good option if you don’t want the cake to be too sweet.
Excited to make this for my birthday this weekend. I’ve made countless of your recipes! One question I have is, can we use frozen strawberries? Thanks in advance!
Yes, frozen strawberries work just as well.
This cake is TO DIE FOR!!!
The idea to even bake a strawberry cake had never even occurred to me (Did any good cake even exist besides yellow cake?) until I saw this post. Thought it would be fun to try for our Valentines Day party.
Yes, it was a bit time consuming (we started earlier in the day), and, as some others have commented, it was a bit dense, but the result was one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever had! Very moist and exploding with strawberry flavor. Everyone loved it! Will keep this on rotation for special occasions.
We also used the pinterest hack of making a heart shaped cake from a square pan and a circle pan. Worked like a charm!
Thanks for being the star of our Valentines party, Nora!
You are so welcome, Emily! I’m so happy the cake was a hit and I love the idea of making it a heart shape!
Hello! Thank you for all youe amazing recipes!
I cant find dried frozen strawberries where I live. Is there anything I can try?
Hi Maria, thank you! You could make the frosting like I did for these strawberry cupcakes instead, that use fresh strawberries. Hope that helps!
Hi! I love all your recipes! I have made this one for my nephew’s birthday this year and it was delicious!
I was wondering if this recipe would work well with gluten free flour and if so, how much if not the same amount?
Thank you!!
I’m glad you are loving my recipes Holli! Thank you for using them. I haven’t tested this particular cake gluten free. I’ll have to try it sometime and see what works. I like using King Arthur Cup for Cup blend, usually. I hope this helps. Let me know how it turns out for you if you make a GF version.
Hi Nora, how many packets of freeze-dried strawberries do I need to make up 1 cup? The packets on Amazon weigh 1.2 oz but not sure how many I would need to buy to make this recipe. Thanks!
One package should be enough! I hope you enjoy the cake.
Is there a specific reason this recipe does not have aquafaba? Is it not needed, will it ruin the recipe?
This cake is stop die for! My husband loves strawberry cake but has been disappointed but ones we’ve tried in the past. I made this one for his birthday and he was so happy. I had just enough strawberry flavor without over doing it and it stayed moist the entire week it took us to eat. I guess I’ll have to make this for his birthday every year now.
That sounds like a fun plan! I’m so glad my strawberry cake turned out great for you, and that your husband loved his birthday cake! Happy birthday to him! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback, and happy cooking!
Can you replace shortening for the vegan butter in the cake?
Yes, you can use all butter for the frosting. Thanks!
Hi Nora,
Was planning to make this strawberry cake for my Son’s Birthday this weekend, but, cannot find vegan shortening, is there something I can replace it with?
Also can I use coconut oil instead of the canola oil?
Thank you ?
Rosemary
You can just use more vegan butter instead of shortening. Coconut oil should be okay in the cake. Enjoy!
Do you always use 1/2 vegan butter and 1/2 shortening in your frosting for this? I usually just use all vegan butter. Do you find it holds up better with some shortening? I know you in most of your recipes you just use the butter. Thanks!!
Not always, no. There is a lot of variation in baking. 🙂 I do find it holds up well with 1/2 shortening, but all vegan butter works, too. Thanks!
I made this cake for my dad’s birthday last night and it was so good!! Everyone went back for another slice. I did end up having a lot of icing leftover and probably could’ve halved that part of the recipe but I’ll definitely be making this again, thank you!!
I’m thrilled the cake was a hit for your dad’s birthday! Happy birthday to your dad! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful review and comments!