Vegan Strawberry Cake

This luscious vegan strawberry cake is a true summer delight - three layers of fluffy cake packed with fresh strawberry flavor, frosted with silky vegan strawberry buttercream frosting. The cake layers have a pink blush from a sweet-tart strawberry puree, made from fresh berries. This beautiful yet easy-to-make cake is sure to be love at first sight and bite - perfect for entertaining or anytime you crave a little fruit-flavored indulgence.

Sweet, juicy strawberries and three fluffy cake layers come together beautifully in this impressive vegan dessert.

Of the countless wonderful ways to relish ripe, red strawberries, transforming them into a standout cake is my favorite. This splendid vegan strawberry cake truly elevates its namesake fruit from picnic table to party showstopper!

With minimal effort, you can transform your berry-picking bounty into an elegant cake that’s nostalgic but thoroughly fresh. This stunner is sure to be the highlight of warm-weather gatherings or a midwinter pick-me-up. However you slice it, this cake makes a compelling case for strawberries as the perfect cake companion.

And, if you're a fan of strawberries, you might also like my popular dehydrated strawberries recipe or my strawberry walnut salad.

⭐What People Are Saying

👨‍🍳How To Make Vegan Strawberry Cake

Step 1: Make The Strawberry Puree

• In a food processor or blender, blend fresh strawberries until they turn into a smooth juice.
• Transfer the strawberry juice to a saucepan, add sugar (if using), and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces significantly. Aim for around 1 to 1.5 cups of reduced strawberry puree. This may take approximately 20-25 minutes.
• Allow the reduced strawberry puree to cool before using it in the cake batter.

Step 2: Make The Vegan Strawberry Cake

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease three 8-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix reduced strawberry puree, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Don't overmix.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

Step 3: Make The Vegan Strawberry Frosting

This strawberry buttercream frosting is based on my vegan buttercream frosting recipe, but with the added addition of freeze-dried strawberries.

• For the frosting, in a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries until they turn into a fine powder. In a large bowl, beat together vegan butter, powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust the amount of strawberry powder based on your desired level of pink color and strawberry flavor.
• Once the cakes are cooled, frost the top of one layer, place the second layer on top, frost it, and then add the third layer. Frost the entire cake.

⭐Tips For Success

1. Choose ripe, red, juicy strawberries for the best flavor in the puree and cake. Underripe berries can taste sour.
2. Don't overmix the cake batter for tender, fluffy layers. Gently combine wet and dry just until there are no more streaks of flour.
3. Let the cake layers cool completely before assembling and frosting. Frosting while still warm can make the cake soggy.
4. Make the strawberry buttercream first and refrigerate it to allow it to firm up, making frosting the cooled cake much easier.
5. Use a serrated knife and sawing motion to slice the layered cake cleanly without smashing the tender crumb. Wipe knife clean between cuts.

❄️Storage Instructions

Before Frosting: The baked cake layers can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap the layers well and place in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge before assembling and frosting.

Frosted Cake: Tightly cover the cake in an airtight container or under a cake dome and store in the fridge. The berry flavors will remain fresh for 3-4 days refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze the frosted cake for 4-6 weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge then let come to room temperature before serving (about 2 hours).

🙋Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe

Vegan Strawberry Cake

Keri Bevan

This luscious vegan strawberry cake is a true summer delight - three layers of fluffy cake packed with fresh strawberry flavor, frosted with silky vegan strawberry buttercream frosting. The cake layers have a natural pink blush from a sweet-tart strawberry puree, made from fresh berries. a This beautiful yet easy-to-make cake is sure to be love at first sight and bite - perfect for warm weather entertaining or anytime you crave a little fruit-flavored indulgence.

5 from 44 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 slices

Calories 431 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Reduced Strawberry Puree:

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar optional, depending on the sweetness of your strawberries

For the Cake:

• 3 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup reduced strawberry puree
• 2 cups plant based milk I used soy milk
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 drops red food coloring

For the Frosting:

• ¾ cup vegan butter softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For Cake Decoration

• 1 cup strawberries (optional) halved

Instructions

 

Prepare the Strawberry Puree:

• In a food processor or blender, blend fresh strawberries until they turn into a smooth juice.
• Transfer the strawberry juice to a saucepan, add sugar (if using), and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces significantly. Aim for around ¾ cups of reduced strawberry puree. This should take approximately 20-25 minutes.
• Allow the reduced strawberry puree to cool before using it in the cake batter.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease three 8-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix reduced strawberry puree, plant-based milk, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Don't overmix.
• Add the food coloring one drop at a time, until you reach the deisred color.desired
• Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
• For the frosting, in a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries until they turn into a fine powder. In a large bowl, beat together vegan butter, powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust the amount of strawberry powder based on your desired level of pink color and strawberry flavor.
• Once the cakes are cooled, frost the top of one layer, place the second layer on top, frost it, and then add the third layer. Frost the entire cake.

Notes

Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free vegan strawberry cake, simply swap the cake flour (or the all-purpose flour) for your favorite gluten-free flour blend.

❄️Storage Instructions

Before Frosting: The baked cake layers can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap the layers well and place in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge before assembling and frosting.

Frosted Cake: Tightly cover the cake in an airtight container or under a cake dome and store in the fridge. The berry flavors will remain fresh for 3-4 days refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze the frosted cake for 4-6 weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge then let come to room temperature before serving (about 2 hours).

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 323mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 2gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 414IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg

Keyword vegan strawberry cake

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