This easy sheet cake is full of fresh strawberry flavor. It's perfect for any occasion!
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
I love this cake for potlucks and church picnics because it travels well, feeds a crowd, and is always a huge hit!
- It's a simple fresh strawberry cake that starts with a box mix. It tastes great, and comes out moist every time!
- Great for parties, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, baby showers, and more! It's the perfect birthday cake for strawberry lovers!
- Making the strawberry puree is super easy but you may need to do it in batches.
Once you learn how to make homemade strawberry cake that's this easy you'll be making them for every celebration! It's topped with a rich, whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting that is definitely going to be a family favorite.
🧾 Ingredients
When I find ripe strawberries at the store I immediately start thinking about my favorite strawberry desserts!
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Cream cheese frosting would also taste amazing on this.
- Try using a strawberry cake mix for even more strawberry flavor.
- Substitute the strawberries with raspberries.
- You can bake this in 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch layer cake pans. Start checking for doneness at 20 minutes.
- This cake batter makes delicious fresh strawberry cupcakes, too! Divide the batter between 24 cupcake tins with liners. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and frost.
- I love to put a red velvet cookie heart on the top of each square for Valentine's Day.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions for this homemade strawberry sheet cake recipe are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to make fresh strawberry puree
- Gently clean the ripe strawberries and remove the green stems and leaves.
- Place in a blender or food processor and pulse until the berries are pureed.
- Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do these in batches.
Cake
- Blend together cake mix, eggs, and oil until well combined.
- Add in the package of strawberry Jello and fresh strawberry puree.
- Stir until completely combined. Pour cake batter into prepared sheet pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Frosting
The pudding mix makes this frosting extra fluffy and creamy!
- Blend together cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in heavy whipping cream until the mixture thickens. Stir in strawberry puree, pudding mix, and Jello.
- Mix at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Frost the cake with the whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting, then store it in the fridge.
🥫 How to store leftovers
Cover with plastic wrap and store leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to four days. It might be fine longer than that but it's never lasted long here. This stuff is GOOD.
Leftover cake can also be frozen. Cover tightly with plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Expert Tip:
Fresh strawberries really work best in this recipe but frozen strawberries can be used if you partially thaw and drain them very well first.
💭 Tips
- Make sure that the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature so that you get a smooth frosting.
- Keep the cake tightly covered to prevent it from drying out.
- Add more pink color to this pretty cake by adding a drop or two of red food coloring.
- Spray the plastic wrap with no-stick cooking spray before covering the frosted cake. The plastic wrap won't stick!
👩🍳 FAQs
Sheet cakes are baked in a single layer, instead of multiple layers like a regular cake.
You need about one cup of frosting, per pound of cake. One batch of this frosting is plenty for this cake.
Because of the cream cheese, cream, and butter in the frosting, this cake does need to be stored in the fridge.
Yes, you can. Partially thaw and drain them. Use as directed in the recipe.
📚 More favorite cake recipes
- Cherry almond cake is sweet, creamy and perfect for Valentine's Day.
- Strawberry pound cake has a vibrant pink color and SO much strawberry flavor.
- This white Texas sheet cake is another show-stopper!
📞 The last word
Strawberry cake with Jello is so unbelievably good - perfect for potlucks because it really feeds a crowd. The best part is the whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Omigosh!
This is the best strawberry cake ever - if you don't believe me just try it once.
You'll see.
Love chocolate? Try this decadent double chocolate Coca Cola cake!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 16 ounces strawberries
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup oil
- 3 oz strawberry Jello powder, one box
Whipped Strawberry Frosting
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 pint heavy cream, cold
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup strawberry puree
- 1 tablespoon vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3 tablespoons strawberry Jello powder
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- Wash berries and remove the stems and leaves.
- Place 2 cups of strawberries in a food processor and process until very finely chopped.
- Measure out 1 cup of the strawberry puree.
- Set aside.
- Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil in a large bowl on medium speed about 1 minute, or until well combined.
- Add Jell-o powder and the 1 cup strawberry puree.
- Blend on low speed until well combined.
- Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (interior will read 200F on an instant read thermometer.)
- Let cake cool completely.
Whipped Strawberry Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until fluffy.
- Add the cream and beat until it begins to thicken.
- Add the strawberry puree, the pudding mix, and the JELL-O.
- Beat until it thickens and peaks form. It will have the consistency of thick whipped cream.
- Frost the cooled cake.
- Refrigerate if keeping longer than a few hours or if it is a warm day.
Notes
- If you plan on freezing this cake I recommend that you skip the frosting until you are ready to serve.
- Make sure that the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature so that you get a smooth frosting.
- Fresh strawberries really work best in this recipe but frozen strawberries can be used if you partially thaw and drain them very well first.
- Line the pan with parchment for easy clean up.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published January 28, 2022. Last updated March 22, 2024 for editorial improvements.
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Jessica Hernandez says
Hi
So I tried out this recipe and followed the instructions. First of all, I tasted the cake and it’s moist and delicious. But I dont know what happened to the cake. It sunk down the middle. Can you give me some advise to avoid that.
Thank you
Marye says
It may have been underbaked or you may have overworked the batter. Make sure the cake registers 210F on an instant read thermometer stuck in the center. It will be perfectly done.
Pamela says
Is it OK to leave out thr vanilla pudding? I don't have any.
Marye says
It won't be the same but you can.
Gabrielle says
Hi can I use strawberry pudding instead of the gelatin mix?
Marye says
no.