Strawberry Butter Cake

Strawberry Butter Cake is a sweet and creamy treat that will rock your tastebuds! It’s a strawberry flavored butter cake filled with a strawberry cream cheese and dusted with powdered sugar. This is the ultimate butter cake recipe and if you love gooey butter cake, you’ll love this fruity spin on the classic recipe! 

For more dessert recipes, try my Strawberry Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Crunch Cake!

My strawberry butter cake is such a delicious take on the midwestern treat. It’s a strawberry cake that’s baked with strawberry cream cheese in the middle.

For the strawberry cake base and cream cheese layer, I used freeze-dried strawberries for that fresh strawberry flavor. Then, I topped the cake with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries!

Serve with vanilla ice cream, fresh berries or fresh fruit, or a dollop of whipped cream on top!

What is gooey butter cake?

Have you ever heard of ooey gooey butter cake? It’s a type of cheesecake/cake mix with a cakey bottom layer and a creamy, somewhat gooey, center. The cake originates from St. Louis, Missouri and is such a decadent treat, especially during the summer months.

Key Ingredients

• Freeze-dried Strawberries – I used this instead of a fresh strawberry puree because it’s a great way to add a ton of strawberry flavor without having to do too much work. Fresh sliced strawberries also add a lot of moisture to the cake which would make it too soft to support the gooey cake filling.
• Cream Cheese – use room temperature cream cheese for the gooey filling for the best results. Cold cream cheese will be harder to mix together and will be lumpy when mixing. Use leftovers to make my strawberry shortcake with pound cake!
• Eggs – you’ll need a large egg and an egg yolk (save the egg whites for another recipe). The extra egg yolks make for a moist cake that’s nice and buttery.
• Butter – use unsalted butter for this recipe to control the amount of salt.
• All Purpose Flour – weigh out your ingredients to ensure that you’re not adding too much flour to the recipe! Adding too much flour can create a cake that’s dry and dense. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon flour into your measuring cup and level off any excess flour with a butter knife.
• Powdered sugar – powdered sugar acts as a binder and a sweetener in the filling.

Pro Tips

• If you don’t have a springform pan, use a regular cake pan (about 9 inches) and line with parchment paper for easier removal.
• You don’t need a stand mixer to make the cake layer, however, I recommend using a handheld mixer or stand mixer for the filling. Cream cheese can be difficult to mix together with just a whisk!
• Use room temperature ingredients! This applies to the eggs and the cream cheese. If the ingredients are cold, they won’t mix well into the batter.
• Don’t skip the cooling time! When the cake comes out of the oven, it’s still cooking. The center will be jiggly and runny. If you cut into the cake while it’s still hot, it will leak out everywhere and be a big ol mess. Make sure to allow it to cool for instructed time!

How to make Strawberry Butter Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch springform baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Add freeze dried strawberries to a food processor. Blend into a powder (this takes about one minute). There should be about 1 cup of strawberry powder.

• Make the cake layer. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and a 1/2 cup of the freeze dried strawberries. Whisk together and set aside.

• In a separate bowl, melt butter. Then add sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk together for 1-2 minutes, then add egg and egg yolk. Continue to whisk for another minute, until eggs are fully combined.

• Fold flour mixture to the wet ingredients until a thick batter forms. Pour batter to the springform pan and spread into an even single layer.

• Make the filling – add cream cheese and egg to a mixing bowl. Use hand mixer on medium-high speed to mix together until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Then add remaining strawberry powder, strawberry preserves, and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until smooth.

• Pour filling on top of the cake batter. Bake cake for 45 minutes, until a brown skin forms on top of the cake. The center of the cake should be jiggly.

• Let the cake cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill completely for about an hour.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Storing and Make Ahead

Storing: store the strawberry butter cake in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Making Ahead: This easy strawberry cake can be made up to 2 days in advance. Simply store covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

Recipe FAQs

More Strawberry Recipes

• Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
• Strawberry Shortcake Crumbles
• Strawberry Macarons
• Strawberry French Toast Casserole
• Strawberry Jam Cake