Easy vegan strawberry cake packed with fresh strawberries and lots of flavor! This eggless cake uses just 7 key ingredients (plus the frosting) and can be prepared in 1 bowl.
This cake is a perfect Valentine's Day dessert just like my vegan strawberry cupcakes! It has been adapted from my very tried and tested vegan mango cake.
Why you'll love this cake
DIFFICULTY RATING: This from-scratch strawberry cake is easy to make! All you need to do is blend the strawberries, mix the dry and wet ingredients in one bowl then bake.
FLAVOR: Incredible strawberry flavor using 4 cups of REAL strawberries! You don't have to use strawberry extract or flavoring!
TEXTURE: Fluffy and not dense! Some strawberry cakes are stodgy due to too much liquid and structural factors. However, I added extra baking agents and minimized the amount of liquid so you get a light and fluffy cake. This cake stays moist for days!
Simple ingredients to make this cake
Even though this cake is eggless and dairy-free, you'll only need a few basic pantry ingredients to make this cake!
Ingredient notes
Strawberries, either fresh or frozen. I tested both types of strawberries and the final cakes were similar. If possible, choose a sweet and bright-colored variety of strawberries as this improves the final cake. Interestingly, the strawberry puree acts similarly to applesauce and is a wonderful egg replacer!
Dairy-free milk. This recipe uses less milk than other vegan cakes because we have so much moisture from the strawberry puree! That means we don't have to fuss around making a strawberry reduction.
Oil helps the cake stay moist and fluffy, compared to butter which can make a cake feel dry if it's not at room temperature.
Baking powder and soda. We're using double baking agents to counteract the high amount of fruit, which tends to weigh down a cake!
Beetroot powder or pink/red food coloring (optional). Without the powder or food coloring, the cake is a dull and pale pink color.
Brands of beetroot powder vary a lot. When baking with beetroot powder, your cake batter might be a lovely pink color and your baked cakes could be anywhere from vibrant pink to an orange/brown. Alternatively, pink/red food coloring provides more consistent results where the batter is almost the same color as the baked cakes.
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Making the strawberry puree
If you're using frozen strawberries, allow them to fully defrost.
Then simply add all the strawberries to a food processor or blender and blend until it forms a puree and there aren't any more chunks!
Preparing the strawberry cake batter
First, I'd recommend making the cake batter in a large mixing bowl rather than using a stand mixer. This reduces the chance of over-mixing the batter!
In a large mixing bowl, add all your dry ingredients and mix until combined. If you're using beetroot powder, mix it in as well.
Then add all your wet ingredients (including food coloring, if you're using) to the flour mixture. Mix the batter until just combined! Some lumps in the batter are fine but make sure your mixture has no pockets of flour.
The final mixture should be quite thick. This helps create a fluffier vegan strawberry cake without dense spots! A runnier batter results in a stodgy cake.
Baking the cake
This vegan strawberry cake bakes in around 30 minutes, give or take 5-10 minutes.
The cake layers are ready when you insert a skewer in the middle and it completely comes out clean. The cakes are very moist so we need to make sure they are completely baked through!
If you used beetroot powder, the cakes may darken after baking - this is normal! The surface of the cake is normally darker so don't stress. The middle of the cake is lighter in color!
How to decorate the strawberry cake
This vegan strawberry cake can be topped with:
- Vegan strawberry buttercream frosting or vanilla buttercream
- Vegan strawberry cream cheese frosting or vanilla cream cheese frosting
- Whipped dairy-free cream only if you're making one layer of the cake. Whipped cream will not hold between layers of cake.
- Chocolate ganache
- A dusting of powdered sugar
Possible decorations include:
- Strawberries, either fresh or freeze-dried. Or any complementary fruit!
- Strawberry jam
- Chocolate shavings or shards
Customizing the cake recipe
I recommend checking out my vegan gluten-free strawberry cake which uses only 6 ingredients! It's easy to make and stays moist for days.
I tried baking the below recipe with 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour and a combination of different gluten-free flours. However, I had to completely change the ingredient quantities to make it work. Even still, the gluten-free cake was often too dry or dense or could only be eaten on the day it was baked.
I haven't tried it myself so can't vouch for results. However, if you do, I strongly recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients to minimize the chance of the coconut sugar throwing off the recipe. Also, the cake will be very brown if made with coconut sugar!
I don't recommend beetroot juice as it's much less intense than the powder. The amount of juice/liquid you'll need to add to color the cake is enough to completely change the cake's texture (it'll be dense and might not bake through).
Whilst pink pitaya powder is a lovely color, I haven't had great success baking with it. For me, the color completely faded and it gave the cake a slightly rancid taste and smell.
Other vegan strawberry desserts
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Vegan Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- ~4 cups (480g) fresh or frozen strawberries, weighed without stems
Dry cake ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten free)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons beetroot powder, and/or 1-3 drops of pink/red food coloring (add with wet ingredients), to color (note 2)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of any good quality salt
Wet cake ingredients
- ⅓ cup (85g) dairy-free milk
- ½ cup (125g) light-tasting vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
To decorate (or as desired, note 2 for suggestions)
- 1 - 1 ½ batches Vegan Strawberry Frosting, OR
- 1 batch Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (120g) fresh strawberries, or other fresh berries
Instructions
- Note: I'd recommend using grams for this recipe, except for the smaller tablespoon/teaspoon measurements. Like all my recipes, this cake was tested using grams so I can't vouch for results using the cups measurement.
Prepare the fresh strawberry puree:
- Add the strawberries to a food processor or blender. Blend until there are no more chunks. Set aside.
Make the strawberry cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line or grease 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans.
- Add all the dry cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until there are no lumps. Add the strawberry puree and wet cake ingredients (with food coloring if using) to the bowl and fold until just combined. Be careful to not overmix the batter. Lumps in the cake batter are fine, as long as there aren't pockets of flour.
- Divide and pour the cake batter between your 2 cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for around 25-30 minutes. They're ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for around 10 minutes then remove them to cool on a wire rack.
To assemble the cake:
- When the cakes have completely cooled, slice off the dome of one cake. Place that cake on a serving plate.
- If you chilled your frosting, stir it a few times to make sure it’s smooth and soft. Spread or pipe around 1 cup of frosting on the cake and place the remaining cake on top.
- Spread or pipe the remaining frosting on top. Decorate with fresh strawberries or as desired.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge until serving. Allow the cake to come to room temperature 30 minutes - 1 hour before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer (without fresh strawberries) for 1 month.
Notes
- I haven't had much success substituting the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free flour blends or a combination of gluten free flours without completely changing the recipe. Instead, I'd recommend my 6 ingredient gluten free strawberry cake which is super easy to make!
- For the most consistent and reliable results, I'd recommend pink/red food coloring. When using food dye, the color of your cake batter will be similar to the color of the baked cake. Alternatively, beetroot powder doesn't always bake well (this depends on the brand and how old is the powder). Cake batter that is colored with beetroot powder may be a lovely pink but the baked cake could be anywhere from vibrant pink to orange/brown in color.
Nutrition
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Do you think I would be able to substitute the strawberries for blueberries? My son has asked for a blueberry cake for his birthday and I’m having difficulties finding a dairy free blueberry layer cake recipe.
I think that would work as strawberries have around the same amount of water as blueberries! However, I'm not sure what colour it will turn out. Maybe experiment with half of the recipe before your son's birthday.
My daughter chose this recipe for her graduation cake. I enjoyed making the cake as I had never done frozen strawberries pureed and then mixed into the dry mixture before. The batter is thick but turns into a light cake that is not dry but perfectly moist. I was disappointed that my cake did not turn into the pink cake that your photos show. I used the exact beet powder that you recommended. The smells that came out of the oven were inviting and we all agreed that it is a great cake and one I will make again. Thank you for creating this delicious cake.
Yum! Tried making this one for my kids and they love it! Definitely recommended. Surprisingly perfect combination too for my hemp coffee.
So DELICIOUS! I made it for a birthday cake and everyone loved it!!
Aw, that's amazing Lila! I'm so glad you all enjoyed this cake!
Tried this recipe today!
And my whole family loved it!!
Thank you so much 🙂
That's so wonderful to hear Sujatha! Thanks for your lovely feedback!
Hi there! I tried this as a cake and it turned out great, now i want to try this out as cupcakes. I know you have another recipe especially for cupcakes but if i made this batter in cupcake molds would it work? I noticed the biggest difference between this recipe and the cupcake recipe is that you use WAY more baking powder than baking soda compared to this recipe, how does that affect the consistency of the final cake?
Hi Vanessa, I'm so glad you enjoyed this strawberry cake!
This cake actually contains more raising agents than the cupcake recipe. This cake has 1 tablespoon baking powder (same as 3 teaspoons) and 1 teaspoon baking soda, whereas the cupcakes have only 3 teaspoons of baking powder. Baking soda is three times more powerful than powder. Generally, larger cakes need more raising agents as they have less surface area exposed to the oven compared to cupcakes. I'd say the strawberry cake and cupcakes are extremely similar if made correctly! I hope that helps.
Looks amazing! What brand cake Pan did you use and where do you get the liner as well? Thanks in advance!
Thank you! My cake pans are by Masterpro or Tala (I'm not sure if they're accessible internationally). My parchment paper is from 'If You Care' and cut from their regular rolls. I hope that helps!
How many ml of milk and oil should I use?
Hi Barbra, 85 grams of milk is 83 mL and 125 grams of oil is around 130 mL. However, if you're using a scale for the dry ingredients (which I'd recommend), it's easier to use grams for the liquid ingredients too. Hope that helps!
Best vegan strawberry cake ever!!! So soft and so flavourful! Loved it
Aw that's such a lovely compliment, thanks Aaruni!
Hi, is there any alternative for sugar?
As mentioned in the blog post, coconut sugar may work for the cake but it will make the cake brown. I haven't tried the cake with granulated sugar replacements (such as stevia or monk fruit) so I can't vouch for results unfortunately. I don't recommend using liquid sweeteners as they'll make the cake too heavy. I hope that helps!
The recipe was fabulous and fresh. Usually my family dislikes cakes and frosting but this recipe took the cake. They loved the natural sweetness of the strawberry flavor and the light fluffy whipped cream topping. Definitely a recipe I’m going to use more often in the future!
That's wonderful Victoria! It's so so good when we can challenge the expectations of family and friends, especially if it's cake! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
hi Anthea, do you have any tips for avoiding dry and dense peripheral of the cake? like it is so dry and dense on the outside..
Hey, it sounds like your oven is too hot! Many ovens are hotter than what they say so try turning down the temperature next time (or use an oven thermometer to gauge the correct temperature). I baked my cake in a regular oven so if yours is fan-forced, you will need to turn down the temperature by 20°C (70°F). A more professional tip is to use 'baking strips' so the outside of the cake doesn't cook as quickly. I hope that helps!
Absolutely loved this recipe! The cake came out so moist and perfectly strawberry-y. Mine was less vibrantly pink but still pretty. Served at a party and it was a hit!
Aw I'm so so glad to hear that! Thanks for your feedback Michelle 🙂
It was my first time using strawberries (or any fruit) in a cake , but the recipe was easy to follow. For myself I made it more difficult because I forgot I only had one cake pan, so I had to bake each layer one at a time and “guesstimate” what half of the batter was. That part turned out okay. The cake itself was not as pink as I thought (even though the batter was). I used a heaping Tbsp of beetroot powder since I already had it on hand, plus some red food dye, but it was almost like most of the color had baked away into a light brown. First I thought this meant I had overbaked the cakes, but this wasn't the case. Oh, yeah, I also opted to add half a tsp of vanilla into the batter, so I wonder if this affected the color at all...
Despite the color “issues,” the cake was baked so perfectly (proud of myself), is super moist and delicious, and probably one of the best cakes I’ve had. I will be making it again!
Thanks for your feedback Rocky and I'm glad you enjoyed the cake overall!
Yes it can be tricky to know what colour the cake will bake into! I found that some brands of beetroot powder and food dye really fades away or browns. In this case, I opted for more powder/dye than I thought I'd need! And you should totally be proud of yourself for your cake! Thanks again for your comment!
The cake was delicious and the recipe was very easy to follow. I look forward to making some more recipes from this page!
Thanks so much Wendy!
Very quick and easy to follow recipe. This vegan strawberry cake was moist and scrumptious highly rated by family members also 😋🥰🍓
That's wonderful! And even better your family loved it too :). Thanks so much Nicole!
I made this with regular whole milk and olive oil. I didn't have beetroot powder, so my cake came out sort of a light golden pink. I am also at a high altitude, but that didn't seem to affect anything. The texture and flavor are superb, it's moist and fluffy, and the frosting is amaaaazing! The sign of a very, very good recipe that you can substitute things based on what you have and it still comes out perfectly. Thank you for a beautiful cake, Althea!
Aw I'm so glad you loved this cake and that it worked at a high altitude! Thank you so so much for taking the time to leave a comment Andrea!
Very easy recipe to make and it was so delicious. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this cake! Thanks for your feedback!