• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Privacy Policy

Whisk me Free

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Craving
    • Cake
    • Tarts
    • Cookies
    • Snacks
    • Breakfasts
    • Desserts
    • Brownies
    • Cupcakes
    • Microwave Series
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegan
    • Soy Free
  • Guides
  • Basics
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • subscribe
      search icon
      Homepage link
      • Craving
        • Cake
        • Tarts
        • Cookies
        • Snacks
        • Breakfasts
        • Desserts
        • Brownies
        • Cupcakes
        • Microwave Series
        • Dairy Free
        • Gluten Free
        • Vegan
        • Soy Free
      • Guides
      • Basics
      • Instagram
      • Facebook
      • ×

        Home » Blog » Recipes » Dairy Free

        Published: Jul 15, 2022 · Modified: Jan 29, 2023 by Leena · 4 Comments

        How Make Strawberry Cake - Recipe For Vegan Strawberry Cake

        Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

        Over 9k people, every month search for ‘how make strawberry cake’ . Although grammatically incorrect, I have broken down exactly how to make the easiest and tastiest show-stopping strawberry cake.

        This strawberry layered cake recipe makes the softest and fluffiest vegan strawberry sponge cake. You wouldn't even know it was gluten free let alone vegan!! And it’s topped with the fluffiest vegan strawberry buttercream.

        Why you’ll love this three layer strawberry cake

        • This layered strawberry shortcake cake is marbled with white vanilla sponge and pink strawberry to create a showstopper cake!
        • This strawberry shortcake layered cake is the perfect cake for a celebration, picnic or tea party.

        Expert Baking Tips for this homemade strawberry layered cake

        Although the recipe for this 3 layer strawberry cake is super simple, here are just a few expert tips i'd recommend:

        • Make sure your milk is at room temperature before adding it to your dry ingredients, this will help prevent any lumps from forming.
        • Make sure your cake tins are properly prepared before pouring the batter in. Check out my guide here to prepare your cake tin.
        • To create a marble effect with the 2 batters, dollop the colours one after another alternatively, pink on top of the white and vice versa. Then go in with a toothpick and swivel it around to create a marble effect. 
        Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan

        Baking Free From 101


        Ingredients for strawberry cake

        To make this a strawberry cake no eggs recipe, you will need:

        • Xanthan gum - This will prevent the cake from crumbling when sliced and act as a stabilizer. 
        • Oil - Any oil works well here, flavoured like olive oil or not. Like sunflower oil. As we are only using a little oil, it won’t overpower the strawberry and vanilla flavour either way.
        • Gluten-free self-raising flour - If you didn't want to make these gluten-free simply substitute this for normal self-raising flour. There’s no need to add xanthan gum if you're not making these gluten-free.
        • Strawberry extract - this will be mixed into the batter to add a sweet fresh strawberry flavour to the sponge.
        • Plant-based milk - I used oat whole milk for this recipe. But any other plant-based milk like soy or almond milk will also work well.
        • Apple cider vinegar - This will react with the baking soda, to create air bubbles and help the sponge rise when baked.
        • Baking powder & Bicarbonate of soda - These rising agents help to create a soft and airy sponge.
        • Maple Sugar - I used maple sugar for this cake which added a slight caramelised flavour to the sponge which paired beautifully with the strawberry.

        [Sponsored]

        Other Flavour Variations And Mix-ins

        They are lots of ways to personalize and adapt this recipe for a specific flavor profile or decorate it for a celebration.

        Celebratory Cake

        Say for example, you’d like to make this more of a celebratory cake, why not throw in a few sprinkles into the vanilla cake batter to create a funfetti, strawberry marble cake! And to decorate, incorporate more sprinkles to the top of the iced cake.

        100% Strawberry

        Or perhaps, you’d like to keep to a completely strawberry cake. In this case, remove the step of dividing the batter in two and color and flavor the one batter!

        Great classic

        Another great classic - chocolate and strawberries. To make this, one separating the batter into 2 bowls instead of flavouring one vanilla, add 15g coco powder and 1tbsp milk. The addition of milk will prevent the cake from becomg too dry, as we just increased the quantity of dry ingredients when adding the coco.

        Then following the same methods as this recipe, alternatively dollop the chocolate batter over the strawberry and marble it together.

        When assembling the cake you can stick to a strawberry flavored buttercream to ice the cake or chocolate!

        Let me know in the comments if you try these variations or if you came up with your own!

        Strawberry cake easy recipe

        How to make a layered cake with strawberry filling - Step-by step

        Vegan dairy free strawberry cake
        1. Begin by making your 'buttermilk' by combining your plant-based milk and vinegar together. Set aside for 5mins while you mix together the dry ingredients.
        2. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. 
        3. Then add the vanilla, maple syrup and oil into the 'buttermilk' mixture.
        4. Once combined, pour the 'buttermilk' mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
        5. Transfer ½ the batter into a separate bowl and add your strawberry extract and pink food gel. Mix that through, being careful not to over-mix.
        6. Transfer ¼ of the vanilla batter to the pan then add ¼ of the pink batter on top. Add the 2 batters alternatively to each pan, whilst evenly distributing the batter.
        7. You should now have created a marble effect with the alternative batters. Bake the cakes for 1hr or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted or the cake is springy to the touch.
        How to make strawberry cake filling
        1. To make the cake filling between the layers, simply spread on your buttercream and layer your sliced strawberries on top.
        2. As the cake cools begin by making the vegan buttercream. By creaming together the vegan butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Then add a few drops of pink dye and strawberry jam. Mix until fully incorporated.
        Assembling 
        1. Before layering makes sure all the sponges are level. If they're not use a serrated knife of cake leveller to remove any unevenness.
        2. Once levelled spread a spoonful of the buttercream onto the first layer and place the sliced strawberries on top.
        3. Continue this with the next layer. Place the third layer on top of the buttercream filling face down - this will help create a neat iced cake.
        4. With your spatula spread more of the buttercream along the sides of the cake, making sure nothing is left bare, continue to ice moving your way up to the top of the cake.
        5. From here you can decide whether to make a rustic cake or a neat/more professional-looking cake. If you want to opt for the former you will need to do a crumb coat and then a second layer of icing across the whole of the cake.
        6. Then with a cake scraper go around the cake again to smooth the icing out. For a more rustic look, create a few dips and flicks in your buttercream- no need to smooth it out.
        7. Then decorate the strawberry cake with fresh strawberries.
        8. Slice and enjoy!

        Non-vegan alternative

        If you don't want to make this 3 layer strawberry cake vegan simply substitute the plant-based milk for normal whole milk, the vegan butter for normal block butter at room temperature.

        If however, you still wanted to make a strawberry cake without egg that wasn’t vegan or gluten free, simply substitute the Gluten-free plain flour for normal plain flour and flour the non-vegan substitutes above.

        FAQs about strawberry cupcakes from scratch

        How long do strawberries last on a cake ?

        Follow the date on the box of strawberries from the grocery store. Don’t keep the strawberries on your cake longer than the use by date on the box. 

        If however, you're strawberries are looking a little funky before this date, I’d recommend removing them from the cake, before their use by date.

        Can you put strawberries in a cake ?

        Yes! Strawberries pureed into a cake adds a beautiful fresh strawberry flavor, however, to get a strong strawberry flavor, you’ll require a lot of strawberries. Additionally, pureed strawberries will affect your ratio of dry to wet ingredients in your cake.

        So you’ll need to follow a recipe specifically using pureed strawberries, as the recipe developer would have counter acted the added liquid for the right quantity of flour.

        Can you put strawberries between cake layers  ?

        Yes, that’s exactly what we did for this recipe. Just make sure when doing so that you are using fresh strawberries, and the cake is consumed with 3 days. As the strawberries will begin to go bad.

        Storing and freezing

        How long does vegan cake last ?

        Vegan cake can last up to 4 days in the fridge, but can last up to 2 months in the freezer if stored in an airtight container.

        Make sure to tag me @whiskmefree on Instagram and leave a review below if you followed this recipe for how make strawberry cake. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

        How make strawberry cake

        Strawberry and Vanilla Layered Cake

        5 from 2 votes
        Print Pin Rate Add to Collection Go to Collections
        Course: Dessert
        Cuisine: Gluten Free
        Keyword: vegan
        Prep Time: 10 minutes
        Cook Time: 1 hour
        Servings: 12

        Ingredients

        • 480 g Plant-based milk
        • 2 teaspoon Apple cider Vinegar
        • 120 g Olive oil
        • 420 g Gluten Free flour
        • 2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
        • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
        • 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
        • 400 g Maple sugar
        • 2 teaspoon Strawberry extract
        • 2 teaspoon Pink food gel
        • 2 teaspoon Vanilla

        Strawberry Buttercream

        • 150 g Vegan butter
        • 325 g Icing Sugar
        • 2 tablespoon Strawberry jam
        • Pink Food Gel
        Metric - US Customary

        Instructions

        • Begin by making your 'buttermilk' by combining your plant-based milk and vinegar together. Set aside for 5mins while you mix together the dry ingredients.
          480 g Plant-based milk, 2 teaspoon Apple cider Vinegar
        • Combine all the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl.
          420 g Gluten Free flour, 2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda, 400 g Maple sugar
        • Then add the vanilla and oil into the 'buttermilk' mixture.
          120 g Olive oil, 2 teaspoon Vanilla
        • Once combined, pour the 'buttermilk' mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
        • Transfer ½ the batter into a separate bowl and add your strawberry extract and pink food gel. Mix that through, being careful not to over mix.
          2 teaspoon Strawberry extract, 2 teaspoon Pink food gel
        • Transfer ¼ of the vanilla batter to the pan then add ¼ of the pink batter on top. Add the 2 batters alternatively to each pan, whilst evenly distributing the batter.
        • You should now have created a marble effect with the alternative batters. Bake the cakes for 1hr or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted or the cake is springy to the touch.

        Strawberry Buttercream

        • As the cake cools begin by making the vegan buttercream. By creaming together the vegan butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Then add a few drops of pink dye and strawberry jam. Mix until fully incorporated.
          150 g Vegan butter, 325 g Icing Sugar, Pink Food Gel, 2 tablespoon Strawberry jam

        Layering

        • Before layering make sure all the sponges are level. If they're not use a serrated knife of cake leveller to remove any unevenness.
        • Once levelled spread on a spoonful of the buttercream onto the first layer and place the sliced strawberries on top.
        • Continue this with the next layer. Place the third layer on top of the buttercream filling face down - this will help create a neat iced cake.
        • With your spatula spread more of the buttercream along the sides of the cake, making sure nothing is left bare, continue to ice moving your way up to the top of the cake.
        • From here you can decide wither to make a rustic cake or neat/more professional looking cake. If you want to opt for the former you will need to do a crumb coat and then a second layer of icing across the whole of the cake.
        • Then with a cake scraper go around the cake again to smooth the icing out. For a more rustic look, create a few dips and flicks in your buttercream- no need to smooth it out.
        • To finish, top with a few sliced strawberries to create a boarder.
        • Slice and enjoy!

        Trending Posts

        Recipes
        Guides
        Free from
        Easy Less Than 10 Min Microwave Tres Leche Cake
        Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Microwave Series | Soy Free

        Easy Less Than 10 Min Microwave Tres Leche Cake

        The Best Cheesecake Caramel Recipe
        Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Soy Free | Vegan

        The Best Cheesecake Caramel Recipe

        Chocolate Cupcakes Vegan and Gluten Free
        Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Soy Free | Vegan

        Chocolate Cupcakes Vegan and Gluten Free

        The Best Matcha Cookie Recipe
        Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Soy Free

        The Best Matcha Cookie Recipe

        *This blog post may contain affiliate links. Product mentions do not imply endorsement. Please read my disclaimer on my privacy policy page for more information.

        © Leena. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

        More Dairy Free

        • Easy Less Than 10 Min Microwave Tres Leche Cake
        • The Best Cheesecake Caramel Recipe
        • Chocolate Cupcakes Vegan and Gluten Free
        • The Best Matcha Cookie Recipe

        Reader Interactions

        Comments

          Leave a Comment Cancel reply

          Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

          Recipe Rating




        1. Komal Singh says

          July 15, 2022 at 6:12 pm

          5 stars
          I love that you simplified the steps. It's helpful to a beginner baker like myself!

          Reply
        2. michelle says

          July 28, 2022 at 2:46 pm

          5 stars
          I made this for a picnic today, it was delicious!

          Reply
        3. Smaragda says

          October 19, 2022 at 5:23 am

          Hi there,
          I noticed that you use Maple sugar, can I substitute it with brown sugar or white sugar and would the quantity be the same?
          Thanks!

          Reply
          • Leena. says

            October 19, 2022 at 7:30 am

            Hi 🙂 Yes, white sugar specifically granulated or caster sugar will work, just not brown sugar, as it will make your cake quite dense. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

            Reply

        Primary Sidebar

        Popular

        • The Ultimate Recipe For Red Velvet Cake - No Egg, Gluten or Dairy
        • Gluten and Dairy Free Microwave Chocolate Cake
        • The Best Lemon Cake Drizzle Recipe
        • The Best Stuffed Cookies Recipe - Cheesecake Cookies

        Footer

        Meet Leena

        A food photographer, 
        recipe developer and blogger.
        Welcome to Whisk me Free! Here I create recipes for those with allergies and dietary requirements, there is something here for everyone.

        My Favorites

        stay connected

        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • Pinterest
        • RSS
        • Twitter
        • YouTube

        Footer

        ↑ back to top

        About

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms & Conditions

        Newsletter

        • Sign Up! for emails and updates

        Contact

        Services

        As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

        Copyright © 2020 Whisk Me Free