Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

This strawberry buttermilk cake is rich with a tender crumb that incorporates cornmeal for added sweetness and texture, and with a hint of almond flavor. Half of the strawberries are baked directly into the cake, creating jammy pockets of juicy strawberries. This is an easy and non-fussy single layer cake that's easy enough for beginners. Serve it for brunch, dessert, or afternoon tea.

*This is an updated recipe, with instructions to bake half of the strawberries directly into the cake. I found that they turn slightly jammy this way, with more concentrated strawberry flavor.

With Mother's Day approaching, I wanted to create a beautiful cake fitting enough for a special occasion but rustic enough to make anytime. This style of cake is fast becoming my favorite kind (similar to my apple cake and cherry coffee cake recipe).

You can make this strawberry buttermilk cake look fancy and elegant, but it can also be served for brunch, dessert, or with afternoon coffee.

Buttermilk tenderizes this light and fluffy cake and adds moisture. You can even bake your cake ahead of time and prep the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving. Or, toss the strawberries with a bit of brandy or amaretto before serving. Enjoy!

Jump to:

• ⭐️ Why This Cake is the Best
• 🍓 Ingredient Notes
• 📋 Variations and Substitutions
• 🔪 How To Make Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
• ⏲ Expert Tips and Tricks
• 🍰 How to Serve Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
• 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
• 🍰 More Cake Recipes
• Strawberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

⭐️ Why This Cake is the Best

• Tender, fluffy, moist, and sweet buttermilk cake with juicy strawberries both baked into the cake and also added before serving with fresh whipped cream.
• Rustic and beautiful enough for a special meal or holiday (think Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Memorial Day for a seasonal treat)
• Easy one-layer cake that is easy enough for beginners
• Versatile and lightly sweetened homemade cake that works for dessert, brunch, or as an afternoon tea cake
• Make ahead instructions provided

🍓 Ingredient Notes

• Yellow cornmeal - Adds texture and natural sweetness. There are varying levels of coarseness among cornmeal, so aim for a finer cornmeal.
• Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter helps us control the amount of salt in your cake. You want to use room temperature butter so that you can cream it really well.
• Light brown sugar - Adds deeper and richer flavor than if you just used granulated sugar.
• Buttermilk - Tenderizes your cake, adds moisture, and provides rich & complex flavor
• Vanilla extract - Even though we're using almond extract, we still need a base flavor of vanilla to add depth.
• Strawberries - Is there a more delicious berry?? If you have more to use up, try my strawberry turnovers! Check out the linked article below on how to properly core fresh strawberries.
• Lemon juice - Tossing your berries in lemon juice keeps them fresh and prevents oxidation (browning).

📋 Variations and Substitutions

• Make almond whipped cream. Add one teaspoon of almond extract to elevate your whipped cream!
• Use your favorite seasonal berries. Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries would all be delicious.
• Make dairy-free. Make homemade plant-based buttermilk by adding ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to your plant-based milk and let it sit for 10 minutes; substitute vegan butter for the unsalted butter.

🔪 How To Make Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Prep the strawberries:

Toss hulled and sliced strawberries with lemon juice. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with cornmeal, shaking out the excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or electric hand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop once to scrape down sides of bowl, and continue to beat for an additional minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with buttermilk mixture. Mix just until incorporated, stopping at least once to scrape down sides of bowl.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Arrange half of sliced strawberries on top of cake batter and lightly press down on them.

Bake until top is golden brown and firm to the touch, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Use a knife or offset spatula to loosen cake from pan by going around the edge of cake, and unlatch to remove outer ring. Cool to room temperature.

Make the whipped cream:

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to bowl. Whip at high speed for several minutes, until soft peaks are formed. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Assemble the cake:

Once cake is completely cooled, transfer to a serving platter. Add whipped cream to cake and spread evenly. Place remainingstrawberries on top in a pretty arrangement.

⏲ Expert Tips and Tricks

• Storage: Place in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator (separate from strawberries and whipped cream) for up to 4 days.
• How to freeze: Wrap individual slices of strawberry cake in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in refrigerator overnight. I don't recommend freezing the fresh whipped cream or strawberries.
• Make ahead: Bake the cake up to 24 hours ahead of time. After cooling completely, wrap in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Make the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.
• Use room-temperature eggs. This incorporates air into your batter and makes your cake so much lighter and fluffier. To quickly bring your eggs to room-temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Mix just until combined. Overmixing can produce extra gluten, creating a chewier cake, and we want a lighter texture here. Overmixing could also cause your cake to sink in the middle. We want to avoid that!
• Hull your strawberries. Do you know how to properly hull/core your strawberries? Removing the green stem from the top of the berry is easy, and there are a few ways to do it, as this article demonstrates. It's a great technique to learn, since it preserves more of the fruit!
• Make your own buttermilk. Making homemade buttermilk is super easy and I do it frequently: Pour 1 cup of milk into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Give it a stir and let it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. You just made buttermilk!

🍰 How to Serve Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

I recommend spooning on the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.

Or, if you only plan on serving a few slices, I recommend placing the whipped cream and strawberries on the table in separate bowls, and topping each slice of cake as it is served. This way, the leftover cake won't get soggy from the whipped cream.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

🍰 More Cake Recipes

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