Strawberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

Strawberry buttermilk cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

5 from 8 votes

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

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 anyone can make. Serve it for brunch, dessert, or afternoon tea.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 364kcal

Author: MaryAnne

Equipment

1 9" springform pan
1 Stand mixer or electric hand-mixer

Ingredients

For the strawberries

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the cake

Unsalted butter and cornmeal, for preparing the pan
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

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 remaining strawberries on top in a pretty arrangement.
Optional: Dust assembled cake lightly with powdered sugar.

Video

Notes

Storage: Place cake 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 cake slices in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. 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 store in the fridge until ready to serve. Make the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.
To serve: I recommend spooning on the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving. Or, if you're not serving the entire cake, I recommend placing the whipped cream and strawberries on the table in separate bowls, and topping each slice of cake as it is served.
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!

Nutrition