This pretty pink Strawberry Buttermilk Cake makes me so happy. I wanted a soft, fluffy strawberry cake with a tangy strawberry icing, and after a bit of testing, this cake made my dreams come true. I used my old recipe for strawberry layer cake, adjusting it until I had the perfect pink, plush strawberry loaf cake. This recipe contains fresh strawberry purée, simmered until thickened, which provides flavor and moisture to the cake. It’s an extra step, but so important. I know some people like to chop strawberries and toss them into a cake, but I’m not a fan of the soggy spots in a cake caused by squishy, cooked strawberry chunks. Years ago, I watched an episode of Cupcake Wars where the pastry chef, Florian Bellanger scolded someone for that exact reason in a batch of cupcakes.
The perfectly sweet and tangy strawberry cream cheese icing is a delicious compliment to this fluffy cake. Mixing fruit into cream cheese icing can be a bit of a challenge because the moisture in the fruit can cause the icing to curdle. Mixing half of the powdered sugar with the strawberry reduction before adding it to the icing helps to prevent curdling. Make sure all of your icing ingredients are at room temperature for best results and don’t over mix. Cream cheese can be finicky. She doesn’t like over mixing.
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 8 ounces (227g) hulled, sliced strawberries about 1 3/4 cups
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups (192g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure strawberry extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops pink gel food coloring* optional
- ½ cup (118ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Strawberry Icing
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons (43g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) reserved strawberry reduction
- ⅛ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
- ⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions
Strawberry Cake
- Combine the strawberries and lemon juice in a blender or a small food processor. Purée until smooth. You should end up with 1 cup. Transfer the puréed strawberries to a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down and simmer until the purée is reduced by half, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Set aside 2 tablespoons (30ml) of the cooled strawberry reduction for the icing.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan** with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Add the oil and beat until the mixture is creamy and well blended. Beat in the eggs in 2 separate additions, until emulsified. Add the extracts, then mix in the food coloring (if using) a little at a time until your desired shade of pink is achieved. The color will fade a bit during the baking process.
- On low speed, or by hand, stir in the flour mixture in 3 additions, followed by the strawberry reduction after the first addition, then alternating with half of the buttermilk after the last 2 additions. Mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Strawberry Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the strawberry reduction with half of the powdered sugar, adding the powdered sugar gradually.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together by hand with a spatula, until smooth and well blended. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar, the salt and the extracts. Gradually stir in the strawberry reduction mixture. Stir in the buttermilk a little at a time, if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. Smooth out any bubbles by stirring gently with the spatula. Spread the icing on the cooled cake letting it drip down the sides.