Strawberry sheet cake is made with vanilla cake batter, a few pantry staples, sour cream, and fresh strawberry purée for a light cake with a beautiful pink hue. Top it with a strawberry version of my cream cheese frosting or strawberry buttercream for the ultimate strawberry-flavored dessert!
Easy Sheet Pan Cake Recipe
If you love strawberries as much as I do, this is a cake recipe that you won’t want to miss! We use a boxed cake mix, which makes this super easy to whip up in 35 minutes from start to finish and the kids love it because they can help with so much of it.
It’s flatter than your average cake because the batter is spread out and baked on a baking sheet rather than a traditional cake pan. So, it’s never heavy and provides enough slices to serve a large crowd. This old-fashioned strawberry sheet cake is the perfect light after-dinner dessert along with a cup of tea or some hot chocolate in the winter. In the summer, it’s definitely a go-to for potlucks and BBQs!
How to Make this Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Make purée by blending fresh strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, and sour cream. Mix using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined.
- Add 1 cup of the strawberry purée and gently combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour into a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove and allow the cake to cool before adding any frosting.
- Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and strawberry purée and mix until combined. Add a pinch of salt or vanilla extract, if desired.
Use Any Frosting You Like!
Whether you’re adding a plain cream cheese frosting, a strawberry buttercream, or a strawberry cream cheese frosting, wait until your cake cools, then spread it across the entire surface, then add some fresh strawberry slices before you slice and serve!
Cake Tips
- Flavors. This can be made with vanilla cake mix or strawberry cake mix if preferred.
- Size. This cake is quite thin, so if you’re looking for a thicker cake, swap the baking sheet for a 9×13 cake pan. Add 5 minutes to the bake time.
- Butter. I use salted butter because I like what it adds to the taste, but you can use unsalted butter and then adjust using any added salt to taste.
- Strawberries. The riper, the sweeter your purée will be. It’s the juices that add all of that delicious strawberry flavor. Just keep in mind, you may want to avoid overly juicy strawberries to top off the cake, otherwise, they may start to bleed into your frosting.
Storing & Freezing
To store: This cake makes about 24 slices. If you have any leftovers, keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days in the fridge.
To freeze: You can freeze this cake even with the frosting on! Place any remaining pieces on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. This way, once the frosting has hardened you can transfer it to a freezer-friendly Ziploc or airtight container. Separate the layers with parchment paper that way they won’t clump together.
More Easy Fruit Desserts:
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Equipment
- Half-Size Sheet Pan (18×13")
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 16 ounces strawberries , rinsed and tops cut (more for top if desired)
Strawberry Cake
- 15 ounces white cake mix , or strawberry cake mix
- 3.4 ounce box Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 8 ounces sour cream
- red food coloring , optional
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 Tablespoons butter , softened (I use salted)
- 4 ouces cream cheese , softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup strawberry puree , reserved from cake
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 18×13" baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper. Then place the strawberries in a blender and pulse until well blended.
- Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water and sour cream. Mix until well combined.
- Add in 1 cup of strawberry puree and then mix just until combined. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Pour into the prepared baking sheet. Bake cake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool.
- For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese together in a medium size bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Then add in the powdered sugar and strawberry puree. Mix until combined. Taste and add a pinch of salt or dash of vanilla if needed.
- Spread the frosting evenly over top of the cooled cake.
- Slice cake into 24 bars and then top with sliced strawberries if desired, just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
this cake is amazing and super simple! thank you for sharing this recipe!
You are so welcome, Elieene! Glad you enjoyed it :)
This cake was a huge hit with my entire family! And it was SO easy to make. This one is going in the keeper recipe file for sure. :)
Yay, I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! :)
We love this recipe. Sheet cakes are the bomb! It’s our go-to spring cake, and everyone loves it!
So happy to hear that!