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This easy gluten free strawberry cake, made with real roasted strawberries nestled on top of a tender yellow cake, is packed with fresh strawberry flavor.
What makes this recipe special?
We roast the berries in this gluten free strawberry cake before they're nestled on top of the yellow cake batter, so their flavor is super intense. When they release more moisture during baking, they turn the very top of the cake custard-like.
The crumb is so moist that it keeps for days, just sitting there on the counter, loosely covered (if you have a cloche that fits over a cake plate, that's perfect, but some plastic wrap will do just fine).
Unlike some strawberry cakes or gluten free strawberry cake mixes made with artificial strawberry flavoring or jello, this cake is made with real, fresh strawberries.
what's in it
Recipe Ingredients
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are hulled and sliced in half, then baked until soft and fragrant. With deep strawberry flavor, they give this cake its name!
- Gluten free flour: A well-balanced all purpose gluten free flour blend provides the backbone of this yellow cake. Make sure to add xanthan gum if yours doesn't have any.
- Baking powder/baking soda: Add rise and help the cake brown in the oven.
- Salt: Brightens the other flavors and balances sweetness.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and tenderness.
- Butter: Adds flavor, moisture, and tenderizes the crumb.
- Buttermilk or milk: If you choose buttermilk, the cake has a more tender, but slightly tighter, crumb. The batter is also thicker since there's less moisture. The choice is yours!
- Egg: One egg helps provide some structure and binds the cake together.
- Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor.
How to make gluten free strawberry cake
Bake the strawberries
- Hull (remove the tops/center) and slice the strawberries in half.
- Toss the prepared strawberries for a bit of sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Bake the strawberries, cut side down, on a baking sheet at 350°F until very soft and the liquid they release has thickened.
- Set the baked strawberries aside to cool.
Make the cake batter
- Whisk the dry ingredients (gluten free flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and the sugar) in a large mixing bowl.
- Measure everything possible by weight, not by volume in a measuring cup for best results.
- Add the butter, and mixing and pressing down with the back of the mixing spoon, work the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add the beaten eggs, milk or buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix to combine.
- The cake batter will be very thick, especially if you used buttermilk, not milk.
Assemble and bake the cake
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Scrape the cake batter into a greased 9-inch cake pan.
- You can line your cake pan with parchment paper to make it easy to remove the slices after baking.
- You can also use an 8-inch cake pan, as long as it's at least 2 1/2 inches deep.
- Use a spatula to spread the cake batter into an even layer in the pan.
- Top the cake with the baked strawberries, cut side down again, in concentric circles. Use as many of the prepared strawberries as you can fit.
- Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake has pulled away from the sides of the cake pan. The center will spring back when it's pressed gently in the center.
- Let the cake cool in the pan, then slice into 8 wedges and serve.
Why roast the strawberries before baking them?
When it's the height of strawberry season wherever you live, you can tell because the strawberries at your local grocery store are fragrant and bright red outside. If you close your eyes and walk close to an open container, you'll smell their aroma.
There aren't that many months a year when strawberries are at their peak—or even that the batch you buy is perfect for eating raw. But every strawberry, once roasted with a touch of sugar and salt, becomes fragrant and flavorful.
If your strawberries are at their best, you might also want to try making our gluten free strawberry shortcake recipe, too!
What happens when you cook strawberries?
When you roast the strawberries first, much of their juice is released, turning even the wimpiest strawberries into sticky, bright red delights, with the deep flavor to match.
Then just nest them, cut side down, on top of the smooth cake batter. I like to arrange them in nesting circles with a common center, but it's just because it looks beautiful.
The result is a super moist and tender cake that stays fresh for days. This is a rare cake that I don't mind storing in the refrigerator for a day or so, which can be drying.
If you're looking for a pink cake with strawberries in the batter, rather than strawberries baked on top, we have that, too. Just click over to our recipe for gluten free strawberry cupcakes, which are made with our strawberry syrup.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
Bake in a light-colored pan
A lovely, brown crust forms on the outside of this cake, as it takes a bit longer to bake than a “regular” gluten free vanilla cake. Of course, you don't want the cake to burn before it's fully baked.
To ensure it bakes evenly, without burning on the bottom, be sure to bake it in a light-colored metal pan. If the cake starts to brown too quickly on top, cover the top with aluminum foil as it finishes baking.
Know when the cake is done baking
Determining doneness is a little more subtle than the classic method of inserting a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Since the top layer should have a bit of a custard-like texture, a toothpick or other cake tester won't come out clean even when the cake is fully baked.
Instead, bake until the cake has pulled away from the side of the pan, is lightly golden brown all over (lighter in the center), and the center springs back pretty readily when pressed it gently with a finger. As long as the cake isn't visibly sunken in the center, it shouldn't collapse when it cools even if the center is slightly underbaked.
substitutions
Ingredient Substitutions
Dairy free
The dairy in this recipe is in the form of butter and milk or buttermilk. To replace the butter, I'd recommend trying vegan butter. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Creamery.
For the milk, you can use any sort of unsweetened nondairy milk, as long as it's not nonfat. If you'd like to use something like buttermilk, for a slightly more tender cake, use half nondairy milk and half nondairy plain yogurt, by volume.
Egg free
There's only one egg in this recipe, so you should be able to replace it with a “chia egg.” Place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a small bowl, mix, and allow to gel.
FAQs
You might be able to divide the batter evenly among the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, then top with the baked strawberries. Start checking for doneness at 20 minutes. Or you could make our gluten free strawberry cupcakes made with a strawberry reduction.
You would need to roughly double the recipe to make a rectangular 9 x 13-inch cake. Otherwise, follow the same instructions but bake for 30 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F for another 15 to 20 minutes or until done.
I'm so sorry but this is only a gluten free recipe, and I haven't baked with all purpose wheat flour in over 15 years!
You can make this into a layer cake by doubling all of the ingredients except for the strawberries. Divide the cake batter among 2 different 8-inch cake pans, lined with parchment paper. Only top one with the baked strawberries as instructed. Bake both cakes in a 325°F oven for 30 minutes. Rotate them back to front and 180° in the oven and test the cake without the strawberries for doneness. Remove it when it's done, and continue to bake the strawberry-topped cake for another 10 minutes or until done and cool both. Place the bare cake on a cake stand, top with 2 cups of your favorite vanilla gluten free frosting, and place the strawberry cake on top.
Yes, if you can find frozen, halved strawberries. Just prepare them without defrosting them just as instructed for fresh berries. Whole frozen strawberries can't be halved while fully frozen. If all you have is whole frozen berries, let them defrost a bit at room temperature just until you can slice them in half. If you let them defrost fully, they'll be soggy.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
Cover this moist cake, sliced or unsliced, and still in the cake pan or place it in a sealed container and it will stay fresh for at least 2 days at room temperature.
You can wrap each slice individually in Glass Press ‘n' Seal wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze
For longer storage, wrap leftover slices tightly in freezer-safe wrap, then place in a freezer-safe ziptop plastic bag and freeze. You can also wrap the baked, cooled, and unsliced cake the same way and freeze. It should keep that way for up to 3 months.
To defrost and refresh
To defrost, allow to sit at room temperature, still wrapped, until thawed (30 to 40 minutes).
To refresh, sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and place in the toaster oven at 300°F for about 5 minutes.
Gluten Free Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the strawberries
- 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, click through for full info on appropriate blends
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) buttermilk, or milk, at room temperature
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (about 1/2 teaspoon; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan, and set it aside.
Prepare the strawberries
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the prepared strawberries, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and pinch of salt. Toss to coat the berries.
- Place the coated berries in an even layer on the baking sheet, cut side down.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and roast the strawberries for 35 minutes or until they are very soft and their juice is reduced to a thick liquid.
- Remove the strawberries from the oven, and set aside to cool briefly.
Make the cake
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the butter, and press down on the mixture with the back of your mixing spoon until the butter is mixed throughout the dry ingredients. The mixture should resemble coarse sand.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and milk or buttermilk, and mix to combine. The batter will be thick, especially if you used buttermilk.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared round cake pan, and smooth into an even layer with a wet spatula.
- Place the roasted strawberries, cut side down, on top of the cake batter next to one another in nesting circles, with a common center. Fit as many of the prepared cut berries as you can without overlapping.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with a few granules of coarse sugar, if using.
- Place the cake in the center of the 325°F oven.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is light golden brown, has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, and it springs back when pressed gently in the center.
- If the cake begins to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. A cake tester won’t come out completely clean because of the strawberries, especially in the very center.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice into 8 equal wedges and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Strawberries sank instantly and are now stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cake broke in two. I did follow the instructions. A soft gelatinous blend of dough and baked strawberries lie on top of the cake now.
It has to be my first cake to fail in 14 years of baking. I do understand that gluten free cakes are harder to bake though. Anyway, probably way too much liquid. Not good as it was supposed to be for a national celebration.
If you’re new to gluten free baking, I would look first to your gluten free flour blend, Tabula. You must use one of my recommended blends for my recipes, this cake included, to work as expected. Please see the all purpose gluten free flour blend page, which is linked here in this recipe and all others, for full information. If you use a proper blend and measure by weight, with a well-balanced recipe like this one, gluten free isn’t harder at all. But you can’t just use any blend, as we are replacing a conventional, gluten-containing blend and there is no one single flour that can do that.
Wouldn’t it be easier to incorporate the butter if you beat it first then added the egg and the milk? I did it in the order given and the butter stayed in huge chunks so I whipped it with the egg, added the milk and then added the wet ingredients to the dry. Still, the butter did not incorporate well.
Your butter was not at the right temperature, Cherie, if it was in clumps. Even if your butter was at temperature but your buttermilk wasn’t, the butter will clump. Nothing substitutes for proper temperature of all ingredients as specified in the recipe.