Make Ahead
Strawberry Cake for Mother's Day (and Other Days)
Popular on Food52
106 Reviews
mbobden
May 5, 2022
I am making this for Mothers Day! You mention Ms Corriher's advice in your intro. I wonder if you have tried this cake with her aha moment, ie adding 1/2 c whipped cream to the batter which she has learned lightens a cake and loves the result. I am thinking it might apply here as some comments report denseness.
Re Greek yogurt, Which do you recommend, the thicker type like Fage or thinner as Chobani? Thank you, love your recipes.
Re Greek yogurt, Which do you recommend, the thicker type like Fage or thinner as Chobani? Thank you, love your recipes.
drbabs
May 6, 2022
I have not tried adding whipped cream. And I usually use whatever yogurt I have in the house. Let us know what happens if you change it. And thank you!
Amy L.
April 17, 2022
I made 1/2 recipe of this cake for Easter brunch and was pleasantly surprised. The cake is a light and fluffy consistency and still very moist. I will definitely be making this again and probably play around with different fruit combinations on the topping.
Stephanie S.
May 1, 2017
This looks so wonderful! Perfect treat for a sunny afternoon with Mom. I only have a 9" springform pan or a fluted, round 8" cake pan (removable bottom). Any thoughts on which one would work better and how I should modify? Thanks for the insight! I am new to baking!
drbabs
May 2, 2017
Stephanie, I think the 9" springform pan will work, but to be extra safe, make sure it's locked well (check for leaks with water ahead of time). And even so, I would probably cover the outside bottom and sides with foil so that if it leaks, you won't get batter all over your oven. I hope it works well for you. Baking is fun!
Erica
February 4, 2017
I know this is years later.....but I'm wondering about frozen strawberries so I can make this for Valentine's Day. Would there be any increase or decrease in any ingredients? Would it work? Thanks!
drbabs
February 5, 2017
Hi Erica. I didn't know if it will work... Probably... The strawberries might soften more and be a little jammy, but that might be ok. Good luck! Please let us know how it turns out.
Erica
April 17, 2022
Ha! Again, years later! I made this quite a few times (really great simple recipe) and once broke down and used out of season strawberries - in Calif we have everything all yr long - and once used frozen strawberries w/out defrosting and slightly reduced the milk. Came out well every time.
LULULAND
July 7, 2016
ok, just trying to help. I didn't refrigerate it either, the leftovers, but it did make the strawberries look kind of funny, or spent. So, that's why I suggested to refrigerate it..
drbabs
July 7, 2016
Yes, I can see how that would happen, but for just overnight, I think Julie will be OK.
LULULAND
July 7, 2016
Yes, I think it would keep fine. I would refrigerate it overnight, and then bring it out in the am to come again to room temperature!
drbabs
July 7, 2016
Hi Lululand. For just one day, I wouldn't refrigerate it--refrigerating it will change the texture of the whole cake. I'd let it cool completely and then wrap it to store at room temp overnight.
LULULAND
June 1, 2016
I used a 9x13 pan and it turned out lovely! Try that size pan and it will work! Check your oven temperature. Good luck!
Nanda G.
June 1, 2016
Thanks! Mine didn't really work in the 9" either. That's what it says to do in the food52 Baking book (congrats drbabs for making it in!), so i'll cross it out and put 9x13 as the alternate. i did check my oven temp, for what it's worth, so i think we should just remove the 9" pan recommendation.
Alev E.
May 30, 2016
I just made this and I am really disappointed. I used a 9" pan. There is just too much fruit for it (I think also for the other size). It took more than 2 hours to bake thru by which time all the fruit on top got dry and almost burnt.
Nanda G.
May 15, 2019
TMine didn't really work in the 9" either. That's what it says to do in the food52 Baking book (congrats drbabs for making it in!), so i'll cross it out and put 9x13 as the alternate. i did check my oven temp, for what it's worth, so i think we should just remove the 9" pan recommendation.
Nanda G.
May 8, 2016
One thing that was never addressed here is when one changes to the 2" deep 9" round cake pan, there is far less surface area for the strawberries. I tried my best to get them all on there, but a bunch were left behind. I just find the 8x12" pan size unusual, not sure what I will do next time.
Bevi
May 2, 2016
Made this cake a third time in 2 weeks. For the last iteration, I did not have enough strawberries, so I subbed with blueberries to fill in the blank spaces and made a pretty design. Blueberries appear to work just as well, so my nephew, who is deathly allergic to strawberries, will be getting a blueberry cake for Mother's Day!
LizCo77
June 22, 2015
Total winner! I made this for Father's Day, and it was moist, flavorful, and a hit with the extended family. I was a little low on yogurt, and all I had on hand was half and half, so I did about 3/4 cup of each. I also only had a 10 x 10 round Cazuela to bake it in, so after the hour and ten minutes had passed and my cake tester was still coming out not-so-clean, I lowered the heat to 300 and baked it for an additional 10 minutes. Delicious, thank you!
magpiebaker
May 29, 2015
Just tried this - cake was a little dense for what I'm used to, but the flavor was excellent. I think next time I will try beating butter/sugar for longer before adding eggs. I did find that it only took about 50 minutes (in a ceramic 8x12 dish) so peek at it early on.
Ruth J.
April 30, 2015
Can anyone help me with a pan substitution?
jeanne M.
May 1, 2015
hi ~ I'd like to use a 9" ceramic pie plate. will that work & are there any time or temperature adjustments? thank you!
drbabs
May 1, 2015
I think it will be fine--it will be higher because the area of the 9" dish is about 2/3 of the area of my dish--even so, you'll probably just have to bake it a little longer (and make sure to leave about an inch of head room).
Dina M.
June 30, 2014
Now you tell me! I spent all weekend trying to use up my farmer's market berries, and this pops up on Monday morning...ha ha, can't wait to make this one.
I did make Midge's Strawberry Lime Crostada, and it is fantastic!
I did make Midge's Strawberry Lime Crostada, and it is fantastic!
Lisa Y.
June 30, 2014
Well, since I promised to post my outcome, I will, although I made quite a few adjustments. It turned out great/to my taste, but is probably quite a bit different from the original recipe. To make this gluten free and honey-sweetened, I used 1/2 c of honey in place of the sugar, did not sprinkle sugar on top, and subbed 1 1/2 c of all purpose gluten free flour and 1/2 c of almond flour for the flour. Instead of the milk, I used 1 1/2 c of regular (not Greek) yogurt, and for the oil, used coconut oil. Very dense, moist cake, exactly what I was aiming for.
Greta D.
June 29, 2014
Since this recipe makes a dense cake, I was fairly certain I could make a Gluten Free version for my friends with very little trouble. I used Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend (Gluten Free) and subbed coconut oil for the veg oil. This resulted in a moist, dense cake that was much appreciated by GF and Non GF friends alike!
gretch374
June 28, 2014
Just made this with sour cream because I didn't have yogurt and there was no time to go to the store. Wow. Really incredible flavor and texture. Now I'm going to have a hard time deciding whether to make this or a crumble with all my fruit this summer! Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
drbabs
June 28, 2014
I'm really glad that my recipe has inspired so much creativity. I must tell you, though, that this is dessert, not health food. The oil makes the cake extra moist while the butter makes it taste good. I don't find the cake to be super sweet-- I don't like overly sweet desserts, but you might. Keep in mind that everything you're thinking of doing-- making it gluten free, changing the fat to sugar ratio, using honey instead of sugar-- will change the chemistry of baking the cake. You might want to consult Shirley Corriher's Bakewise-- she writes a lot about the science of baking and what you have to do to balance chemistry when you make changes like the ones you propose. Please let me know how it all turns out.
DeannaC
June 15, 2014
How do you keep your strawberries from sinking and getting covered up by the batter? The cake still came out delicious.
drbabs
June 15, 2014
Hmmm, that has never happened to me. Maybe your strawberries are especially juicy?
drbabs
June 26, 2014
I haven't had to do this but you might want to try it:
http://www.splendidtable.org/story/to-stop-fruit-from-sinking-in-cake-batter-coat-it-in-flour-first
http://www.splendidtable.org/story/to-stop-fruit-from-sinking-in-cake-batter-coat-it-in-flour-first
ShaunaF
June 12, 2014
So I have made this twice now, and find it very dense. I am following all the directions for room temp ingredients and mixing times. Is this just a very dense cake or is something wrong? Thanks in advance.
drbabs
June 12, 2014
It's somewhat dense, depending on how juicy the berries are. Beating the butter really well, and then beating the eggs in till the mixture is very light helps. So does using full fat yogurt and milk. I'm sorry it didn't work for you.
drbabs
June 29, 2014
Shauna, I made it today with blueberries and it came out denser than usual. I was almost out of yogurt so I used more milk than yogurt, rather than the other way around. So I think the denseness is caused by either too much liquid, or not enough acid. Could this be what happened in your case?
ShaunaF
June 29, 2014
It could have been the problem the first time, as I used 1 1/2 cups homemade yogurt instead of what the recipe calls for (greek yogurt/milk). The second time I made it per instructions though. However, I've continued to follow the threads of comments, and they remain so positive I am going to try again when the next crop of fruit hits the farmer's market (peaches I think). Thanks for your suggestions.
Linda W.
May 31, 2014
Do you have the nutritional content esp. calories available?
drbabs
May 31, 2014
I don't, but I put it into a calorie counting app. The app would only let me put in nonfat yogurt, and it assumed 8 servings. Here you go:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 150 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 393Calories from Fat 150
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16.7g26%
Saturated Fat 8.5g43%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 124mg5%
Potassium 153mg4%
Total Carbohydrates 56.1g19%
Dietary Fiber 1.2g5%
Sugars 31.7g
Protein 6.7g
Vitamin A 8% • Vitamin C 19%
Calcium 9% • Iron 10%
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 150 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 393Calories from Fat 150
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16.7g26%
Saturated Fat 8.5g43%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 124mg5%
Potassium 153mg4%
Total Carbohydrates 56.1g19%
Dietary Fiber 1.2g5%
Sugars 31.7g
Protein 6.7g
Vitamin A 8% • Vitamin C 19%
Calcium 9% • Iron 10%
Gibson2011
May 26, 2014
8x12 seems like a strange size. Would things go horribly awry if I used a 9x13?
drbabs
May 27, 2014
8x12 is the size of the ceramic pan I used. I've made versions of his cake on vacation with whatever size I could hack. If you use a 9x13 pan, you'll have about 20% more area. So the cake will be shallower, and you'll probably need more strawberries to cover the top. Please let us know how it turns out.
drbabs
May 31, 2014
Gibson. I don't know if you've tried this yet, but I just put the cake in the oven, and if you want to use a more standard sized baking pan, I'd suggest 8x8 or 9x9.
Jennifer C.
May 26, 2014
I dont have turbinado sugar in my pantry. What kind of sugar is a good replacement?
Laurelb
May 26, 2014
How will it affect the baking time to use a glass dish instead if ceramic
drbabs
May 26, 2014
It will probably be a little shorter. I'd say start testing it when you can smell it. The good thing about a glass baking dish is that you can see through it to tell what's happening. (I've made it in a glass baking dish at a vacation house, but I don't remember the exact times. All ovens are different anyway. Part of the adventure of baking.)
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