This fresh strawberry cake is the perfect no-fuss baking project. This tender cake is moist and has a fluffy crumb that is packed with fresh lemon zest and juicy strawberries. The moist cake batter is perfect for beginner bakers and seasoned home cooks alike, and once you’ve tasted this incredible cake you will be making it all summer!
Strawberry Season
Fresh strawberries are a joy in our house. I love them, my partner is obsessed with them, and it’s such a versatile fruit- really anything that needs “fruity” flavor, strawberries are an excellent choice.
The window for strawberries is short- depending on where you live, the season can be anywhere from mid May to early September, but no matter where you are, strawberries are only ripe for about 3 weeks.
This only means one thing- more strawberry recipes in our house! We currently have 6 boxes of strawberries to work through! That’s a whole lot of cakes, drinks, and fruit salads!
What the heck is a snacking cake?
A snacking cake is essentially a cake that focuses on simplicity and convenience, so it is perfect as a snack. It normally comes in the form of a single layer cake, using simple ingredients and preparation.
What makes snacking cakes unique from other cakes is that there is never any elaborate frosting or layering going on.
It’s just a mix and pour recipe with a yummy topping- usually fruit, chocolate or powdered sugar, and baked until a fluffy and light cake is achieved!
Other Flavors For This Cake
This easy yogurt cake is one of my favorite dessert recipes on the blog because this delicious cake can be made with virtually any fruit.
Peaches are a great alternative to the strawberries. Use 2-3 peeled fresh cut yellow peaches and sub the vanilla extract with almond extract.
You can also make a chocolate cake by omitting the lemon and substituting chocolate chips on top of the cake instead of the strawberries.
Tips For Making Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. I prefer to do this with my hands, so that the warmth from my fingers helps to activate all those yummy oils in the lemon rind. This helps “perfume” the cake with luscious lemon flavor!
Use room temperature ingredients. You want to make sure your eggs and yogurt are at room temperature before mixing and baking this cake, otherwise the cooking time will take longer.
Don’t overmix the batter. Like any fluffy cake batter, overmixing will knock out all the air bubbles the baking soda worked so hard to produce, resulting in a dense and gummy cake.
Pack the strawberries tightly on top of the cake. The strawberries will shrink and shrivel a bit in the oven (that’s ok!) but what will happen is the space between them will get bigger. Pack the strawberries tightly to avoid overly large gaps on top!
Fresh Strawberry Greek Yogurt Snacking Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Fresh Strawberry Greek Yogurt Snacking Cake Recipe
12-16 strawberries, washed
1.5 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Zest and juice of two lemons
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 cup Greek yogurt or full fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
powdered sugar, for topping
Instructions
Grease a 9″ round cake pan with a little butter and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda).
In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest and sugar together between your fingers until evenly combined.
To the lemon sugar mixture, add in the wet ingredients- eggs, yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
Whisk the yogurt mixture until smooth and blended.
Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and stir gently until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and drop a few times on the counter to release any trapped air.
Hull and slice the strawberries in half.
Arrange the strawberries cut side down on top of the cake batter, making sure to pack them tightly as they will shrink in the oven.
Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, with a few crumbs stuck to it.
Cool the cake for 15 minutes before cutting. Dust powdered sugar over the top of the cooled cake and cut into slices.
If you love easy summer desserts, try out these recipes:
- AMISH CHERRY PIE WITH NEVER-FAIL PIE CRUST
- EASY NO CHURN RHUBARB BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM
- PEACH BRIOCHE CINNAMON ROLLS WITH ALMOND ICING
Fresh Strawberry Greek Yogurt Snacking Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries (about 12-16)
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or full fat sour cream
- ⅓ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Grease a 9" round cake pan with a little butter and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda).
- In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest and sugar together between your fingers until evenly combined.
- To the lemon sugar mixture, add in the wet ingredients- eggs, yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk the yogurt mixture until smooth and blended.
- Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and stir gently until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and drop a few times on the counter to release any trapped air.
- Hull and slice the strawberries in half.
- Arrange the strawberries cut side down on top of the cake batter, making sure to pack them tightly as they will shrink in the oven.
- Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, with a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar and cutting into slices.
