Strawberry Bundt Cake
I created this strawberry bundt cake after a follower asked for a cake made with real strawberries—and I knew it had to be incredibly moist, fluffy, and full of fresh flavor. This recipe delivers exactly that. The crumb is soft and tender, the strawberry flavor comes from real reduced purée, and the whole cake comes together so easily you won’t believe how delicious it tastes.
It’s beautiful, isn’t it?! If you’ve made things like my strawberry cake or strawberry cream cheese muffins, this recipe will feel familiar in the best way. It uses the same reduced purée approach I rely on whenever I want strawberry flavor to come through without compromising structure.
You’re going to love this cake because…
This is one of those cakes that quietly does everything right.
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- The strawberry flavor comes from real fruit, not shortcuts
- The crumb stays soft and moist even after refrigeration
- Oil + sour cream keep it plush without feeling heavy
- It releases cleanly from a bundt pan when properly prepped
- The cream cheese frosting is lightly tangy and not too sweet
Key Ingredients & Why I Use Them
Reduced strawberry purée – This is non-negotiable for me. Reducing concentrates flavor without adding excess liquid, which is how you get strawberry flavor and a proper crumb. Just a little thicker than my strawberry sauce recipe.
Butter + oil – I like using both here. Butter adds flavor, oil keeps the cake soft long-term.
Sour cream – I swear by sour cream in bundt cakes. It adds richness and protects against dryness.
Buttermilk – This loosens the batter just enough and helps activate the leaveners for a lighter crumb.
Cream cheese (for the frosting) – Just enough to balance the sweetness without overpowering the strawberry.
How I make this strawberry bundt cake
The full recipe card is below, but this is exactly how I make this cake in my own kitchen, step by step. None of these steps are complicated, but the order and timing matter more than they might seem at first glance.
Step 1: Make the strawberry purée
I always start here, because the purée needs time to cool before it goes into the batter.
Place the strawberries in a blender and blend until completely smooth. I don’t worry if there are a few seeds visible — that’s normal. The important part is that there are no chunks left.
Then pour the purée into a medium saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once it starts to simmer, I stir regularly, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan so nothing sticks or scorches. The goal is to gently cook off excess moisture while concentrating the strawberry flavor.
I let the purée reduce until I have ¾ cup total. This usually takes about 10 minutes, sometimes a bit longer depending on how juicy the berries are. I always measure it in a heat-safe measuring cup rather than guessing. If it’s still over ¾ cup, I return it to the pan and keep cooking.
Once reduced, I transfer the purée to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. This prevents a skin from forming. I let it cool completely before using it — warm puree will loosen the batter and affect how the cake bakes.
Step 2: Prep the pan and oven
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Bundt cakes bake best at a slightly lower temperature, which helps them cook evenly without drying out.
Then grease a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with softened butter, making sure to get into every curve and corner. If the pan has detailed ridges, I take my time here. After buttering, I dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess. This step matters more than people think — most bundt cake issues start with the pan.
Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients and cream the butter
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I like to whisk for a full 10–15 seconds to make sure everything is evenly distributed before it goes into the batter. I set this aside while I work on the wet ingredients.
Next, I take a clean, large mixing bowl, and I beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds, just until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and vegetable oil and continue mixing for 1–2 minutes. I’m not looking for a whipped texture here, just a mixture that looks lighter, smoother, and fully combined. I scrape the bowl once or twice to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides.
Step 4: Add the eggs and vanilla
I add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. I wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next — this keeps the batter stable and prevents it from curdling.
Once the eggs are in, I mix in the vanilla extract.
Step 5: Add the strawberry purée and sour cream
Next, I add the sour cream and ½ cup of the cooled strawberry puree. I mix just until combined. At this point, the batter should look smooth, thick, and lightly pink.
If I want a slightly stronger pink color, I’ll add a drop or two of food coloring here. This is completely optional — the flavor comes from the puree, not the color.
I reserve the remaining strawberry puree for the frosting and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
Step 6: Alternate the buttermilk and dry ingredients
From this point on, I am very gentle and deliberate as I mix the batter to prevent overworking the flour.
First, I add half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed just until combined. Then I add half of the dry ingredients and mix again on low.
Step 7: Continue Mixing
Next goes the remaining buttermilk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
Step 8: Finish by hand
I usually stop the mixer before everything is fully incorporated and finish folding the batter by hand with a spatula. This is where I’m most careful — overmixing at this stage is the fastest way to end up with a dense or dry cake.
The finished batter should be thick, smooth, and cohesive, with no visible streaks of flour.
Step 9: Fill the pan, bake, and cool
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and gently smooth the top.
The cake bakes for 45–50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. I don’t wait for it to be completely dry — bundt cakes continue to set as they cool.
Once baked, I remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then I carefully invert it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting
While the cake is baking, I like to prepare the delicious cream cheese frosting. Gather your ingredients and clean out your mixing bowl!
Step 10: Beat the cream cheese and butter
To make the frosting, I beat the cream cheese and butter together for about 2 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy.
Step 11: Add the powdered sugar
Add 1½ cups of powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
Step 12: Add the strawberry purée
Finally, mix in the strawberry purée.
Step 13: Adjust as needed
From there, I adjust the consistency as needed. If the frosting feels too soft, I add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, I add a small splash of milk or cream. I like this frosting soft and pipeable, not stiff.
Step 14: Decorate
Once the cake is fully cooled, I will frost it. Sometimes I spread the frosting with a spoon, but more often I pipe it using a piping bag with the tip snipped off.
To finish, I like adding halved fresh strawberries on top. It keeps the decoration simple and makes it clear what flavor the cake is.
Expert Tips
A few things I’ve learned from making this cake more than once:
- Reducing the purée fully is essential for both flavor and structure
- Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated
- Bundt pans need aggressive greasing, especially detailed ones
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting
- This step REALLY matters: finishing the batter by hand prevents overmixing and keeps the crumb tender.
Variations I Actually Make
- Swap sour cream for full-fat Greek yogurt
- Use mascarpone instead of cream cheese for a milder frosting
- Add a little lemon zest to brighten the strawberry flavor
- Skip the frosting and dust with powdered sugar for a simpler cake
Storage & Make Ahead
I store this cake covered at room temperature for up to one day, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. It freezes well, frosted or unfrosted, for up to two months.
For the best texture, I always let it come back to room temperature before serving.
FAQ
Yes. I use frozen strawberries often, but they will take longer to reduce on the stove because they have a higher water content. Make sure the purée is thick!
You may have overmixed the batter once the flour was added or perhaps you baked it for a little too long.
Yes. I often bake it the day before and frost it the next day.
You can, but the bake time will change. Bundt pans bake more evenly at lower temperatures.
More strawberry recipes
If you liked this cake, you might also enjoy my strawberry cake, strawberry sauce, strawberry cream cheese muffins, or strawberry cheesecake. They all rely on the same reduced-puree approach for real strawberry flavor.
If you make this strawberry bundt cake, I’d love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or leave a comment and rating below — I always enjoy seeing how these recipes turn out in your kitchen.
Strawberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Purée
- 453 grams strawberries 16oz
Strawberry Cake Batter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 382g
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113g, room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar 300g
- ½ cup vegetable oil 120ml
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream 120g
- ½ cup strawberry purée from above
- ½ cup buttermilk 120ml
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup cream cheese 56g, room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter 28g, room temperature
- 1 ½ to 2 cups powdered sugar 187g to 250g
- 3 tbsp strawberry purée
- 1-2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
Instructions
Strawberry Purée
- Place the strawberries in a blender. Blend until the strawberries become very smooth.
- Pour the puréed strawberries in a medium saucepan, place over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer, and stir often.
- Cook the purée until it reduces to ¾ cup. You will use ½ cup for the cake, and about 3-4 tbsp for the cream cheese frosting. It can take 10 minutes or a bit longer to reduce the purée to ¾ cup. It depends on how high the heat is.
- Remember to stir occasionally, and after pouring the purée into a heat-safe measuring cup, check the amount — if there’s still too much liquid (more than 3/4 cup), return it to the pan to cook a bit longer before measuring again.
- Once you have ¾ cups, pour the purée into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the purée so it doesn’t form a skin. Let it fully cool before using.
Strawberry Cake Batter
- Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
- Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with butter. You will need about 1-2 tbsp of butter to grease the pan, make sure the butter is softened when you do this. Once the butter is evenly coating the pan, sprinkle flour all over making sure it’s evenly distributed. If using a bundt pan with details, make sure to get the nooks and crannies well covered with butter and flour, or the cake might stick in those areas that aren’t nicely greased and floured.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter at medium speed for 30 seconds. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
- Add the granulated sugar, the oil, and beat together with the butter for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Scrape the bowl every so often to ensure everything is getting nicely incorporated together.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Pour the sour cream, and ½ cup of the strawberry purée in the bowl and mix. You can place the remaining strawberry purée in the fridge, covered, to use in the frosting later.
- At this point, you can add a couple of drops of pink food coloring to the cake if desired.
- Add half of the buttermilk to the bowl and mix on low.
- Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and stir to combine
- Add the remaining buttermilk and mix.
- Finish by adding the last half of the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
- You can also use the spatula instead of the mixer to fold the batter during this final stage. Avoid over mixing, to prevent the cake from turning out dry.
- Pour the batter onto the prepared bundt pan.
Baking
- Bake the strawberry bundt cake in the pre-heated oven for about 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes off clean when inserted in the cake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let them cool down in the pan for 15 minutes. Then flip the cake onto a wire rack until it’s cooled down completely.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a bowl, place the cream cheese and butter. Beat for 2 minutes, until creamy.
- Add 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and mix on low.
- Add the strawberry purée and mix to combine.
- If needed, add more powdered sugar to make the frosting stiffer. If the frosting is too thick, add milk or heavy cream.
Decorate
- Once the cake has cooled down, spread the frosting on top. I placed the frosting in a piping bag, snipped the end with scissors and piped over the cake. To decorate, you can place halved strawberries on top of the frosted cake.
Storage
- Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the cake—either frosted or unfrosted—by wrapping it tightly and freezing for up to 2 months. For the best texture and flavor, let the cake come back to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, use ½ cup milk + 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar
- Sour cream: You can use Greek yogurt instead
- Vegetable oil: any neutral oil (canola, avocado, sunflower)
- Cream cheese: Mascarpone works for a milder flavor. If using mascarpone, make sure it’s cold.
- Fresh strawberries: frozen work, just cook longer to reduce