This strawberry sheet cake with lemon cream cheese frosting recipe is so simple but delivers phenomenal results! I love cake recipes that use standard pantry ingredients as this sheet cake recipe does. There’s nothing fancy except the results!
Like all good strawberry cake recipes, it uses tons of fresh strawberries. I think fresh is best in fruit cake recipes!
After tasting this fantastic sheet cake, I’m sure you’re gonna want more of the same. Strawberry poke cake, strawberry pound cake strawberry shortcake cake, and strawberry layer cake feed a crowd and knock their socks off delicious!
Let’s head to the kitchen and start baking!
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What I Love About This Recipe
- The fluffy lemony cream cheese frosting
- The fresh strawberries in the cake and frosting
- Makes plenty to go around
- Looks as good as it tastes
How To Make Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe
Prep your baking dish with nonstick spray and parchment paper. Combine the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and lemon juice. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Fold in the strawberries, spread the batter in the pan, and bake.
To prepare the frosting, cream together 1/2 the sugar and the cream cheese. Fold in the strawberries. In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream and lemon juice until frothy. Mix on medium-high speed, adding in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over the cake.
Strawberry Cake Recipe Notes
Here are few tips on how to make this strawberry cake the best it can be!
Chopping the strawberries – The berries should be chopped or diced into small pieces. Big chunks will create soggy pockets in the cake.
Tips For Making The Perfect Strawberry Sheet Cake
Folding – The key to fluffy frosting and a light, airy cake is to fold in the strawberries by hand. To fold, pull your spatula through the middle of the batter and fold one side. Continue that until everything is well mixed.
Stirring will knock the air out of the whipped cream and cake batter, and it also breakdown the berries.
Ingredient Notes
Lemon – I suggest using a fresh lemon. 1 lemon should be plenty for both the cake and frosting. There are lots of different ways to juice a lemon, but I like to roll it on the counter with firm pressure to get the juices flowing before I cut it.
Cake Flour – Cake flour has lower gluten and makes the cake more tender. I highly suggest it, but in a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour with a bit of corn starch mixed in. Put 2 tablespoons of corn starch at the bottom of the 1 cup measuring cup and add all-purpose flour on top of it. Put 1 tablespoon in the 1/2 cup.
Storing Tips
Store this cake in a well-sealed container in the fridge. If you don’t have a top for your cake pan, you can use toothpicks to keep the clingwrap from sticking to the frosting.
Can You Freeze This?
I don’t recommend freezing the frosted cake. However, the cake itself will freeze just fine using proper freezing techniques. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and frost it just before serving.
Cake Make Ahead Tips
You can make the cake a day or two ahead of time, but hold off on the frosting until you’re ready to serve. You can also freeze your cake as a make-ahead step.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
According to food handling suggestions, this cake will last up to 7 days in the fridge, but the frosting starts to lose its texture after a couple of days.
Strawberry Sheet Cake with Lemon Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tablespoons strawberry flavored jello gelatin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk well shaken
- 2/3 cups fresh strawberries chopped
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 2/3 cups sugar divided
- 2/3 cups fresh strawberries chopped
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line baking dish with parchment paper with the long sides extending 2-3 inches. Spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- Using a stand up electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add sugar then continue to beat 4-5 minutes until it's fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and beat after each addition until they're incorporated. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix in.
- In a small bowl combine flour, strawberry jello, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently stir in strawberries. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely. Lift the cake out of the pan, using the parchment paper extensions.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1/3 cup of sugar until mixture is smooth. Fold in strawberries.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream and lemon juice until mixture is frothy. Continue beating on medium-high speed and gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream mixture.
- Immediately spread the top and sides of the cake with frosting. Serve 🙂
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
More Sheet Cake Recipes
Sheet cake is the way to go to feed a crowd! Be sure to try these!
- Pineapple Sheet Cake
- Coconut Sheet Cake
- Pineapple Sunshine Cake
- Pina Colada Sheet Cake
- Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Conclusion
I can’t decide what I love more about this strawberry sheet cake recipe- the cake or the frosting! It’s such a simple cake that always delivers big results! I can’t wait to hear how it works for you!
Be sure to leave a comment below!
Source: Southern Living
Can I use strawberry powder instead of the jello? Thank you
Hi, Mindy. I haven’t tried strawberry powder, sorry, I can’t advise.
Made this first the first time for a fundraiser dinner as a 12×18 sheet cake. It was a hit! It was a little bit dense, but I think it was because I did not have access to cake flour, so I substituted 3/4C + 2T all-purpose and 2T cornstarch per cup of cake flour. Worked in a pinch, but will try to find the cake flour next time. Also reduced baking time by 10 minutes but kept same temp. since I used a 12×18 instead of 9×13. Will definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi, Jacqui! Wow, congrats, it was a hit! Thanks so much for your positive feedback 🙂
Made this for a birthday cake . Excellent and so easy to make
So happy you enjoyed, Rebecca!
Wow, Nice post
Thank you!
nice post..vThanks For sharing
Thank you too!
If I could give 20 stars I would..this cake is beautiful & incredibly DELICIOUS!!! Like others, this frosting is simply AMAZING!! So glad I found your site, I’ve already bookmarked other recipes…you have a lovely website without overwhelming dialogue. Thank you for sharing this delightful, spring treasure!
Thank you so muchSue! So glad you enjoyed the cake!!
The frosting recipe just says sugar. This is powdered sugar, correct?
Hi, Michelle. Yes
I used granular sugar and it worked well!
This is the best cake ever I will be making it again.
Wow! Thank you so much! 🙂
BEST. STRAWBERRY. CAKE. EVER!
I will make this cake again and again.
Thanks for sharing
OMG, thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for your recipes. I try your recipes it is very soft and delicious I look forward to your next recipes.
Thank you so much too! I’m so happy you like our recipes 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try this STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE.
For more Birthday cakes
Thank you so much!
Hi there, I would love to make this as a half sheet cake (12×18) do you know if I’d need to double the recipe? Thanks!
A 9×13 inch baking pan has a volume of 14 cups, A 12X18 inch baking pan has a volume of 16 cups. So you really can’t double it. I think I’d just use the half sheet, reduce baking time, and expect a thinner resulting cake. I hope this helps <3
very delicious cake!!! Everyone loved it, altho I thought it was a bit too sweet!! The frosting was amazing! will definitely make again! Made it for Mothers day!
I love the frosting too! Glad you liked it, Car Lam!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
You’re welcome, Ronak! ❤️?
I have made this recipe several times, but I convert it to cupcakes. They come out a little dense for cupcakes, but are definitely delicious. Do you have any recommendations on how to thicken the frosting for piping? It’s my favorite frosting I have ever made, but piping it has been a challenge!
Thanks in advance!
Hi Rachel! I usually add more powdered sugar in the frosting to thicken it up. It should do the trick! But if it’s already too sweet, you can use heavy cream or cornstarch instead to offset the sweetness. Hope this helps! ?
BEST. STRAWBERRY. CAKE. EVER! I will make this cake again and again.
Thanks, TJ! Glad you like this cake! 🙂
This is the best cake ever I will be making it again. It turned out exactly the way the photo look and it tastes wonderful
Hi, Barbara! Thank you so much! I’m so happy it was great! I hope you’ll make this cake again soon! <3