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 cake (3 glorious layers) feed a crowd and knock their socks off delicious!
Let’s start baking!
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
- 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.
***See the full instructions below.
Strawberry Sheet Cake Ingredients
Cake:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Eggs: I use large eggs. It’s best to use room temperature eggs.
- Lemon: I suggest using a fresh lemon. One ripe 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
- Strawberry Jello: This is added strait from the box as a dry ingredient.
- Baking Soda: This gives the cake it’s rise.
- Salt: Regular table salt.
- Buttermilk: Be sure to shake the buttermilk well before measuring it out.
- Strawberries: I prefer using fresh strawberries.
Frosting:
- Cream Cheese: At room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Strawberries: Again, I prefer using fresh strawberries.
- Cream: Heavy cream.
- Lemon Juice: I suggest using a fresh lemon
Tips
- Chopping the strawberries – The berries should be chopped or diced into small pieces. Big chunks will create soggy pockets in the 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.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
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.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This cake will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but the frosting starts to lose its texture after a couple of days.
- 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.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
More Sheet Cake Recipes
Sheet cake is the way to go to feed a crowd! Be sure to try these!
- Pig Pickin Cake
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Pineapple Sheet Cake
- Coca Cola Cake
- Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
- Coconut Sheet Cake
- Pineapple Sunshine Cake
- Pina Colada Sheet Cake
- Lemon Buttermilk Cake
- Pina Colada Sheet Cake
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the 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 (1 cup) until creamy. Slowly add sugar (2 cups) then continue to beat for 4-5 minutes until it's fluffy. Add eggs (2) one at a time, and beat after each addition until they're incorporated. Add lemon juice (2 teaspoons) and vanilla (1 teaspoon) and mix in.
- In a small bowl combine flour (2 1/2 cups), strawberry jello (2 tablespoons), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon). Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk (1 cup), beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently stir in strawberries (2/3 cups). Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the 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 (8 ounces) with 1/3 cup of sugar until the mixture is smooth. Fold in strawberries (2/3 cups).
- In a large bowl, beat the cream (1 1/2 cups) and lemon juice (3 tablespoons) until the mixture is frothy. Continue beating on medium-high speed and gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until the 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:
Notes
- Chopping the strawberries – The berries should be chopped or diced into small pieces. Big chunks will create soggy pockets in the 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.
Nutrition
Source: Southern Living
Reader Interactions
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Ann inniss says
This is the the second time I am making this cake. My family and friends love the surprise of the lemon. The second day it is the best. Make ahead is the best plan for this cake. I put it in the refrigerator and take it out two hours before service. It was fabulous. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kathleen says
Hey Ann thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂 So glad you liked it!
kavya says
Hi Kathleen can I bake the cake in a round baking pan? Or does it have to be a sheet pan?
Kathleen says
Hi Kavya, I only make this recipe using the suggested pan because I LOVE the frosting and think it works best on a flat cake.
Martha Felix says
I made this cake in a 12X17 sheet cake (jelly roll) pan and it turned out perfectly. The only thing I altered was the cooking time: 25 minutes worked for me in this size pan. The cake is delicious and the icing is great! I will use the icing recipe for other cakes, omitting or reducing the lemon as needed for various flavors of cake.
Martha Felix says
Actually…I did alter one other thing: we are vegetarian, and so I used vegan strawberry jello powder (amazon.com) and it worked great, the cake is a pretty light pink color, and it has a wonderful strawberry flavor and tender cake texture!
Kathleen says
Hey Martha. Thanks so much for your info! I love to know that the cake works in an actual sheet pan!!! LOL. Great tip about the vegan jello on amazon. Thanks again 😉
Mary says
Hi,
I made this delicious strawberry sheet cake and the people loved it!! Could I use the same recipe for a layer cake?
Thanks,
Mary
Kathleen says
Hey Mary. I think the cake will work out fine. I’m reluctant using the frosting in a layer cake though. So glad you made it and it was well received 🙂
Linda says
Having trouble printing.
Kathleen says
Hey Linda and Beti! Sorry about that! Glich in the computer program. Hoping I fixed it!!!!
Linda says
I can’t get it to print either!
Beti says
I’m having problems printing out the recipe too.
Shelly says
wondering if I can omit the jello, since its not good. or dou think it’s used to help thicken it?
Kathleen says
Hey Shelly! I’m sorry but I just don’t know. I’ve only made this cake with the gelatin in it.
Tahnycooks says
Just made this cake this afternoon and it is a keeper. i especially love the whipped frosting! YUMMY!
Kathleen says
Hey there Tahny! So glad you liked this! I’m with you on the frosting, girl!!!
Jeanne1 says
Hello — I wanted to print your recipe but something strange happens — when I press “print recipe” it brings up a black box with the name of the recipe & has a “print” button which I press — but all that is printed is the page with the black box on it, not the recipe. I wonder if anyone else has this problem.
Kathleen says
Hello Jeanne, Thank you for telling me. This is the first I’ve heard anyone has had a prolem. I’ll look into it asap. May need to get some tech support!
Linda says
Yes I am!
Alicia Haler says
We made it this weekend as a layer cake and cupcakes for my daughters birthday and it was delightful. I got so many requests for the recipe. Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hey Alicia. Happy to hear that. How did the frosting work for a layer cake?
Linda says
I’m confused as the title of the cake is Sheet Cake but it is baked in a 9×13 in. pan. I need the cake for a large gathering and wondered it if could be baked in a sheet cake pan and what the baking time would be.
Kathleen says
Hey Linda. I know, I don’t know why but this is the second recipe I’ve used recently that has referred to a sheet cake made in a 9X13. Anyway, I’m sorry but I haven’t made it in a larger pan so I can’t advise.
Grace says
Well- this cake tasted delicious for sure but yielded disastrous results when attempted as cupcakes!! Just thought I’d throw that out there in case anyone else was tempted. 🙂 Stick with the 9×13! Or if you figure out a way to turn it into good cupcakes let us know!
Kathleen says
Hi Grace! Thanks so much for sharing that!!!
Beth says
This cake is delicious! It’s my first from-scratch cake…I’m new to baking.
The icing I made came out too runny. It still tasted yummy, though. Do you have any idea why this might have happened?
Thanks for the great recipe!
Kathleen says
Hi Beth, I’m guessing it might be runny if you didn’t beat the whipped cream enough or if you happened to have extra juicy strawberries. Does that help at all???? Glad you liked the cake 🙂
Alena says
Thank you soo much! I accidentally ran across this and I’m so happy I did!!! Now I always look through all your recipes 🙂 it is an amazing cake!
Kathleen says
Well Alena, I’m happy you found me! I hope you like this cake as much as we did!!!
EJ Kelly says
I made this for my wife today, IT WAS AMAZING. This will be my go to spring/summertime cake..Thank you for this recipe!!
Kathleen says
Hey EJ. So glad you made this! I’m really glad you liked it 🙂 You are so welcome!
Pamela says
Would you share your “Go-To” Strawberry cake recipe as well? I’m eager to make the sheet cake version, but I’m in a collecting mode and would love to check other strawberry cake versions out…
Kathleen says
Hi Pamela! I’m looking forward to sharing it hopefully soon 😉
carol says
Hi Kathleen, I have a recipe that adds gelatin for stabilizing
whipping cream to be used in frostings. Do you think that would work in this recipe and would make it last a little longer?
Kathleen says
Hey Carol! Wow that’s a really interesting idea! Since the frosting has cream cheese in it, it’s definitely heavier than a plain whipped cream topping so I’m not sure the gelatin can “support” the heavier structure. If you try it will you please let me know how it works out. 🙂