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(Last Updated On: July 29, 2022)

Best Vegan Strawberry Cake Recipe

This homemade vegan strawberry cake is so ridiculously good!

 

It’s fresh, tangy, sweet and made with real fresh and freeze-dried strawberries.

 

You can really taste the strawberry flavor in this cake, but it’s natural and not overpowering at all.

 

The best vegan dessert cake ever and so pretty and pink too!

This cake requires one extra step to prepare the strawberry puree, but the good news is you can prepare it up to three days ahead of time and let is sit in the fridge until you’re ready!

 

I’ve tried making fruit cakes in the past with blended fruit, but if you don’t reduce it to get rid of some of that moisture it makes the cake batter too wet, and adding more flour doesn’t always fix it.

 

That’s why I love reducing fruit juices/puree when baking to get all the flavor without the extra water, I did the same trick with my Vegan Apple Cider Donuts with reducing cider!

Easy Homemade Strawberry Cake 

This vegan cake along with the vegan strawberry buttercream frosting is one of my new favorite things to bake!

 

The flavor is absolutely divine – rich and tangy strawberry flavor with vanilla and the richness of vegan yogurt and butter.

 

You can always add vegan red or pink dye to the cake itself, but I actually really love the color when combined with the light pink frosting.

 

Totally up to you though, if you want a super red strawberry cake it would certainly be the star of the dessert table!

 

If you love tasty vegan cakes, try my Glazed Vegan Orange Cake, Best Vegan Lemon Cake or Almond Vegan Pound Cake next!

Ingredients:

• Fresh Strawberries – To get real fruit flavor in this cake, you blend and reduce real strawberries!
• Flour – I used all purpose and loved the result, you can also use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
• Sugar – Plain white sugar is best for this cake.
• Plant Milk + Apple Cider Vinegar – This is the vegan “buttermilk” and adds tons of flavor.
• Dairy Free Yogurt – Plain or vanilla are both fine, I love yogurt and strawberry together!
• Vegan Butter & Oil – Using both adds richness without compromising on moisture!
• Vanilla – The best compliment to the strawberry flavor.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda – I love using both to get a fluffy cake.
• Salt – To help all the wonderful flavors stand out.
• Vegan Red Dye – This is optional, but feel free to add pretty color to the cake batter!

Vegan Strawberry Frosting:

• Freeze Dried Strawberries – These help the frosting not be runny like when using fresh.
• Vegan Butter – Be sure to use room-temperature vegan butter sticks, not from a tub.
• Powdered Sugar – Be sure the brand you use is vegan if you are.
• Vanilla – Vanilla and strawberry frosting is the best!
• Plant Milk – As needed to thin and make frosting easier.

How to Make Vegan Strawberry Cake

Making the Reduced Strawberry Puree

To begin making your vegan strawberry cake recipe, start by preparing the strawberry puree so it has time to cool.

 

To do so, remove the stem and leaves and wash your strawberries, then toss them into a blender.

 

Blend until smooth and tap through a strainer to remove any bits.

 

Add this to a sauce pan over low/ medium heat until simmering, and let it cook for 25-30 minutes until it reduces to 1/2 cup, stirring often.

 

Then pour into a glass container and place on a hot pad in the fridge to cool to at least room temperature.

Making the Vegan Cake Batter

Now, preheat your oven to 350F, and spray two 9 inch cake pans with non-stick spray; I also highly recommend covering the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper and lightly dusting the edges with flour to avoid any sticking.

 

Mix together the plant milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside – this will curdle a bit and become a vegan “buttermilk”.

 

Now, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

 

In another bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar, then add the oil, yogurt and vanilla and mix until smooth.

 

To combine everything together, you’ll add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in alternating increments, adding about 1/3 of them at at time.

 

Mix well in between each until everything is incorporated, then stir in the cooled, reduced strawberry puree, and any red food coloring if desired.

 

Pour evenly into both cake pans, spread out and bake for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

 

Then simply let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Making Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

To make the simple strawberry frosting, start by creaming together the vegan butter, vanilla and milk until smooth.

 

Be sure to use room-temperature butter sticks for this, letting the butter sit on the counter until soft instead of microwaving.

 

Add the powdered sugar in increments, mixing in between, to avoid a mess!

 

Then blend your freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder and mix into the frosting until evenly incorporated. 

Then you’re done – simply frost your cakes when they are completely cooled and decorate anyway you’d like!

 

I added a layer of frosting in between the cakes and then added the rest to the top and around the edges.

 

I then added some white sprinkles around the edges and a slice of a strawberry in the middle!

 

The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to four days for best results.

Easy Strawberry Cake from Scratch

If you don’t want to make the frosting from scratch, you can always use store-bought vegan frosting – though I would highly recommend still mixing in the blended freeze-dried strawberries to the store-bought frosting for that delicious flavor and color!

 

It only takes an extra minute or two and totally transforms the cake.

 

If you’re feeling up to it, this cake is also incredible when topped with my Vegan Chocolate Frosting in place of the strawberry for a chocolate covered strawberry cake!

 

You’ll also love my Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble or my Vegan Strawberry Powdered Donuts for more strawberry goodness.

I got some of these tricks from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and experimented with the amounts and swaps until I got a texture I loved, and I know you’ll love it too!

This recipe is:

• Fruity
• Sweet
• Tangy
• Delicious
• Light
• Fluffy
• Real Strawberry Flavor!
• Perfect for Spring & Summer

 

Check out these other delicious vegan desserts!

Best Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake

Vegan Double Chocolate Cake

Vegan Funfetti Sprinkle Cake

Vegan Apple Walnut Bundt Cake

Best Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan Red Velvet Cake

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