small batch strawberry cake

About This Very Small Batch Strawberry Cake

This small batch strawberry cake recipe starts with a fluffy, white sheet cake base. It is then topped with a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting. The cake is actually a very small sheet cake. How small is very small? The cake is baked in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan!

However, don’t confuse this cake with a pound cake. The strawberry cake recipe makes only enough batter to fill about an inch of the loaf pan. It’s a very small sheet cake that’s about a quarter of the size of a regular 9 x 13-inch sheet cake. When sliced, the cake results in 8 petite squares.

For more small batch cake recipes on Hummingbird High, check out the site’s Small Batch Baking archive! Recipes in this collection yield small quantities perfect for 2- to 4- person households. Popular recipes include Small Batch Funfetti Cake and Very Small Batch Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting.

small batch strawberry cake
small batch strawberry cake

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make this small batch strawberry cake recipe, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Small Batch Strawberry Cake Recipe Shopping List

  • whole milk
  • large eggs
  • pure vanilla extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • granulated sugar
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter
  • confectioners’ sugar
  • fresh strawberries OR strawberry jam

And let’s talk about some of its key ingredients:

Ingredient Sources and Substitutions

  • Whole Milk. I recommend using whole milk for the recipe. Skim, low-fat, and non-fat milks will lead to less flavorful baked goods. You can also use plant-based milks like almond, coconut, soy, or oat. Just note that your cake and frosting might taste a little like whatever plant-based milk you choose.

  • All-Purpose Flour. You can use a 1-1 gluten free all purpose flour replacer to make the recipe gluten free. I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.

  • Kosher Salt. Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe when you do!

  • Strawberries/Strawberry Jam. In this recipe, I instruct you to make strawberry puree to flavor the buttercream frosting. Make strawberry puree by throwing a handful of strawberries (I used four) in a small blender or food processor. Blend/process until the strawberries are mashed. That’s it!

    That being said, the taste of strawberry puree can be a little too subtle (especially if your strawberries aren’t at peak ripeness yet). If you want a stronger strawberry flavor, you can use 1 Tablespoon of strawberry jam instead.
small batch strawberry cake

How To Make The Cake

Here are the basic steps to make this strawberry cake from scratch:

First, make the white cake:

  1. Prep your ingredients for the cake. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    For this recipe, it’s especially important that certain ingredients like butter, milk, and egg whites are warmed to room temperature. This batter will curdle if some of the ingredients are colder than others. If you’re short on time, my cookbook Weeknight Baking has great tips on how to bring ingredients to room temperature quickly!

  2. Make the batter with the reverse cream method. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    Typically, most cake recipes are made with the traditional creaming method. That is, the recipe instructs you to cream the butter and sugar first, then add other ingredients like eggs and the dry and wet ingredients later. This white cake recipe is made with the reverse creaming method. The recipe first instructs you to beat the butter with dry ingredients, then add the liquids in the recipe later.

    Why? Coating the butter in dry ingredients prevents the development of gluten, leading to a softer, more tender texture similar to the result you’d get if you used cake flour in the recipe. You can read more about the exact science in this Bon Appetit recipe and this Cooks Illustrated article.

  3. Bake the cake. (Bake Time: 25 minutes)
    Because the strawberry sheet cake is so small, it only needs 25 minutes to bake in the oven! Pretty cool, right? As the cake is baking, you can prep the strawberry puree (see above) for the buttercream frosting.

Then, make the strawberry buttercream frosting:

  1. Prep your ingredients for the frosting. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    I mentioned above that I like to make the strawberry puree while the cake is baking in the oven. It’s also important to set out the butter for the frosting at this time.

  2. Make the frosting. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    The strawberry buttercream frosting is a simple American buttercream frosting that comes together quickly. Simply beat the butter until creamy, then add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry puree, and milk until light and fluffy!

  3. Frost and assemble the Cake. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Sheet cakes are my favorite type of cake to make because they are so fast and easy to assemble! Simply scoop the frosting on top of the cooled cake and use an offset spatula to swoop and swirl it around on top of the cake. Don’t forget to garnish with fresh strawberries!
small batch strawberry cake

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

Help! My white cake batter curdled. What did I do wrong?

Uh-oh! For this recipe, it’s especially important that your butter, milk, and egg white is warmed to room temperature. The batter has a tendency to curdle if some of the ingredients are colder than others.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to fix cake batter when it’s curdled. This article from The Kitchn has some instructions on how to do so. Some of the solutions involve adding more flour or more liquid into the batter. However, if it were me, I’d honestly just start from scratch. Adding more flour or liquid is always tricky—you may end up with a heavier, denser cake that sinks in the middle!

Help! My strawberry buttercream frosting curdled. What did I do wrong?

First: Make sure your strawberry puree (see above) or strawberry jam is at room temperature. Ditto with the milk. Adding cold strawberry and/or milk to the butter base could potentially cause the butter to solidify, causing a curdled, mottled buttercream frosting.

Second: follow the instructions to add the milk in slowly. If you pour all of the milk in at once, the frosting has a tendency to curdle. You want to add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time, just until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. It’s likely that you won’t need to use all 1 Tablespoon of the milk. If your strawberries are especially liquidy, you may not even need it at all!

Similar to fixing curdled cake batter, you can add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting becomes smooth once more. Fixing curdled buttercream is far easier than fixing curdled cake batter—there’s no need to worry about the cake collapsing in the center!

Can you freeze strawberry cake?

Yes! You can freeze strawberry cake after it’s been baked both unfrosted AND frosted.

To freeze unfrosted strawberry cake, simply turn out the cake into a sheet of plastic wrap big enough to wrap the entire cake in. Tightly wrap the cake and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, unwrap and discard the plastic wrap, and cover the top of the cake with buttercream frosting. Let thaw at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then garnish with fresh strawberries and serve.

To freeze frosted strawberry cake, follow the instructions for assembling and decorating the cake with buttercream frosting. Place the frosted cake in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, just enough for the frosting to stiffen. Once the frosting is stiff, carefully wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator overnight.

How to store small batch strawberry cake

Place any leftover slices in a single layer in an airtight container. The cake can be stored at room temperature for 1 day. After that, transfer the container to the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

Best Small Recipe Tips

Time Saving Tip

  • Real talk: it’s rare that I make a cake and frost it all on the same day. Why? Cakes need to be cooled completely before being frosted (otherwise the frosting melts!). That can take a few hours, and I don’t want to sit around waiting all day to make a cake!

    So, as a result, I usually split the work up over 2 days. On the first day, I make the cake. Once it’s cooled, I then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave it on the counter overnight. The next day, I make the frosting!

    This method allows me to fit cake making into my schedule and gain back control of my time. If you like this technique, check out my cookbook—many complicated, time-consuming recipes are broken up in this way.

Ingredient Tips

  • Most white cake recipes are made with clear, artificial vanilla. That’s because artificial vanilla is colorless—using it in this recipe will result in a snow white crumb. If you have a bottle at home, I suggest you use it instead! In a pinch, pure vanilla extract works just fine. The cake, however, will be slightly yellower.

  • To make strawberry puree, blend or process four strawberries in a blender/food processor until mashed. Alternatively, you can use strawberry jam. Check out the ingredients section above to learn more!

Cake Making Tip

  • Don’t panic if the top of your cake comes out pretty yellow looking! That’s normal. When sliced, the crumb will still be pretty white!

Video Tutorial

Use the video player below to watch my Instagram Story tutorial on how to make this small batch strawberry cake recipe! The arrows to the left and right of the frame allow you to skip through the different recipe steps. You can also hit the “pause” or “enlarge” buttons on the upper right hand side of the frame to pause or enlarge the frames accordingly.


Alternatively, head to my Instagram profile to watch these Stories on mobile! The circles underneath my bio indicate saved Instagram Story highlights depicting various recipes. Clicking on one of the circles will play the videos you see above. You may need to scroll right to find this small batch strawberry cake recipe.

small batch strawberry cake
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Get the Recipe: Small Batch Strawberry Cake Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 1 9 x 5-inch cake
Author: Michelle Lopez
This small batch strawberry cake is baked in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan to make a very small sheet cake! The cake is made with a fluffy, white cake base that is then topped off with a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting.
(5 stars) 11 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Very Small White Cake

  • ⅓ cup (2.65 ounces or 75 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg white, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Strawberry Frosting

  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh strawberry puree or strawberry jam (see baker's notes)
  • 1 Tablespoon whole milk
  • fresh strawberries, for garnish

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Strawberry Cake

  • First, make the sheet cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the pan's two long sides. Spray the parchment, too.
  • Pour the milk into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Scoop out 1 tablespoon into another small bowl. Add the egg white and vanilla to the bowl with the small amount of milk and whisk to combine.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low until just combined, about 15 seconds. Add the butter all at once and beat on low until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout, about 3 minutes. Add the first bowl of plain milk all at once and increase the mixer to medium. Beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the milk and egg white mixture in two or three additions, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition, then beat until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth its top.
  • Bake the cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when gently pressed. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
  • Once the cake is cool, make the strawberry buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the strawberry puree, beating just to incorporate the liquid—if it still seems dry, add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until creamy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Assemble the cake. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the cake with the frosting completely. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
  • Serve and store. Serve immediately. The cake will keep in an airtight container for 1 day. After that, transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

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