A delicious and pretty fresh strawberry yogurt cake, with a wonderfully flavourful and buttery yellow cake base, flavoured with vanilla and topped with lots of fresh strawberries.

strawberry yogurt cake sliced

Why I love this strawberry yogurt cake

This Strawberry Yogurt Cake is a delicious way to bake with fresh strawberries from scratch. With a buttery yellow cake, moistened with yogurt and lots of fresh strawberries on top.

I make a lot of cakes with fruit and sometimes, the cake is just a pleasant backdrop for the fruit. Not with this cake. This cake could stand on its own as a great cake. And the fresh strawberries just make it even better. With a wonderfully moist and buttery crumb, and a nice bit of vanilla, this is a thoroughly enjoyable cake.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Strawberries – this recipe is best with fresh strawberries. While frozen strawberries might work as well, I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen strawberries.

Yogurt – you’ll want to use plain yogurt here, preferably a thicker Greek yogurt. A full-fat yogurt, 3% or above b.f. will produce the best results. Alternatively, you could use sour cream in place of the yogurt.

White Sugar – caution is always advised when attempting to reduce the sugar in a baking recipe. Sugar in baking acts as more than a sweetener. It contributes to the texture and moistness of the finished cake. While you can often reduce the sugar slightly and “get away with it”, arbitrarily cutting the sugar in half or less, or replacing it with something else may compromise the finished cake quality.

Step-by-Step Photos

This is a simple summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.

photo collage of steps to make strawberry yogurt cake 1

Cream the butter and sugar together until light in colour, about 2-3 minutes. (Tip! Creaming together butter and sugar should always be done at medium speed, speed 5 or 6 on a stand mixer and you should scrape down the bowl at least once during the process.)

Next you’ll beat the eggs in, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Finally, you’ll add the flour mixture, alternately with the yogurt. (So that means add 1/3 of the flour, followed by 1/2 of the yogurt, then the second 1/3 of flour, the remainder of the yogurt and finally, the last 1/3 of flour. Mix briefly between additions).

photo collage of steps to make strawberry yogurt cake 2

Spread the batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan. I like to place a round of parchment on the bottom, for easy removal, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Place the halved strawberries over the top, cut side down, pressing them down into the batter slightly, so the batter pushes up between them. Sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar and bake.

Recipe Video

Recipe Tips

  • When placing the halved strawberries on top of the cake, do your best to avoid having a strawberry right up against the side of the pan. Try to have a little batter in between. It’s not the end of the world, but the berries will scorch a little if baked in contact with the pan, making those berries a bit unappealing looking and possibly slightly bitter.
  • This cake is best enjoyed on the day it is baked, as the fruit will soften the crumb of the cake quite quickly. If you have a bit left-over, it will freeze well.
  • You can use either a 9-inch or a 10-inch springform pan. I prefer to use a springform pan, for easy removal, but a basic 9 or 10-inch cake pan should work just fine. I always line the bottom with a parchment round, even with the springform pan.
  • If you have a dark baking pan (black or dark grey), don’t forget to reduce your oven temperature by 25F degrees. Even with lowering the temperature, you should always check the cake a little ahead of the recommended time, as it may bake more quickly, too.
strawberry yogurt cake overhead, sliced

Top Tip

Elevate your cake for a special occasion or entertaining by topping the whole cake with whipped cream and additional strawberries when ready to serve.

strawberry yogurt cake sliced

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Yogurt Cake

A delicious and pretty fresh strawberry yogurt cake, with a wonderfully flavourful and buttery yellow cake base, flavoured with vanilla and topped with lots of fresh strawberries.
5 stars from 5 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. (454 g) strawberries, washed, dried, hulled and halved
  • 3/4 cup (175 g) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (175 g) white granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cup (275 g) all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or increase to 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) plain full-fat yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt

For sprinkling top before baking:

  • 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar

For serving:

  • Icing/confectioners’ sugar, for dusting before serving

Instructions
 

  • Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge in advance, so they both can come to room temperature before starting to make the batter.
  • Prepare the strawberries by hulling, washing, drying and cutting in half. If berries are huge, you can cut them into quarters, if you like. Set aside.
  • Grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350F (regular bake setting/not fan-assisted). **If your baking pan is dark grey or black, reduce the oven temperature to 325F, as the darker pan will retain more heat and cook more quickly. It also helps to avoid over-browning of the outside of the cake.
  • Add the room temperature butter and white sugar to a large bowl (for electric mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed (5 or 6 on a stand mixer), until light in colour and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, adding them one at a time and beating between additions. Scrape down the bowl as well, as needed. Add the vanilla and mix in.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter, adding it alternately with the yogurt. (*So add 1/3 flour, then 1/2 the yogurt, then 1/3 flour, then remaining yogurt, then remaining flour, mixing in between additions.)
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly into the pan. Place the prepared strawberries on top of the batter, placing them cut side down, very close together and pressing them into the batter slightly (about 1/4-inch-ish). Fit as many on top as you can, leaving a bit of space between each strawberry and avoiding as best you can having a strawberry right up against the side of the pan. Try to keep a bit of batter around the outside edge, as any strawberries that are right next to the pan may scorch, which doesn’t look great and is a bit bitter in taste.
  • Sprinkle top of strawberries with 1 Tbsp. white sugar.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 45-55 minutes for a 10-inch pan or 50-60 minutes for a 9-inch pan. Top should be just lightly golden over the entire top and a little darker towards the edges. The sides of the cake should have pulled away from the sides of the pan. You can test with a toothpick in the middle of the cake, but test in a few spots, as the fruit makes the cake quite moist.
  • Remove from the oven and let stand a couple of minutes before running a knife around the outside and removing the outer ring. Allow to cool on a cooling rack a bit more before sliding off the bottom round of the pan and removing the parchment.
  • Dust with powdered sugar when serving. Lovely warm or at room temperature. You can serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, if you like.

Notes

Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe card, for more details and substitution suggestions.
You’ll also find Step-by-Step photos and some additional Cook’s Notes, with more tips on making this recipe.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Dessert
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 381kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 26mg, Potassium: 228mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 462IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 3mg
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