This strawberry buttermilk cake is a flavourful, light cake combined with fresh strawberries. Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a wonderful Summer dessert.
This lovely strawberry buttermilk cake is super easy to prepare and a perfect way to enjoy strawberries. Simply mix up the batter, spoon it in to a pan, top with fresh, halved strawberries and bake. The berries will sink in to the cake as it bakes.
Enjoy this cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or try it at room temperature for a lovely morning or afternoon treat.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Strawberries – fresh strawberries will always bring the best flavour, but frozen strawberries should work here as well. If frozen, use from frozen. No need to thaw.
Buttermilk – real buttermilk is recommended if possible. If not, make your own buttermilk substitute by stirring together 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar.
Recipe tips!
- I love to bake in my cast iron skillet. My skillet shown here is 8″ in diameter across the bottom and 10″ in diameter across the top. It is the perfect size for this cake. You could also use a 9″ pie plate or a 9″ round or square cake pan instead of the skillet.
- This beautiful buttermilk cake is a great base for all your summer fruit baking. Try topping with blueberries, peaches, plums or raspberries!
- Enjoy this cake as is, warm or at room temperature or top with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This cake is best enjoyed on the day it is baked, but will keep well covered and stored at room temperature for a couple of days.
This cake will also freeze well for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, 1/4 tsp less if using salted butter
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, *see Note 1 below for buttermilk substitute
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved *see Note 2 below
- Confectioners’/icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (regular bake setting/non-convection/not fan-assisted). Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9-inch deep dish pie pan, 9-inch round baking pan or a 10-inch top-diameter cast iron skillet. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla and mix until well blended, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not over-mix.
- Remove the bowl from mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well, mixing in any stray flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the strawberries randomly in a single layer on top, with the cut side of the strawberry down.
- Bake the cake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. and continue baking for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly, then serve warm, with a dusting of confectioners/icing sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Notes
More strawberry cakes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi Jess, I can’t imagine what could be going on here. What size pan did you use? Was it aluminum by any chance?
I don’t own a skillet so would I be able to bake it in a cake pan.
Hi Kerri and yes, absolutely. A 9-inch cake pan would work fine here, as well.
Hi Jennifer,
My sons and I tripped over this recipe and made this cake last week with some summer strawberries that we had frozen. We forgot about the powdered sugar and loved it anyway. My elder son has requested that I bring it to a school breakfast potluck tomorrow morning. Ideally, we will bring it warm and still in the cast iron pan. I am wondering if I might make the batter this evening and then keep it in the fridge overnight, pouring and baking it as we get ready for school. Our days start fairly early and with an hour bake time, it would help if I had it ready to pop into the oven. Not a highly labor intensive recipe, but every bit helps as we navigate our before school moments. Would it still be tasty and come out the same do you think? Have you ever tried to premake the batter? Any insights welcome. We will surely enjoy this recipe often, appreciate the taste without excessive sugar and explore other fruits over time.
Thanks.
Hi Carol, So glad you enjoyed this cake! As for making ahead, I have never tried it myself and I would worry about how it might affect rise/texture. If it were me, I would whisk up the dry ingredients and leave out on the counter (covered). Then whip up the butter mixture and refrigerate that separately. Prepare your fruit and refrigerate. Then in the morning, just combine the two :) Just bear in mind it might need a couple of extra minutes in the oven if batter is cooler. Hope that helps :)
Such a delicious treat! Love skillet cakes especially when they are warm and this will be so good with some vanilla or strawberry icecream!
Thanks so much, Jenny :)
This strawberry cake looks absolutely dreamy! The perfect summer recipe :)
Thanks so much, Laura :)
I just bought a bunch of strawberries, and was trying to think of what to do with them. This looks like the perfect solution!
I think you will really enjoy this, Cathleen. A great way to enjoy strawberries :)
Sounds so simple to make, yet looks unbelievably good. Will give it a try next week – my husband loves strawberry desserts and I am such a sucker for ice cream melting over a warm piece of pie or poached fruit. With this cake everyone will be pleased!
Thanks so much, Milena. The roasted strawberries are so delicious in this. Your husband will love it :)
Buttermilk cake is the best and the addition of strawberries is terrific! You do amazing things in your cast iron skillet! I was thinking about making a pie in my cast iron skillet and noticed there are cast iron pie plates available now. I am intrigued! Eating this cake warm with ice cream must be an amazing treat. Great recipe! Sharing and pinning :)
Thanks Tricia and yes, I just love my skillet :) It’s always just the right size and it cooks things so beautifully!
I just made one of these a week or so ago Jennifer! It’s one of my favorite recipes for summer strawberries! Yours looks delicious!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
The name is so enticing! I am never without a carton of buttermilk in the fridge, I use it for so many things, so I’m all set to try this gorgeous cake, sharing!
Thanks Sue and yes, I always have buttermilk on hand, too. So handy!
Do anyone else have trouble with your print button not working ?
Hi Linda, I just checked myself and the print button is working fine for me. Have you tried the Print link at the top of the page (right under the big top photo)? You might have better luck with that one. Let me know.
Yes please! We’re having friends for dinner tomorrow night. This will be dessert! I just need to pick up buttermilk. Thanks Jennifer, it looks WONDERFUL!!
Thanks Chris :) It’s a simply perfect little cake, sure to be enjoyed by all!