Go Back
+ servings
Print Recipe
4.97 from 61 votes

Mini Strawberry Cake

his strawberry mini sheet cake is the perfect small batch cake. It has a deliciously fluffy texture and tastes EXACTLY like a fresh, sweet strawberry. 
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time32 minutes
Cooling Time for Cake1 hour
Total Time2 hours 2 minutes
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Cost: $9

Ingredients

Roasted Strawberry Puree:

  • 3/4 cup sliced strawberries from about 4 strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 drops red food coloring gel optional

Strawberry Mini Cake:

  • 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup reserved strawberry puree

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 5 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
  • 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

To Make the Roasted Strawberry Puree:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small baking dish, combine the strawberries, sugar and a salt. Transfer to the oven to roast for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and transfer it to a food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Measure out 1/4 cup and set aside. (Any extra can be added to cocktails, milk for drinking, etc.)

To Make the Mini Sheet Cake:

  • Keep the oven at 350 degrees F (as it was for roasting the strawberries). And grease and line a 8x8-inch baking pan. (See below in “NOTES” section for other baking pan alternatives).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (alternatively you can do this in a large bowl with an electric mixer), add the butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. In a measuring cup, pour in the milk, egg whites, and reserved 1/4 cup strawberry puree and whisk until combined.
  • Turn the mixer to low speed and, alternating between the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients (the strawberry/egg white mixture), add the them butter/sugar mixture until the batter is relatively smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out until it reaches the sides. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 to 32 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. It’ll probably take a good hour.

To Make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Using a food processor OR a spice grinder, add the 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries. Pulse for about 1 minute until it resembles a powder. Measure out 1 tablespoon. (See below in NOTES section on other recipes to make using freeze-dried strawberries.)
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (or a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer), add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. I like to do this or else the cream cheese frosting will have little clumps of cream cheese. Next, add the butter and beat it until smooth, about 15 seconds.
  • Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat for a full 2 minutes to ensure fluffy, delicious frosting.
  • If you want to make little strawberries, here’s what you need to do: add about 1/4 cup of frosting to one bowl. And then add a few tablespoons to a second bowl. We’re going to add food coloring to both of those frostings.
  • Then, add the reserved strawberry powder to the frosting and beat it one last time until combined. Add red food coloring if you want it be more pink. I added a small drop.
  • If you don’t want to make the strawberries, you can obviously skip removing some of the frosting and just proceed with adding the powder, etc.

To Make the Strawberries for Decoration:

  • Add a drop or two of red food coloring to the 1/4 cup of frosting. This is going to be for our strawberries. Mix it together until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a #3 round piping tip.
  • Add a drop of green food coloring to the 2 tablespoons of frosting. This is going to be our strawberry tops. Mix it together until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a #1 round piping tip.

To Decorate the Cake:

  • Add the frosting to the top of the cake and smooth it out into an even layer. Make it cute with some swoops.
  • If you didn’t do the strawberries above, no biggie. Top it with some sprinkles OR leave it as is. It’s cute.
  • To add the strawberries, pipe on hearts; they’ll end up looking like strawberries once we add the tops. Add as many as you like. Make them any size you like, too.
  • Pipe on two little dots at the top of the hearts to transform them from hearts to strawberries. Do mine look like tomatoes? MAYBE. LOL.

To Store Cake:

  • I keep this cake at room temperature on my counter. I don’t own a glass cake cover so I use a colander. This cake is delicious for about 2 to 3 days. If my way leaves you unsettled, you can always place the cake back into the 8x8-inch baking dish and cover it with plastic wrap.

Notes

Tips and Tricks:
  • Where to find freeze-dried strawberries? You can find them in the dried fruit and/or nuts section of the grocery store. They are sold in most supermarkets. 
  • What else can I make with freeze-dried strawberries? These strawberry and cream cookies are an all-time favorite of mine. 
  • How should I store this cake? You can store it in the baking pan in which you baked it in and cover it with plastic wrap. OR you can store it on a plate and cover it with a colander. 
Equipment: 
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 684IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg