Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

An easy recipe for gluten-free Strawberry Cake. This homemade strawberry cake is made with fresh strawberries and is topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting. 

Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

To make the best gluten-free strawberry cake, I use fresh strawberries, not strawberry flavoring or strawberry Jell-O.  So how can you get real strawberry flavor into cake batter without adding too much liquid from the fresh strawberries?  Making an easy strawberry reduction!

Just using pureed strawberries tends to add too much liquid to the cake batter. Even if you try and just add more gluten-free flour to the batter to make up for the extra liquid, the cake comes out too dense.

Taking the extra step of making the fresh strawberry reduction makes all the difference in the taste and texture of this gluten-free strawberry cake. You can see how easy this gluten-free strawberry cake is to make in the detailed recipe step photos or the recipe video.

Ingredients In Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

Strawberries: These are the star ingredients for this gluten-free cake. This recipe uses fresh strawberries for the cake and freeze-dried strawberries for the strawberry buttercream.

Butter: The softened butter is used as the fat in the recipe. It’s the fat in the recipe that helps make the cake not too dense. It is also used as the base for the buttercream frosting.

Granulated Sugar: Not only does sugar sweeten the cake, but it helps the cake be soft and moist.

Eggs: The eggs help give structure to the cake. The height and texture of the cake are determined by the balance between the eggs and the gluten-free flour.

Pure Vanilla Extract and Salt: These ingredients enhance the flavor of the strawberry cake.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour With Xanthan Gum: Using a gluten-free flour blend made with rice flour, starches, and xanthan gum mimics the taste and texture of traditional all-purpose flour. I bake with Pillsbury gluten-free flour.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Baking powder and baking soda are what help this gluten-free cake rise.

Milk: Milk not only adds flavor but also protein and moisture to the cake. It is also important for a soft crumb. This recipe also works well with dairy-free milk.

White Vinegar: It is used to make homemade buttermilk. It interacts with baking soda to help the cake rise. It helps the cake have a fluffy and moist texture.

Powdered Sugar: It sweetens the buttercream frosting and gives it structure and firmness.

How To Make Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

The recipe ingredients and the full instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom of the page. 

Strawberry Reduction
I recommend making this several hours (or the prior night) before baking the cake. The strawberry sauce needs to be completely cooled before using in the cake batter.

• Remove the stems of the strawberries and cut the strawberries in half. Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. I used my NinjaMaster Prep Pro System. (photo 1)
• Place the pureed strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Once bubbling, reduce the heat to low and let the strawberries slowly reduce stirring occasionally. Reduce for about 30 minutes. The strawberry sauce will be thick like tomato sauce. (photo 2)
• Allow the strawberry reduction to cool before placing it in an airtight container and refrigerating. Do not use hot or warm strawberry reduction to make the cake batter. The strawberry sauce needs to be completely cooled for making the cake.

Strawberry Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut parchment paper for the bottom of your two 9-inch cake pans and spray with gluten-free cooking spray.
• In a measuring cup, add the white vinegar (or lemon juice) to the milk and stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes in the refrigerator to stay cold. (homemade buttermilk)
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add the pure vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
• Add the eggs to the butter mixture and mix until fully combined. (photo 3)
• In a medium bowl, add the gluten-free flour, gluten-free baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine the ingredients.
• Add the gluten-free flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (photo 4)
• Add the milk to the cake batter and mix until fully combined.
• Add the completely cooled strawberry reduction to the cake batter. Mix until fully combined.
• (Add optional 2 drops of pink or red gel food coloring if you want the cupcake batter pinker) (photo 5 &6)

• Pour the cake batter evenly into the lined and greased cake pans. (photo 7)
• Bake the cake for 30-32 minutes. Check the center of the cake by inserting a toothpick to make sure it is done. You will also see the sides of the cake pulling away from the side of the pan. Please watch your cakes because all ovens are different. (photo 8)
• Cool the cakes completely before frosting. This cake is a little denser than a gluten-free vanilla cake. 
• Make the strawberry buttercream using the frosting instructions below.
• Place the first cake on a plate or a cake plate. Frost the top of the first cake. This will be the frosting in the center of your cake. I like a good amount of frosting in the center. Place the second cake on top of the frosted first cake. Frost the top and side of the cake with the remaining frosting. I decorated the top using a Wilton 1M tip.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

• Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor or blender and puree into a strawberry powder. (photo 9)
• In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer. (photo 10)
• Add the pure vanilla extract and salt to the creamed butter and mix until fully combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the powdered sugar.
• Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix until the frosting is firm.
• Add the strawberry powder and mix until fully combined. (photo 11)
• Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until fully combined. (photo 11)

Tips For Baking The Best Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

• I recommend that the strawberry reduction be made several hours (or the prior night) before baking. The strawberry sauce needs to be completely cooled before using in the cake batter.
• Freeze-dried strawberries can be found with the dried fruit in the grocery store. I purchased at both Walmart and Aldi. Do not use dried strawberries. You need freeze-dried strawberries.
• Use 2-3 drops of gluten-free pink or red gel food coloring if you want a brighter, pink-colored cake. I used 2 drops. I did not use any food coloring in the frosting.
• Line the bottoms of the cake pans with parchment paper. Trace the bottoms of the cake pans with a pencil and cut them out with scissors to have them fit perfectly!
• Use gluten-free cooking spray to grease the cake pans. I like coconut oil cooking spray.
• Allow the cakes to cool before frosting the cake.

Gluten-Free Flour

This gluten-free strawberry cake was made with Pillsbury gluten-free flour. It is a cup-for-cup all-purpose gluten-free rice flour blend and already has the xanthan gum and starches in it.

Most gluten-free all-purpose flour blends have starches and xanthan gum already in them. The xanthan gum helps replace the elasticity and texture of gluten.

So make sure to check the ingredients of your gluten-free flour so as not to add any extra xanthan gum to your flour if it already includes it. If you do, you will get a gummy cake!

My favorite gluten-free flour is Pillsbury gluten-free. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.

This gluten-free strawberry cake recipe with not work with almond, oat, or coconut flour.

Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour

It is super important to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (not a pyrex liquid measuring cup) to measure gluten-free flour. I measure the gluten-free flour with the “spoon & level” method.

I use a large spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Then I use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.

Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with your measuring cup. If you do, you could end up with more flour than is called for in the recipe.

Ingredient Substitutions for Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

I have test-baked this gluten-free strawberry cake with dairy-free ingredient substitutions.

For Dairy-Free:

For the milk, you can substitute it with unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened coconut milk.
For the butter, you can use dairy-free or vegan butter. I like Smart Balance buttery spread.

Easy Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake

If you love strawberries, you are going to enjoy this easy-to-make, from-scratch, gluten-free strawberry cake! This moist cake is bursting with the flavor of fresh strawberries.

More Gluten-Free Desserts To Try!

• Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake {Dairy-Free & Vegan Option}
• Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecakes
• Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake {Dairy-Free}

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