Strawberry Spoon Cake Recipe (2024)

By Jerrelle Guy

Strawberry Spoon Cake Recipe (1)

Total Time
30 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
5(9,414)
Notes
Read community notes

This unfussy cake with a top layer of jammy strawberries is so gooey it’s best to serve the whole thing with a spoon. The batter comes together quickly with minimal effort, using basic pantry ingredients and a small handful of berries — frozen or fresh. If you’re using frozen, be sure to defrost them in the microwave first. Extract as much juice as possible from the fruit by macerating and mashing it, so that it lends the cake additional moisture while baking. Add a dash of freshly ground cardamom or ground ginger on top before baking it off, if you like, or some ribbons of fresh basil once it’s hot out of the oven. Whatever embellishments you decide on, burrowing warm spoonfuls of this cake beside scoops of vanilla ice cream is the most important thing.

Featured in: Sweet, Tender and Studded With Strawberries

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing
  • 5ounces/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup)
  • cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar
  • ½cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

529 calories; 26 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 367 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Strawberry Spoon Cake Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside.

  2. Using your hands or the back of a fork, mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in ⅓ cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.

  3. Step

    3

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar, milk and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.

  4. Step

    4

    Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before spooning into bowls. Serve warm with ice cream.

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9,414

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Sara James

I ate this whole thing by myself. All of it.

Mary Alford

This is a riff on an old fashioned recipe called “Essies Cobbler”. I recommend melting the butter in the pan while the oven is preheating (leaving a bit in the pan and putting the batter in the hot pan create a lovely chewy crust) and also increasing the amount of fruit which can be any juicy fruit - peaches, blueberries, etc.

annsch

This was a delicious easy dessert. I chopped 1 up of fresh rhubarb and simmered it with the 1/3 c. Brown sugar, when it was softened I added the strawberries.We are huge strawberry rhubarb fans, this might be better than our family pie recipe!

Faded elegance

I browned the butter. Misread the recipe and heated oven only to 325. After 20 minutes discovered the error. Increased temp to 350 and baked for 15 mins more. Absolutely fabulous! The strawberries were caramelized, and the cake had a beautiful color and texture. I will never use Julia’s clafoutis recipe again, and I intend to make my temp/timing mistake each time I bake this. Plus browning the butter added so much umami. Almost as good the next morning at room temp with coffee. A real keeper.

Caroline

I have some nectarines that need to be used. Do you think it would work in place of the strawberries?

Klom

This is the first time I felt the need to add a comment after several years of happily trying NYT recipes. Expected this to be a little heavy and wet but it is the airiest cake - and also moist! Needless to say this came out great. Followed the recipe with some extras - grated fresh young ginger roots to the strawberry-sugar mix, zested lemons and added 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste into the wet ingredients before adding the dry ingredients. Am in Bangkok. Will use ripe mangoes next time.

Mark

I’ve made versions of this recipe before; it’s basically a clafouti, a French cake. The first version I made years ago was from a Jane Brody cookbook. Any fruit is good in it. I’ve used blueberries, tart cherries, peaches and strawberries, solo or mixed together.

Sean

The big distinction being that clafoutis is very egg rich and this cake interestingly enough has no eggs.

Summer

My family inhaled this in one sitting! We used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour and fresh-picked strawberries. Served it warm with strawberry ice cream (made from scratch also with our garden berries). What a summer treat!

Faith

My grandmother taught me this recipe over 50 years ago. She called it Lazy Woman’s Cobbler. I still use that recipe and alternate the spices related to the fruit and season. So easy to make and take to family and friends. I tried this recipe as written worked perfectly.

Liana

I just made a version of this (with rhubarb) where the last step before oven involves sprinkling top with another 1/2 cup of white sugar and then pouring a 3/4 cup of heavy cream over the top of everything (use a deeper pan). Cream intermingles with the cake, fruit, and sugar to make a golden-brown custard-y topping. We still had the ice cream.

Lu

I made this with fresh cherries (I used 22, cut in half after removing the pits) and added a drop of almond extract to the cherry/sugar mix. Delicious !!!

Mary

lulzI love my baked goods with poisons.

Kathleen Russell

DON’T MAKE THIS CAKE! It is highly addicting.

Sharon Lansing

NYT Notes:- This is a riff on an old fashioned recipe called “Essies Cobbler”. I recommend melting the butter in the pan while the oven is preheating (leaving a bit in the pan and putting the batter in the hot pan create a lovely chewy crust) and also increasing the amount of fruit which can be any juicy fruit - peaches, blueberries, etc.- Chop 1 up of fresh rhubarb and simmered it with the 1/3 c. Brown sugar, when it was softened I added the strawberries.

SJ- Waccabuc

Could you do this in ramekins for individual desserts and top with ice cream? What would the cook time reduce too?

Deel

A real winner! Loved by all. I've made it a few times, recipe as written. Don't skip the ice cream ... the contrast is perfection.

betsy

can this be made and then frozen?

Adrienne

I made this with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour and cut back the amount of brown sugar in the berries and batter by almost half, and it turned out great.

Robin

Followed this to the letter, and it came out like a cookie or tart... not cake at all. I wonder if baking powder is old? Cannot imagine any other reason.

dylan

Added blueberries also, more than called for - cooked twice as long (35-40mins)

JeanO

It definitely takes longer to cook—a total of 30 minutes in my electric oven, in a square Pyrex baker.

Liesel

Simply. The. Best. Enough said.

margie

Amazingly simple and delicious!

Dee

Easy and very tasty but also extremely sweet - especially when adding ice cream. I think 1/3 C sugar total would be more than enough.

ES

Have been dreaming about this recipe for 3 years but never made it until today. Used frozen blueberries, cut the sugar to 1/3 of a cup, and added 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger just because I wanted to. The biscuit texture is light, fluffy, gooey where the fruit juice pools…absolutely swoon-worthy. And the whole thing took 30 minutes, start to finish. I’m going to make this cake with every fruit under the sun.

termeh

Would this work in a cupcake tin? I loved this recipe and it’s simplicity. Hoping to recreate it in personal serving sizes.

katie

Notes from a new baker! Would love to have seen in instructions:- whisk dry ingredients first. I imagine a more experienced person would have known to do that without explicitly being told, but noobs read instructions very literally. Biting into a pocket of BP was not fun. - mash strawberries partially but not so they’re too small and runny. I didn’t look at the picture while I was baking, so only relying on the written instructions, I did too much mashing, which made the topping watery.

j

possibly my favorite cake recipe of all time

Jane Eyrehead

I add a little vanilla or almond flavor and it is so easy and good. Everyone likes it.

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Strawberry Spoon Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep strawberries from making cake soggy? ›

How do you keep strawberry filling from making the cake soggy? A thin layer of frosting between the cake and the strawberry filling will help block moisture from seeping into the cake below. The frosting acts as a barrier. If the cake you're making will be eaten quickly, this step may not be necessary.

How long will fresh strawberries last in a cake? ›

Fresh strawberries will last about 3-5 days in a baked cake, assuming they were fresh when you chopped them and added them to the cake batter. If you have sad strawberries that need to be used up before they go bad, make sure they are blotted dry before you chop them, and any soggy spots have been removed.

How do you stop strawberries from bleeding on cakes? ›

Sugar and Stabilisation: Toss the sliced or halved strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar to draw out excess moisture. Allowing the strawberries to sit for a few minutes helps release some of their juices. Alternatively, macerate the strawberries by combining them with sugar and letting them sit for an hour or two.

How to put strawberries on a cake? ›

Place sliced strawberries around the bottom side edges of the cake. Rinse the strawberries first, then cut the green parts off. Cut them into halves or into 14 in (0.64 cm) thick slices. Press the strawberries into the sides of a frosted cake, with the flat edges facing down and the pointy ends facing up.

How do you keep strawberries moist? ›

To do this, line a plate, baking sheet or shallow glass bowl with a couple paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place your unwashed strawberries on top in a single layer, then cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, ideally within seven days.

Can you put fresh fruit on a cake the day before? ›

Arrange pineapple, strawberries and kiwi however you wish atop the cake and around the bottom. If it is being prepared ahead of time, leave the tops on the strawberries to preserve their freshness. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Does a cake with fresh strawberries need to be refrigerated? ›

Should the fresh strawberry cake be refrigerated? Yes! Definitely refrigerate the fresh strawberry cake after it's iced to help keep the whipped cream icing's integrity. The heat will melt and break the whipped cream if it's kept out for too long, and plus, since it is cream, it is best to keep it refrigerated.

Should a cake with strawberries be refrigerated? ›

So to store, cover the cake and keep it in the refrigerator. It will keep fresh for up to 7 days!

Does sugar make strawberries last longer? ›

Halved Strawberries + Sugar, lasts 8-12 months

This method is perfect for strawberries that you plan to use in a dessert or for a sweet treat on their own. You can use as little or as much sugar as you want. Make sure to taste one of the strawberries before freezing so that you know it's the right sweetness.

Why did my strawberry cake turn brown? ›

This is probably due to the fact that when you bake fresh strawberries, the flesh tends to turn brown. Even when you're using a strawberry reduction. The lemon juice helps a little with the browning problem but doesn't get rid of it completely.

Should I put strawberries in my cake? ›

Resist the temptation to load it up with more than 1 cup chopped strawberries inside the cake - strawberries are really juicy which leeches into the batter, exponentially increasing bake time + can make the crumb too wet. Lovely served at room temperature with cream, or warm with ice cream (I love it both ways!).

Can dogs eat strawberries? ›

Yes, dogs can eat strawberries. Strawberries are full of fiber and vitamin C. Along with that, they also contain an enzyme that can help whiten your dog's teeth as he or she eats them. Like all fruits, strawberries contain natural sugar, so offer them in moderation.

Can I fill a cake with whipped cream? ›

Use this light and airy whipped cream as a frosting or filling to make your cake ever so decadent.

Can I put whipped cream inside a cake? ›

If you add whipped cream to your cake batter, it will deflate. Use cream instead and refrigerate. Remove your cake from the refrigerator about an hour or two before before serving. If you want to use whipped cream as a topping, I suggest you place the cake in the refrigerator without the whipped cream topping.

How do you keep fruit from going to the bottom of a cake? ›

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

Can you put cut strawberries in a cake? ›

Fresh Strawberry Cake is a must have when berries are in season! This strawberry cake is perfectly balanced with a semi-dense, but moist and buttery yellow cake that's lightened up by fluffy whipped cream icing. It's filled with homemade strawberry filling and sliced strawberries for a sweet and fresh contrast.

How to store cake with fresh fruit? ›

If you made a cake that won't be served for a few days, cover and refrigerate your cake. Lastly, if your cake includes a fresh fruit filling or topping, or has a frosting made with whipped cream or mascarpone, cover and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve, and refrigerate any leftovers as well.

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