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French Strawberry Cake

French Strawberry Cake

This elegant French strawberry cake transforms simple pantry staples into a beautiful dessert that looks like it belongs in a French patisserie. The recipe features fresh strawberries baked directly into a light, moist cake batter, creating pockets of jammy goodness while maintaining a delicate crumb. Perfect for entertaining or weeknight treats, this cake requires minimal effort with stunning results.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup organic unbleached cane sugar or maple sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cane sugar for sprinkling
  • 1 large egg at room temperature or 1 flax egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour (or spelt/einkorn flour or GF blend)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • ¾ pound fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half

Equipment

  • electric mixer
  • 9-inch round pan or springform pan
  • mixing bowls
  • wire rack

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round pan, pie plate, springform pan, or 8x8 square pan
  2. In electric mixer, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes on medium-high)
  3. Add egg and vanilla extract, beat on medium speed until well combined
  4. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl
  5. Gradually add half of dry ingredients to wet mixture on low speed until just combined
  6. Add milk and mix until incorporated, then stir in remaining dry ingredients
  7. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top
  8. Arrange strawberry halves cut-side down on batter, starting from outer edge working inward
  9. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar evenly over strawberries
  10. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325°F and bake 50-60 minutes more until golden and firm
  11. Cool completely in pan on wire rack before serving

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Don't push strawberries into batter - they should rest on top. Cake can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or frozen wrapped in foil. Can be made vegan with plant-based butter and flax egg.