Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! This might be the perfect year to roll up your sleeves and bake something special for your sweetie!
You’ll notice the cake isn’t bright pink or red but is pale and delicate in colour. That’s because I try and avoid using food colouring in my baking. You can definitely make this mini strawberry sheet cake as pink as you’d like though! I let the natural colouring of the strawberries colour my icing but I did add a few extra drops to the cake batter (to make sure the strawberry colour would hold once the batter was baked through). And I have to say I’m very happy with the colour, it looks natural and not bright and fake. TIP: You want to make sure the colour in the batter is strong (bold) enough to hold its colour as it bakes.
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Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Salt
- Red food colouring (optional)
Strawberry Puree
What’s fun about this cake is the strawberry puree! It gives the cake its sweetness and moisture. But there are a few key steps in getting that puree just right for your cake!
It’s best to make strawberry puree from extra ripe strawberries as this is where tons of sweet flavours start to develop. If it isn’t the strawberry season when you have fresh ripe berries, you may want to use frozen strawberries for your puree. This way you can ensure a strong strawberry flavour in your cake and icing. If using frozen strawberries give them a rinse to remove any extra ice bits that will water down your puree.
Tips for making the perfect cake
- Number one… make sure your butter is at room temperature and that you’ve taken it out of the fridge well in advance.
- In fact, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature; milk, eggs, etc. You want all of your ingredients at the same temperature when mixing together.
- Read the entire recipe beforehand so you can anticipate what’s entailed. Have all the ingredients out and ready.
- Don’t overmix your batter! Make sure you’re mixing the cake batter just until combined. Overmixing batter overdevelops the glutens in flour and deflates the air, creating a tough texture.
- Always make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go. Never stick an unbaked cake in a cold oven or an oven that is not to temperature!
- Don’t make adjustments to the recipe until you’ve at least made it once. Believe it or not but all ingredients and amounts are accounted for to make the recipe work. If you really feel the need to change things up like the fruit or try something new you can, but after you’ve made the recipe at least once. This way you know the recipe is a success before changing it.
How To Make a Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
Step One: In a blender make your strawberry puree. Make your cake batter by creaming butter and sugar together, add eggs, strawberry puree and vanilla. Mix your dry ingredients together and add to your butter mixture alternating with the milk. Pour batter into an 8″x8″ pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step Two: While the cake cools make your straweberry icing using the last of the puree. Once the cake is cooled completely ice the top and decorate.
Happy Love Day!
PrintMini Strawberry Sheet Cake
This mini strawberry sheet cake is fluffy, light, and tastes as sweet as a strawberry! It’s fun and easy to make, plus it’s the perfect small batch treat to share.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 8 x 8 cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- Approx. 12 – 14 strawberries
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Cake
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup strawberry puree
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 5 – 8 drops red food colouring (optional)
Icing
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup strawberry puree
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 – 5 fresh strawberries, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- In a blender or a food processor blend strawberries (with green tops removed) and sugar together until pureed. You want 1/2 cup (118 ml) of puree for the recipe. Add more strawberries if needed.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper and grease any exposed sides.
- In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg white and continue to beat until incorporated and pale in colour.
- Add vanilla extract and 1/4 cup strawberry puree, beat until smooth and well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix together.
- Turn the mixer on low. Alternate the flour mixture and the milk into your butter mixture in 2 additions (just until incorporated). Make sure to scrape down the bowl. If adding food colouring add red food colouring and mix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cake cool on cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make your icing. In a large bowl add butter, icing sugar, 1/4 cup strawberry puree, 1 tablespoon whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on high until light and fluffy. Add another tablespoon of whipping cream if the icing is a little thick.
- Thinly slice fresh strawberries the length of the entire strawberry. Set aside.
- Once the cake has cooled, ice the top. Then place sliced strawberries in rows of 4.
- Serve cake with a side of sliced strawberries.
Notes
The cake will last 3 days. Since the cake uses fresh strawberries be mindful they will mold sitting out. Store in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 264
- Sugar: 28.6g
- Sodium: 126mg
- Fat: 12.4g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 37.5g
- Fiber: 0.7g
- Protein: 2.2g
- Cholesterol: 44mg
Keywords: Sheet Cake, Strawberry Cake, Mini Cake, Dessert, Summer
FAQ’s
A sheet cake is a single layered cake that is baked in a rectangular pan around 2-3 inches in depth. It’s called a sheet cake because it’s a single continuous piece of cake.
Sheet cakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They also freeze well and last 2 months when stored in an airtight container. If you don’t have a container large enough place the cake in the freezer first to firm up. Once firm wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil.
The number one reason for a flat and dense cake is overmixing the batter. You also want to make sure your butter is at room temperature and that you’ve taken it out of the fridge well in advance. When the butter is too cold or too soft it will have a big impact on the end result.
In fact, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature; milk, eggs, etc. You want all of your ingredients at the same temperature when mixing together.
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I made this delicious cake this year for a little ‘pandemic Valentine’s Day’ celebration with my Boo. The cake came together so quickly and I loved the final result. The natural pink colour is beautiful and I loved the fresh strawberries on top. Safe to say I surprised my boo and he wanted to eat it all in one serving! Definitely worth making again – I highly recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
Alexandra this made me smile 🙂 Thank you for sharing, so happy you and your boo liked the cake!! xo happy baking