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A slice of strawberry jam cake on a white plate.

Strawberry Jam Cake

This strawberry jam cake is light, tender, and moist. Strawberry jam is blended into the cake batter, giving it a sweet and fruity flavor. Top it off with strawberry cream cheese frosting for an extra layer of sweetness, and you have a delicious dessert that's perfect for any occasion.
4.91 from 11 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Total Time: 52 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 263kcal
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Strawberry Jam Cake

  • 2-½ cups all purpose flour 300 grams
  • 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-½ cups sugar 300 grams
  • 6 tablespoons butter melted (85 grams)
  • ¼ cup oil (50 grams)
  • ½ cup strawberry jam 166 grams
  • 1 tablespoon strawberry extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pink gel food coloring optional
  • 1 cup buttermilk 237 grams

Strawberry Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 1 tablespoon water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1-½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup strawberry jam plus 2 tablespoons to swirl on top of the cake
  • 3 tablespoons powdered freeze dried strawberries*
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non stick spray or line it with parchment paper. 
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside for later.  
  • Add the eggs and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture gets light in color and nearly triples in volume. If you lift the beater and let the mixture fall back into the bowl, it should fall in a ribbon-like pattern. This step will help add volume and lightness to the cake. 
  • Stir in the melted butter, oil, strawberry jam, strawberry extract, vanilla extract, and pink food coloring (if using). 
  • Sift half of the flour mixture over the batter and stir it with a wide spatula. 
  • Stir in the buttermilk then sift the rest of the flour mixture over the batter and stir it until well combined. 
  • Spread the batter into the cake pan and bake for 34 to 38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Strawberry Jam Glaze

  • Combine 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam with 1 tablespoon of water.
  • Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then use a fork to poke holes in the top of the cake.
  • Spread the strawberry jam glaze over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely before covering it with cream cheese frosting.

For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Add the powdered sugar and butter to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. 
  • Add ¼ cup of strawberry jam, powdered freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until well combined. (Save the additional 2 tablespoons of jam to swirl into the top of the cake).
  • Add the cream cheese and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. 
  • When the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting over the top, then swirl dollops of strawberry jam into the frosting. 

Notes

  • Beat the eggs and sugar together until they almost triple in volume. If you skip this step the cake will not be as fluffy.
  • For the frosting: to make powdered freeze-dried strawberries, place ½ ounce of freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor and process with a blade until they turn into a fine powder. A half ounce of freeze-dried strawberries will make 3 tablespoons of powdered strawberries.
  • If you blend the strawberry powder with a tablespoon of sugar, the strawberry powder will not clump up.  
  • If you don’t have any freeze-dried strawberries available, you can replace the strawberry powder with 1 teaspoon of strawberry extract. The strawberry powder will give the frosting a more natural strawberry flavor, but the extract works nicely as long as you don’t use too much. 
  • Make sure you add the cream cheese last. Creaming the butter and sugar first will allow the sugar to get completely coated in the butterfat. That will prevent the sugar from drawing the water out of the cream cheese and making a loose, runny frosting. 
  • Use block cream cheese. Do not use spreadable cream cheese or low fat cream cheese, both of which can make the frosting too soft and runny,  
  • If you want the frosting to have a brighter pink color, you can add a couple drops of red food coloring. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 200mg | Sugar: 18g