Fresh Strawberry Cake With Applesauce

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• This cake is deliciously light, soft and moist.
• It’s not too sweet and is full of flavour.
• It’s better than any cake you can buy.
• It’s inexpensive to make using in season strawberries.
• This is a low-fat cake with about 9 grams of fat per slice.

This is the best strawberry cake ever (well at least I think so) it’s so light, moist, sponge like and full of flavour.

The ingredients for this cake are inexpensive and you should have most of it in your pantry. It’s a cake with fresh strawberries in the middle and strawberries on top.

By substituting applesauce for some of the oil in the cake mix, it’s also a low-fat strawberry cake.

You can use homemade or canned applesauce for this cake but do make sure it’s unsweetened. If you use applesauce that has been sweetened with sugar, be aware that the sweetness of the cake will also be increased.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does applesauce replace in cake?

Applesauce can be used to replace oil in a cake. It’s a good substitute for oil because it reduces the fat and calories in a cake.

The oil can be replaced with the same amount of applesauce, or you can replace half the oil with applesauce (which is what I like to do).

Use an unsweetened applesauce. If the apple sauce is very sweet reduce the amount of sugar in the cake to avoid an overly sweet cake.

How long can you keep strawberry cake?

This cake can be kept out overnight on the bench for one day, after that it’s best stored in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

How to store strawberry cake?

Allow the cake to cool completely before placing onto a serving plate, cover with plastic food wrap.

If you live in a mild cool climate: This cake can be kept out overnight, but should then be stored in the fridge.

If you live in a hot humid climate: This cake can be left out for a day, but don’t leave it out overnight. This cake is very moist, and the humidity can make the cake go off quite quickly.

Can you freeze fresh strawberry cake?

This fresh strawberry cake and be frozen. To freeze, allow the cake to cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic food wrap, date and label before putting into the freezer.

How long will strawberry cake last in the freezer?

This cake and be keep in the freezer for up to three months.

Step By Step Instructions

1. Prepare the cake tin

Cut a piece of baking paper larger than the base of the cake tin. Remove the base from the tin and turn it upside down (so that flat side is facing up). Dab the base with a little butter, and cover with the baking paper.

Return the ring back to the base, while slightly lifting the base to match the grooves at the bottom of the ring. Secure in place by closing the clasp. There is no need to trim the excess paper. Then lightly grease the inside of the ring with butter.

Baking Tip: Turn the base of the springform tin upside down before lining with baking paper. This will give you a flat surface, making it easier to remove the baked cake from the base.

2. Prepare the strawberries

Hull, wash and dry the strawberries

1. To hull the strawberries, use a small sharp knife and cut just under the green leafy bit at the top of the strawberry. Try not to cut away too much of the strawberry.
2. Wash and gently rub the strawberries under clean running water.
3. Pat dry the strawberries with absorbent paper or a clean tea towel.

Sort the strawberries

After washing and drying the strawberries sort the strawberries into two even piles. Ensure that one pile has strawberries that are roughly the same size, these will be used for the top of the strawberry cake.

Cut the strawberries for the top of the cake into half, length wise. With the remaining strawberries, dice or thinly slice, these will be used for the filling.

Tip: Try and get small to medium size strawberries if you can. It’s easier to create an attractive pattern on top of the cake with small to medium size strawberries than with extra-large ones.

3. Making the batter

Sift the flour

Place the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt into a sieve and sift into a large bowl.

Beat the eggs and sugar

To give this strawberry cake a light sponge like texture, the eggs and sugar need to be aerated, until thick and creamy.

This is done by using an electric mixer (stand or hand-held) to beat the sugar and eggs together on medium to high speed for about 4 – 5 minutes.

Mixing the batter

To the aerated egg mixture carefully pour in the milk, oil, applesauce and vanilla, then gently mix together. You can either use a wooden spoon, spatula or use the electric mixer set to the lowest speed.

Then lightly mix in the flour, a little at a time until just combines. Don’t over mix the batter.

4. Filling The Cake Tin

First layer

Pour about half of the batter into the prepared tin, if necessary, use a spoon to spread the batter in the tin. Then evenly scatter the diced or sliced strawberries over the surface of the batter.

Second layer

Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter into the tin, to completely cover the strawberry layer. Push down any strawberries that may have surfaced.

Arrange the strawberry halves attractively over the top of the cake. Just sit them on top of the batter, don’t push them in. If you do push them down, they will disappear into the batter during baking.

5. Baking tips

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven and check the color of the cake after about 15 – 20 minutes, the top should be starting to brown. If the top of the cake has browned to a color that you like, loosely cover the top with a piece of aluminum foil. The foil will protect the top of the cake and prevent it from going darker.

Continue to bake until the cake is cooked or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to stand in the tin for about 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the cake, before undoing the clasp of the tin and remove the side.

Gently pull on the excess baking paper and slide the cake, with the baking paper, from the base and onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

6. The finishing touch

Lightly dust the strawberry cake with icing sugar. Place 2-3 teaspoons of icing sugar into a sieve, hold it high above the cake, and very gently tap the sieve and allow the icing sugar to lightly cover the cake.

More Sweet Recipes

• Easy Raspberry Cake Recipe
• Fluffy Apricot Cake
• Easy Orange Juice Cake
• Browse all our sweet food ideas

Or try these easy strawberry cake recipes

• Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake with Mascarpone Cream
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake Recipe