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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Oct 20, 2019 · Modified: Dec 4, 2022 by Harriet

    Fresh Strawberry Cake With Applesauce

    Jump to recipe card

    This is a lovely low fat strawberry cake. The cake is combined with fresh strawberries, vanilla bean paste and applesauce to create a cake that is moist and full of flavour.

    Closeup of a slice of strawberry low fat cake with applesauce.
    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe:
    • 📝 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🍳 Step By Step Instructions
    • 🍮 More Sweet Recipes
    • 📋 Recipe Card
    • 💬 Comments

    🌟 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.
    Strawberry low fat cake with applesauce without a dusting of icing sugar.

    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.

    Image showing how thick to beat eggs and sugar.

    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.

    Strawberry low fat cake. Pan filled with half the batter and half the strawberries.
    Add diced or thinly sliced strawberries to the first layer of 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.

    Strawberry low fat cake. Cover the strawberries with the remaining batter.

    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.

    Strawberry low fat cake. Arrange the strawberry half decoratively over the top.
    Decoratively arrange the remaining strawberry halves over the top of the second batter layer.

    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.

    Strawberry low fat cake fresh from the oven.

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

    Side view of strawberry low fat cake with applesauce

    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

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    Or try these easy strawberry cake recipes

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    • Strawberry Lemonade Cake Recipe
    Strawberry low fact cake with applesauce

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    📋 Recipe Card

    Fresh Strawberry Cake with Applesauce

    This strawberry low-fat cake with apple sauce is filled with two punnets to strawberries. It’s light, soft and moist and very easy to make.
    Print Recipe
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    Prep Time : 20 mins
    Cook Time : 50 mins
    Total Time : 1 hr 10 mins
    Course : Desserts
    Servings : 12 slices
    Calories : 203 : kcal
    Author : Harriet

    EQUIPMENT

    • Large mixing bowl
    • Metric scales
    • Metric measuring spoons
    • Large sieve
    • Electric mix – stand or handheld
    • Spatula
    • 22 cm (9 inch) round springform cake tin
    • Baking paper
    • Aluminium foil
    • Cake rack

    INGREDIENTS

    Filling and Topping

    • 400 grams (14.10 ounces) strawberries

    Dry

    • 240 grams (8.46 ounces) plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Wet

    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 150 grams (5.29 ounces) sugar
    • 180 grams (6.34 ounces) milk
    • 60 grams (2.11 ounces) oil
    • 60 grams (2.11 ounces) apple sauce
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

    Decoration

    • 2- 3 teaspoons icing sugar powdered sugar
    Tap button to prevent your screen from going dark while cooking.

    INSTRUCTIONS

    Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease the sides and line the base of a 22 cm (9 inch) round springform cake tin with parchment paper.

    • Hull, wash and pat dry the strawberries with absorbent paper or a clean tea towel.
    • Divide the strawberries into two piles. Make one pile with strawberries that are roughly the same size, cut these in half length wise and use for the topping. Roughly chop the remining half of the strawberries and use for the filling. Put aside.
    • Into a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together. Put aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until thick and cream – about 5 minutes.
      Strawberry low fact cake with applesauce.
    • Add the milk, oil, applesauce and vanilla and mix together on low speed until well combined.
    • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour about ⅓ at a time, until it just combines. Don’t over mix. Use the spatula to scrape down and mix in any flour that may be left on sides of the bowl.
    • Pour half the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing it out with the back of a spoon if necessary. Evenly spread the top of the batter with the diced strawberries.
      Cover batter with half the strawberries
    • Next, drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter evenly over the top, to completely cover the strawberry filling. Pushing down any strawberries that may come to the surface.
    • Decoratively arrange the remaining strawberry halves over the top. Just lay them on top of the batter, don't push them in, they will sink slightly during baking.
    • Bake for about 45– 55 minutes, or until it is cooked or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
      Note: Check the cake about 15 – 20 minutes into cooking time. If the top of the cake has browned to a colour that you like, loosely cover the top with a piece of aluminium foil. This will stop the cake from further browning as it continues to cook.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to stand in the tin for 10 - 15 minutes.
    • Before removing the sides, carefully run a knife around the outside of the cake.
    • Place the cake on a rack, and allow the cake to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar.
      To dust 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.
    • This cake can be left out overnight (provided it is not hot and humid), after that I recommend it kept in the fridge.
    Nutrition Facts
    Fresh Strawberry Cake with Applesauce
    Serving Size
     
    1 slice
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    203
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    6
    g
    9
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    29
    mg
    10
    %
    Sodium
     
    277
    mg
    12
    %
    Potassium
     
    106
    mg
    3
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    33
    g
    11
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    16
    g
    18
    %
    Protein
     
    4
    g
    8
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    64
    IU
    1
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    20
    mg
    24
    %
    Calcium
     
    69
    mg
    7
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Nutrition Disclosure

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chia says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:07 am

      Hi can I replace sugar with honey for this recipe? I'm thinking of baking it for my 1 year old who loves strawberries. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Harriet says

        September 20, 2022 at 2:01 pm

        Yes you can!

    2. MikeyJamJams says

      June 29, 2020 at 7:01 am

      5 stars
      I just tried baking this today after a successful haul from the strawberry patch. it Tasted great, but all the fruit sunk to the bottom of the cake which was unfortunate, as it didn't quite look anything like the picture . It still tatsed really good, but if you have any tips for getting your fruit to stay in place, that would be great!

      Reply
      • Harriet Britto says

        July 10, 2020 at 2:03 pm

        You could try rolling the fruit in some flour before adding them to the batter, this should stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Or, make the cake batter slightly thicker by reducing the liquid by about ¼ cup.

    3. Catherine says

      October 23, 2019 at 12:22 am

      5 stars
      Your cake is absolutely beautiful! I love that opening shot of the slice...it looks heavenly! Such a wonderful recipe to try with strawberries...saving for later!

      Reply
      • Harriet Britto says

        October 25, 2019 at 7:33 am

        Thank you.

    4. pavani says

      October 22, 2019 at 3:21 am

      5 stars
      That is a delicious strawberry cake. love the use of fresh strawberries - both in the filling and the topping.

      Reply
      • Harriet Britto says

        October 25, 2019 at 7:32 am

        Thank you.

    5. GUNJAN C Dudani says

      October 21, 2019 at 10:08 pm

      5 stars
      This strawberry cake surly look easy. My daughter loves strawberries. I will definitely bake this one, when I get strawberries from the stores today.

      Reply
      • Harriet Britto says

        October 25, 2019 at 7:32 am

        Thank you.

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    Hi, I'm Harriet! The face and photographer behind Recipe Pocket. I am a mother of two who is a cook by day and blogger by night.

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