Strawberry Sour Cream Cake

Today we're sharing a new delicious scratch Strawberry Sour Cream Cake Recipe!

This flavorful strawberry sour cream cake with white chocolate frosting is SO good. It is super moist and the combination of cake and frosting flavors is perfect!

Even if you aren't a fan of white chocolate, these strawberry cake layers can be paired with all sorts of fillings and frostings from strawberry buttercream to cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, lemon cream cheese frosting, and more!

How to Make Strawberry Sour Cream Cake 

You will find the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!

This strawberry sour cream cake is made with the traditional creaming method of mixing (as opposed to the reverse creaming method), giving it a nice fluffy texture.

Advantage of Sour Cream: The boost of acidity from the sour cream in the recipe softens the gluten, making for a more tender cake. Sour cream also adds a richness to the cake batter. We love cakes with sour cream!

Combine Flour, Salt, and Leavening: In a medium sized bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk to blend for 30 seconds.  Set aside.

Combining Wet Ingredients: In another bowl combine the sour cream, strawberry puree, vanilla, strawberry extract, & oil- blend and set aside.In the bowl of your mixer blend the butter until smooth, Gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes until fluffy and lightened in color.

Add the room temperature eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.

Alternating Dry and Wet: Add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 additions of dry ingredients, 2  additions of wet ingredients. Mix until combined and smooth, do not mix above medium speed or over mix.

Time to Bake! Divide the strawberry cake batter between the three 8 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.  Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out.

Should I freeze My Cake Layers?

Freezing cake layers is an optional step but one that I try to make time for. After removing your cake layers from the oven, allow the cakes to cool (still in their pans) on a cooling rack for about five minutes before flipping them out. 

Wrapping the Cake Layers

While still warm, I place each cake layer on a foil-wrapped cake board (so that the boards can be reused). Then, I wrap the cake layer in plastic wrap & foil, and into the freezer they go.

The layers actually become more moist in the freezer thanks to the trapped moisture from the warm cake being placed in the freezer.

I freeze my cake layers even if only for a few hours (but they can be frozen for up to three months and will still taste as fresh as the day they were baked)!

Thawing the Cake Layers

When it's time to assemble the cake, just thaw on the countertop, still wrapped. After condensation forms on the foil and the thawing is well underway, you can go ahead and remove the layers from the foil and continue thawing.

Many decorators prefer to assemble the cake while the layers are still partially frozen as they are easier to handle but that is up to you!

 Fillings and Frostings for Strawberry Cakes

There are so many amazing pairing options for strawberry cakes. Today, we are using white chocolate frosting and a flavorful cooked strawberry filling for a fantastic White Chocolate Strawberry Cake, but the options are endless. Here are a few other favorites!

• Strawberry Buttercream
• Whipped Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling (coupled with sliced strawberries)

Assembling the Cake

Place the first cake layer on your pedestal or cake base. Spread with a layer of white chocolate frosting, and then spread on the cooked strawberry filling. This strawberry filling adds great strawberry flavor to every bite.  

• You can pipe a dam of your frosting before adding the strawberry filling if you'd like to make sure that the filling stays fully enclosed.

• My filling was thick and so I didn't pipe a dam. When not piping a dam, keep the strawberry filling about ½ inch from the edge all the way around to be on the safe side.

• Add the next cake layer and repeat.

• Finally, add the third layer, fill in any gaps between layers with your frosting (I do this with a piping bag with the tip snipped away), and then frost the cake as usual. 

• I like to frost my tier on a turntable when possible, so that I can easily spin it as I smooth the frosted sides with a bench scraper.

• Then, I like to chill the tier in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) until the frosting is firm. Then, if you'd like a smooth finish, go over it once more with a hot bench scraper and spatula.

• As a final touch, I added a few rows of shell border around the top of the cake using a star piping tip 21, and then I filled inside of it with lots of chocolate curls! (Technically these are white chocolate candy coating curls, but you could use white chocolate also).

How to Make Chocolate Curls

If you're feeling fancy, mounding chocolate curls on top of cakes makes for a beautiful presentation.

I have a mini loaf pan that I like to use for creating curls (it is about 3x6 inches). First, I melted a few blocks of chocolate candy coating/bark coating (I used CandiQuik) in the microwave in small increments.

When the candy coating is almost completely melted, just let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir to help any remaining pieces disappear.

Then, I poured my melted candy coating into a *foil lined* mini loaf pan and placed in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm. You can refrigerate also or even let it firm up at room temperature but it will take longer. 

Do you have to use Strawberry Extract in this recipe?

We use strawberry extract to add a little boost of strawberry flavor in most of our strawberry cake recipes. Although this recipe does contain ½ cup of strawberry puree, the strawberry flavor of the cake layers alone is fairly mild.

We find that often the fruit flavor is baked out of our fruity cake recipes and extracts are a great fix for this. This is also the case with our lemon and cherry cake recipes.

However, if you do not wish to use strawberry extract, the strawberry filling in this recipe is wonderful and lends a really nice strawberry flavor.

More Strawberry Cakes

If you love strawberry cakes, don't miss these other favorites from our Recipes Section! 

• Homemade Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Cake from Scratch
• Strawberry Cake- Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Lemon Cake
• Strawberry Champagne Cake (Doctored Cake Mix)
• Champagne and Strawberries Cake
• Strawberry Pound Cake
• Berry Chantilly Cake

Enjoy the Recipe!

We hope that you love this White Chocolate Strawberry Cake as much as we have, and definitely keep this strawberry sour cream cake in mind for all sorts of fun filling and frosting combinations.

Don't miss our full collection of cake recipes and free cake decorating tutorials! We have so many cakes to share with you.

Strawberry Sour Cream Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

BY Melissa and Bebe

Delicious Strawberry Sour Cream Cake with White Chocolate Frosting! This moist scratch strawberry layer cake is sure to please a crowd!

Course: Cakes and Cupcakes

Servings: 15

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Ingredients

For the Strawberry Sour Cream Cake

• ▢ 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (170g)
• ▢ 2 cups white sugar (400g)
• ▢ 3 large eggs, room temperature (Place eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes if in a hurry.)
• ▢ 3 cups cake flour (342g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda (3g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream (full fat) (227g)
• ▢ ½ cup strawberry puree (Puree fresh or frozen strawberries) (129g) Liquefy in a blender. We did not heat on stovetop.
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil (54g) (We use canola oil)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons strawberry extract (8g) (If no extract, you can substitute 2 Tablespoons powdered strawberry jello)
• ▢ *Pink Coloring Gel- Optional for desired color. We used a small amount.

For the Strawberry Filling

• ▢ 2 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen — chop in rather small pieces)
• ▢ ¼ cup white sugar (50g)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) (18g)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon water (9g)

White Chocolate Frosting

• ▢ 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (339g) (do not soften in the microwave)
• ▢ 8 ounces white baking chocolate (227g) (I used 2 Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bars)
• ▢ 5 cups powdered sugar (575g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons milk or cream (42g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (3g)

Garnish

• ▢ Whole fresh strawberry or strawberries for top
• ▢ White chocolate candy coating for curls You could also use a white chocolate bar
• ▢ *I also piped three rows of shell border around the top with a piping tip 21.

Instructions

For the Strawberry Sour Cream Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8 inch x 2 inch round cake pans.  You can use two 9 inch pans, just lengthen the baking time a bit.
• In a medium sized bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk to blend for 30 seconds.  Set aside.
• In another bowl combine the sour cream, strawberry puree, strawberry extract and oil, blend and set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer blend the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes until fluffy and lightened in color.
• Add the eggs 1 at a time mixing after each until the yolk is blended
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 additions of dry ingredients, 2  additions of wet ingredients.) If adding a little pink coloring gel, you can do so at this time.
• Mix just until combined.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.  Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out.

For the Strawberry Filling

• Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. On medium/high heat allow mixture to come to a boil.
• Stir as the sugar begins to melt and the strawberries soften.  When the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. 
• You can press some of the strawberries against the side of the pan as they soften.  Pour into a heat proof bowl to cool.  It can be refrigerated in an air-tight bowl until ready to use.  Use within 5 days.   This makes enough filling for a 3 layer cake.  

For the White Chocolate Buttercream

• Cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces, put into a microwave safe bowl and add 4 Tablespoons milk or cream.
• Microwave for 15 seconds let sit for a minute or two, stir and microwave again 15 seconds letting it sit a minute to soften further, stir. Be careful not to over heat the chocolate. The chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred. Let the chocolate cool down before using.
• Beat the butter until softened and smooth, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add the white chocolate and milk mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Add another Tablespoon milk if needed. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes and it will become smooth and creamy.
• Makes 5 cups frosting. Makes enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer eight inch cake. If you will be doing a lot of decorative piping, you will need additional frosting.

Assembling the Cake

• Place the first cake layer on your pedestal of cake base.
• Spread with white chocolate buttercream within about ¼ inch to ½ inch from the edge of the cake. Then spread with about half of the strawberry puree filling on top of that (if you are frosting a three layer cake).
• Add next cake layer and repeat.
• Fill in any gaps between the layers frosting, then frost the cake with white chocolate frosting. Garnish with white chocolate curls & strawberries.

Notes

Substitution for cake flour:  Using all purpose flour (plain in the UK) for each cup of flour in a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons of flour replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK).  This recipe has 3 cups of flour so you will measure out 3 cups of all purpose flour, remove 6 Tablespoons and replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to blend.           

This recipe makes 7 cups batter. Works well for cupcakes,  for standard size cupcakes bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

Fresh or frozen strawberries can be used.

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