Strawberry Snack Cake
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This strawberry snack cake is bursting with real strawberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried berries blended right into the batter and frosting. It’s soft, moist, lightly frosted, and perfectly sized for slicing and snacking anytime the craving hits.
If you’re anything like me, strawberry season never feels long enough — which is exactly why this strawberry snack cake exists. I tested this cake with both fresh and freeze-dried strawberries, and freeze-dried won by a mile. They deliver bold, concentrated strawberry flavor and create a tender, moist crumb without tipping the cake into gummy territory.
This small, single-layer cake is lightly frosted with an icing made from even more freeze-dried strawberry powder for maximum berry impact. It’s sweet, vibrant, and perfectly snackable — which is exactly how it earned its name.
How to store strawberry snack cake
This cake is made for snacking, so don’t expect it to last long. I keep it on the counter in the baking pan, and it barely makes it to the end of the day. You can put the snack cake slices into a resealable bag to keep them fresh for a few days or wrap them tightly and store them in your freezer for up to three months.
Strawberry Snack Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries (see notes)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter (at room temperature)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil
- ½ cup milk
Strawberry Frosting
- ⅓ cup salted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried strawberries
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk (depending how think you want it)
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 cake pan with parchment paper and spray it lightly with cooking oil (or lightly grease it with butter). Place the freeze-dried strawberries into your food processor and blend until mostly smooth – see notes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, ½ cup of the crushed freeze-dried strawberries, baking powder, and salt.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl and cream using electric beaters on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.¾ cup granulated sugar , ½ cup butter
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and oil and beat for 1 minute.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil
- Add the dry ingredients and mix them into the batter at low speed until mostly combined. Pour in the milk and mix just until the batter comes together.½ cup milk
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, strawberries, and milk and beat on low speed just until the sugar is mixed in. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes more. If you'd like it thinner, you can add a little more milk.⅓ cup salted butter, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried strawberries, 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
- When the cake is finished baking, let it cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan, and then remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once it's cool, you can frost it and serve or place it back into the cake pan for easy storage.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
