08/30/2026
🍓🍰🧀 **Strawberry Cream Cheese Butter Cake** ✨
Soft, buttery, creamy, and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor! 😍 This gorgeous **Strawberry Cream Cheese Butter Cake** features three tender strawberry-studded cake layers, rich strawberry cream cheese frosting, and juicy fresh berries tucked between every layer.
It’s the kind of show-stopping dessert that’s perfect for birthdays, Mother’s Day, showers, summer gatherings, holidays, or Sunday dinner. 🍓❤️
# # # 🍓 Ingredients
**For the Strawberry Cake**
* 1 (15.25 oz / 432 g) box butter or yellow cake mix
* 8 oz (226 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened
* ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
* 3 large eggs, room temperature
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 cup (150 g) fresh strawberries, finely diced and patted dry
**For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting**
* 8 oz (226 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened
* ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
* 3½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar, sifted
* ½ cup fresh strawberry purée, reduced to about ¼ cup
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* Pinch of salt
**For Filling & Decorating**
* 1–1½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced or chopped
* Extra whole or halved strawberries for the top
# # # 🍰 Instructions
1. **Prep:** Preheat oven to **350°F (175°C)**. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. **Prepare the berries:** Finely dice 1 cup strawberries and gently pat them dry with paper towels.
3. **Make the batter:** Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add melted butter, then mix in the eggs one at a time and add vanilla.
4. **Add the cake mix:** Gradually mix in the dry cake mix just until combined. Gently fold in the diced strawberries.
5. **Bake:** Divide batter evenly between the three pans and bake for **18–25 minutes**, until the centers are set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.
6. **Make the strawberry reduction:** Purée fresh strawberries and measure ½ cup. Cook over medium-low heat for **5–8 minutes**, stirring frequently, until reduced to about ¼ cup. Cool completely.
7. **Make the frosting:** Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then beat in the cooled strawberry reduction, vanilla, and salt until creamy.
8. **Assemble:** Place the first cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with frosting and add fresh sliced strawberries. Repeat with the second layer.
9. **Finish:** Add the final cake layer and cover the top and sides with the remaining strawberry cream cheese frosting.
10. **Decorate & chill:** Top generously with fresh strawberries and refrigerate for **30–60 minutes** before slicing. 🍓✨
⏱️ **Prep:** 30 min | 🔥 **Bake:** 18–25 min | ❄️ **Chill:** 30–60 min | 🍰 **Servings:** 12–16
💡 **Tip:** Pat the strawberries dry before adding them to the batter, and make sure the strawberry reduction is completely cool before mixing it into the frosting. This helps keep the cake tender and the frosting thick and creamy.
🍓 Three layers of buttery strawberry cake + creamy strawberry frosting + fresh berries = pure strawberry heaven! ❤️
