This Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake is light, tender, and packed with fresh strawberry flavor thanks to roasted strawberries and freeze-dried strawberry powder. Top it with the creamy homemade strawberry buttercream for the most delightful strawberry experience.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients Needed
- How to Make the Recipe
- Storage
- Recipe FAQs
- More Popular Cake Recipes
- Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Pure strawberry flavor. Roasted strawberry puree plus freeze-dried strawberry powder deliver a bright, concentrated strawberry taste—no artificial mixes or extracts needed. The buttercream uses the same combination for a consistent flavor throughout.
- Delicate texture. The cake bakes up soft and fluffy with a tender crumb that pairs perfectly with silky buttercream.
- Perfect size. This mini sheet cake serves about six and is ideal when a full sheet cake is too much. It fits an 8.4 x 6.4-inch rectangular pan or a 6 x 3-inch round pan.
Ingredients Needed
Below are the ingredients used in this mini strawberry sheet cake. Key items that benefit from a note are listed after the ingredient overview.
- Cake flour. Cake flour gives a lighter, more tender crumb than all-purpose flour.
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder. You can buy powdered freeze-dried strawberries or grind freeze-dried whole strawberries in a sealed bag with a rolling pin until fine.
- Unsalted butter. Use at room temperature for easiest creaming and smooth frosting.
- Whole milk. Provides richness; 1% or 2% can be substituted if needed. Non-dairy milks were not tested.
For exact quantities and step-by-step instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make the Recipe
Here’s a concise overview of the process. The full printable recipe card below includes measurements and timing in US and metric units.
Roasted strawberry puree
Step 1. Toss halved strawberries with lemon juice and sugar.
Step 2. Spread on a lined baking sheet and roast at low temperature until softened and fragrant, then cool.
Step 3. Process the cooled roasted berries until smooth.
Step 4. Use the puree immediately or store sealed in the fridge for up to a week.
Tip: Roasted strawberry puree stores well for several days in an airtight container.
Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
Tip: Grind freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder in a food processor before starting for the best texture and flavor distribution.
Step 1. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2. Cream butter, granulated sugar, and strawberry powder until light and fluffy.
Step 3. Add the egg, vanilla, milk, and roasted strawberry puree and mix to combine.
Step 4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet on low-medium speed just until combined—do not overmix. The batter should be medium-thick, pale pink with flecks of strawberry.
Tip: The batter should be scoopable and easy to spread into the pan.
Step 5. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
Step 6. Bake at 350ºF for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Strawberry buttercream frosting
Step 1. Combine roasted strawberry puree, freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, and a pinch of salt and cream until smooth.
Step 2. Beat in powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 3. Adjust consistency with a little extra powdered sugar to thicken or a touch of milk to thin, if needed.
Step 4. Frost the cooled cake and garnish with fresh sliced strawberries if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Storage
Store leftover cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, double-wrap and freeze in a sealed freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Leftover buttercream keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for up to one month.
Recipe FAQs
Use an 8.4 x 6.4-inch rectangular pan or a 6 x 3-inch round pan. Both work well for this smaller serving size.
Freeze-dried strawberry powder is sold in some grocery stores or can be made at home by grinding whole freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder.
Yes. If you have whole freeze-dried strawberries, crush or grind them into a powder before adding to the recipe.
Place freeze-dried strawberries in a sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin or process them briefly in a food processor until fine. Store the powder in a sealed bag to prevent clumping.
The batter should be medium-thick, pale pink with visible flecks of roasted strawberry and freeze-dried powder. It should be easy to scoop and spread into the pan.
More Popular Cake Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cake
Single Layer Carrot Cake
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
Single Layer Chocolate Cake
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Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberry Puree
- 1 lb Fresh Strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
- 1 cup Cake Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder
- 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Whole Milk
- 1/4 cup Roasted Strawberry Puree
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1/4 cup Roasted Strawberry Puree
- 2 tsp Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Roasted Strawberry Puree
- Preheat oven to 250ºF. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss strawberries with lemon juice and sugar, spread on the baking sheet, and roast 20 minutes. Cool completely.
- Process the cooled roasted strawberries until smooth. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour an 8.4 x 6.4-inch pan or a 6 x 3-inch round pan. Line with parchment if desired.
- Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Cream strawberry powder, butter, and sugar until light. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and roasted strawberry puree and mix to combine.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet on low-medium speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake 25–30 minutes at 350ºF, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Beat roasted strawberry puree, freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, and salt until combined.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Adjust consistency with a splash of milk if needed.
- Frost the cooled cake, garnish with fresh strawberries if desired, and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Carbohydrates: 108g
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on the exact ingredients used.