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This is the best Vegan Strawberry Cake ever! Made from scratch and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. The frosting is to die for!

This wonderful Vegan Strawberry Cake is adapted from my Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe. It’s incredibly moist, fluffy and infused with a ton of fresh strawberry flavor! I took a lot of tips from Sally over at Sally’s Baking Addiction, and used reduced strawberry puree in the cake batter (don’t worry, it’s easy!) and freeze dried strawberries in the frosting.

The results? Incredible!

Reduced Strawberry Puree

The first step in making the cake is to prepare your reduced strawberry puree. You will need 1 pound of fresh, ripe red strawberries. Rinse and hull them, then add to a food processor or blender and blend. Transfer the puree to a small pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes. The mixture will thicken and reduce to just over 1/2 cup.

Why not just use strawberry puree that is not reduced? It’s too much liquid, and not enough flavor! By reducing, you get a very concentrated strawberry flavor without adding a ton of liquid to the cake batter. Perfection.

Prepare the cake batter, according to the instructions below in recipe card, then add in the reduced strawberry puree.

Add food coloring if desired

I didn’t use any, but if you want your cakes to be pink, simply use a few drops of pink food coloring. You will have to find a vegan friendly brand (Whole Foods has some options). The frosting will be very pink from the freeze dried strawberries.

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How to make Vegan Strawberry Frosting:

Why use freeze dried strawberries instead of fresh in the frosting? Fresh strawberries can cause the frosting to curdle, and freeze dried strawberries add a ton of concentrated flavor.

Using a food processor or blender, blend freeze dried strawberries into a powder. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) beat the vegan butter and shortening together until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until it’s all incorporated. Now add in the strawberry powder, then the vanilla and milk as needed.

Tips for the best Vegan Strawberry Cake:

To prepare your pans, please use a small circle of parchment paper and place it in the bottom. Then spray or grease the pans all over, including the sides. Trust me, I’ve had many cakes ruined by not properly preparing my pans!

Use both the vegan butter AND canola oil. This makes the cake super moist and fluffy, while giving it the best possible buttery flavor.

Make sure to cool the cakes COMPLETELY before frosting. If it’s warm at all, you will have a big melty mess on your hands. Trust me, I’ve been there… If I’m in a rush, I’ll put the cakes in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.

Let your reduced strawberry puree cool a bit before adding to the cake batter. I stuck mine in the refrigerator while I prepared the cake batter, and it was just fine.

Use deep red, sweet and delicious strawberries for the best results! Frozen strawberries will work in a pinch, but fresh seasonal strawberries are best.

How to make these into cupcakes or a sheet cake:

For cupcakes, use a standard 12 cup muffin tin and paper liners. Fill 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For a 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, bake for 40-45 minutes until done.

Want more vegan cakes?

Adapted from my Vegan Vanilla Cake and tips from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Vegan Strawberry Cake This is the best Vegan Strawberry Cake ever! Made from scratch and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. The frosting is to die for! 4.95 from 19 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Ingredients Strawberry Cake 1 pound fresh strawberries (1/2 cup reduced, see instructions) 1 pound fresh strawberries (1/2 cup reduced, see instructions)

1 1/4 cups soy milk 1 1/4 cups soy milk

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup softened vegan butter 1/2 cup softened vegan butter

1/2 cup canola oil 1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour 3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder 1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon salt Strawberry Frosting 1 cup freeze dried strawberries 1 cup freeze dried strawberries

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/2 cup vegan shortening 1/2 cup vegan shortening

3 cups powdered sugar 3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2-3 tablespoons soy milk, as needed 2-3 tablespoons soy milk, as needed Instructions For the Strawberry Cake: Make the reduced strawberry puree: Rinse and hull the strawberries. Using a food processor or blender, puree them. Pour the puree into a small pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until it reduces to about 1/2 cup. You might have a little more than that; save for topping ice cream or waffles. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before adding to cake batter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spraying with oil.

Make the Vegan Buttermilk: Combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir a little, then set aside.

Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Using the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk to the bowl with the butter/oil/sugar mixture, mixing until just combined each time. Now add in the reduced strawberry puree with the mixer on low.

Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, the surface looks and feels set and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with no wet batter.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting. You can place them in the refrigerator to speed the cooling process along if you need to. For the Strawberry Frosting: Using a food processor or blender, blend the freeze dried strawberries into a powder. Set aside.

Using your hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the vegan butter and shortening together until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.

Now add in the strawberry powder and mix in. With the mixer on low speed, add in the vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons of soy milk as needed to thin the frosting to a desirable consistency. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk until it's just right.

Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost and enjoy! Notes If you want your cakes to be pink like the frosting, you can add a tiny drop or two or pink food coloring (find a vegan friendly brand, Whole Foods has some options). You can substitute any plant based milk for the soy milk. You can also make this cake as a 9 by 13 inch cake. It will need to bake more like 40-45 minutes though. Or to make cupcakes, fill liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Store leftover pieces of cake in the refrigerator, covered for 4-5 days. The cakes can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to frost. The frosting can also be prepared ahead of time, a day or two, and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let it come to room temperature and then give it a good stir. Frosted cake pieces can also be frozen, wrapped well or in a freezer friendly container. Nutrition Serving: 1 serving , Calories: 527 kcal , Carbohydrates: 76 g , Protein: 3 g , Fat: 23 g , Saturated Fat: 5 g , Sodium: 177 mg , Potassium: 370 mg , Fiber: 3 g , Sugar: 53 g , Vitamin A: 623 IU , Vitamin C: 199 mg , Calcium: 72 mg , Iron: 5 mg

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