Almond Flour Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting

Name: Almond Flour Strawberry Cake
Prep time: 2 h 50 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 3 h 17 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups (420g) chopped fresh strawberries; 2 1/2 cups (260g) blanched almond flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1/3 cup (90g) strawberry puree; 1/2 cup (120g) cane sugar; 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup (113g) vegan butter, room temperature; 2 1/2 cups (300g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 tablespoons (50g) strawberry puree

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Soft, fluffy and moist, this Almond Flour Strawberry Cake is filled with the sweet flavour of fresh strawberries and topped with a creamy dairy-free strawberry buttercream. The authentic strawberry flavour is thanks to the unsweetened strawberry puree, which is made from fresh strawberries!

The secret to this delicious gluten-free strawberry cake is the homemade strawberry reduction. Fresh strawberries are reduced to a thick strawberry puree that gets baked into the cake and creates that beautiful pink frosting colour.

Side view of a slice of strawberry cake on a white plate and topped with fresh strawberries.

If you’re skeptical about baking with almond flour, please don’t be! It’s such a great flour to bake with, for gluten-free diets and in general. The high fat content adds moisture to cakes, cookies and cupcakes, which enhances the texture and helps these baked goods stay fresh longer.

Some of our favourite almond flour desserts include these vanilla almond flour cupcakes, chocolate almond flour cake and almond flour blondies!

But hang on, before you head over to those recipes, let’s get into this strawberry almond cake!

Why you’ll love this almond flour strawberry cake

It has the perfect crumb with a soft and tender texture.
It’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
It’s made with fresh strawberries and you don’t need any freeze dried strawberries or food colouring to make the frosting!
On that note, the fresh strawberry puree adds such amazing flavour to the strawberry buttercream, which is also perfectly delicious and creamy.
This is a single layer cake so you don’t need to fuss with assembling and frosting layers.

Details on the ingredients

Below is a brief overview of the ingredients. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact quantities used.

Ingredients to make almond flour strawberry cake arranged in individual dishes.

Strawberries – You’ll need 3 cups of chopped strawberries for this cake. During strawberry season, I love to use fresh strawberries, but since we’re using them to make a puree, you can also use frozen strawberries. The strawberry puree will be added to both the cake batter and frosting.

Almond flour – Just like all my other almond flour cake recipes, we’re using finely ground blanched almond flour for this recipe. The fine texture helps create a tender crumb and is readily available in the specialty or organic sections of most grocery stores. For best value, I usually buy the large bag from Costco.

Baking powder – Used for leavening and structure in the cake.

Salt – Just 1/4 teaspoon is used to enhance the flavours of the other ingredients. I used fine sea salt, but kosher or table salt work too.

Eggs – Since almond flour is gluten-free, I find that cakes made with it tend to need more than the normal amount of eggs. You’ll need 3 eggs for this recipe to help the cake rise and give it structure. They’ll also provide moisture.

Cane sugar – I like to use cane sugar as it is a little less processed than granulated sugar, but you can use granulated in place of it if you can’t find cane sugar.

Oil – Just two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil adds a little more moisture to this cake. You can also use olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil.

Vanilla – You’ll need vanilla for both the cake batter and strawberry frosting. For the best flavour, use real vanilla extract.

Butter – The strawberry buttercream calls for 1/2 cup of room temperature butter. To keep this cake dairy-free, use a vegan or plant-based butter. I like to use Earth Balance vegan baking sticks for frostings (not sponsored, just preferred).

Powdered sugar – You’ll need 2 1/2 cups of confectioners/icing sugar to sweeten and thicken the frosting.

What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?

While the terms are often used interchangeably because they’re both made with ground raw almonds, almond meal and almond flour are actually different.

Almond meal is made using raw almonds with the skins left on, so it has a coarser texture and beige/brownish colour.

Almond flour is made with blanched almonds that have the skins removed so it has a lighter colour and finer texture.

How to make the strawberry puree (or reduction)

Before you start making the cake, you’ll need to make the strawberry puree.

This puree is so great because all you need are strawberries. Since the cake and frosting are sweet enough on their own, there is no need to sweeten the strawberries by adding sugar.

Add your chopped strawberries to a medium-sized pot. Cover and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the strawberries start to simmer and release their juices.

Collage of 3 images showing how the strawberry puree is made.

Reduce the heat to low and leave uncovered, stirring frequently so the strawberry mixture doesn’t burn. You don’t want the strawberry mixture to boil, just lightly simmer. The strawberries will soften and then the mixture will start to thicken. You’ll want to keep simmering until the mixture is reduced by about half. This will take about 20-30 minutes.

Let the mixture cool slightly and then use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree the mixture.

Set aside 1/3 cup to cool. It will be added to the cake batter. Refrigerate the rest for the frosting.

You may have a little extra left over (it’s better to have too much than not enough!) so feel free to stir it into yogurts or spread it on toast like a jam. I love to add it to this oat milk chia pudding.

How to make fresh strawberry cake with almond flour

Grease an 8×2 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients including the puree.

Use a spatula to stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Be careful not to over mix. The batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly.

Bake at 350F for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Collage of 4 images showing how the strawberry cake batter is made and baked in a round pan.

How to make buttercream frosting with fresh strawberries

Bring your dairy-free butter to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Start low so the sugar doesn’t fly everywhere, and then increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high.

Beat together for 3-5 minutes until the frosting is creamy and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The buttercream will be thick but keep beating it together. It will get creamier and will thin out once the puree is added.

Once the frosting is smooth and creamy, mix in the strawberry puree. You don’t want to over mix the frosting at this point, but you want the puree evenly dispersed throughout the frosting.

Spread the buttercream over the fully cooled cake.

Close up view of strawberry buttercream in a white bowl.

Storage and freezing

I love this cake at room temperature, but since the buttercream has strawberry puree in it, I recommend storing it in the fridge. You can just let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving it.

The cake will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

If you’d like to freeze this cake, you have two options.

Wrap the fully cooled and unfrosted cake in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer safe container or bag. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just let it defrost at room temperature before frosting it.

If you have leftover pieces of frosted cake, just arrange them on a tray in a single layer and place them in the freezer for an hour or two until the frosting is firmed up. Then, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer safe container. Let them defrost in the fridge before enjoying.

Overhead view of strawberry cake topped with strawberry frosting.

Strawberry Almond Flour Cake FAQs

Can you use frozen strawberries to make this cake?

Absolutely! Just keep in mind that frozen strawberries may release more liquid as they’re reduced so you may need to simmer them a little longer to get a thick puree.

Can you use other berries to make this cake?

As of now I haven’t tested this cake with other berries, but I will add an update here if I test this cake with other berry purees.

Can this gluten-free strawberry cake be made vegan?

I haven’t tried to make this strawberry cake vegan. As the eggs are important for structure and leavening in this recipe, I’m not sure how an egg replacement would perform. If you give it a try, please let me know how it goes.

Can you use another gluten-free flour to make this strawberry cake?

I’ve only tested this cake with almond flour so, unfortunately, I’m not able to advise on how other gluten-free flours will perform in this recipe.

Can you make this cake in advance?

Absolutely! You have a few options for getting a head start on this cake. You can make the puree a few days in advance and store it in the fridge and then proceed to make the cake when you’re ready. Or, you can make the cake (without the frosting) ahead of time and store it wrapped at room temperature for a day or two before frosting.

Why is my strawberry buttercream frosting grainy?

This happened to me while testing and it was because I didn’t beat together the butter and powdered sugar long enough. The sugar didn’t have a chance to fully cream together with the butter so the buttercream had a grainy appearance. Be sure to beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla for 3-5 minutes before adding the strawberry puree.

Strawberry cake sliced on a cake plate with a slice turned on its side to show the texture.

Key recipe tips

Strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen, just make sure they’re ripe and chopped into pieces or slices.
Puree. The strawberry puree should be thick. For the best results, I recommend blending the mixture as opposed to just mashing it. You don’t want the puree to be watery as it will add too much moisture to the cake and make the frosting runny.
Thick batter. The batter will be thick so be sure to use an offset spatula to smooth out the top and ensure it spreads out evenly in the cake pan.
Weighing ingredients. Cup measurements are included in the recipe but, for more accuracy, I recommend weighing your ingredients. If you’re using cup measurements, use the spoon and level method for the flour and confectioners’ sugar.
Room temperature ingredients. The eggs, almond flour (if you store it in the fridge like I do), the strawberry puree and butter should all be at room temperature for this recipe.
Grease the pan well. To ensure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan, grease the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Let cake completely cool. Before frosting the cake, let it cool completely on a wire rack. The buttercream will slide off a warm cake!

Overhead view of a slice of cake topped with strawberries and a fork removing a bite.

More cakes made with almond flour

More strawberry recipes

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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