Strawberry Wedding Cake

with a stawberry whipped ganache 🍓

We’re back with part 4 of me trying to figure out my wedding cake since I’m getting married in November, and this one might be the prettiest yet. I’ve been wanting to do a strawberry cake since the beginning, but I was determined to get the flavor and color naturally. No boxed mixes, fake strawberry extracts, or neon pink food coloring. Just real strawberry flavor.

To get that flavor, I used freeze-dried strawberries blended right into the batter, plus I cooked down fresh strawberries into a thick, chunky purée that adds moisture and real fruit flavor without making the cake soggy.

This cake really checks all of my boxes: it’s soft and fluffy thanks to the cake flour swap (trust me, that extra cornstarch trick makes a difference), and the strawberry flavor actually comes through!

For the filling, I ended up on whipped ganache TikTok, so I decided to add a whipped strawberry ganache that’s light, creamy, and just sweet enough without overpowering the cake. And to finish it all off, a classic cream cheese buttercream that’s stable enough for piping and decorating.

Is this the wedding cake? I’m not sure yet. It comes across as more of a Spring or Summer flavor and I’m really looking for Fall, but taste-wise and looks-wise, this one is definitely a strong contender.

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Time Breakdown

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Strawberry Purée: 20 minutes (can be made ahead)
Bake Time: 25–30 minutes
Ganache Cooling Time: 3 hours (before whipping)
Assembly & Decorating: 90 minutes
Total Time: About 5.5 hours (plus cooling)

Ingredients

Strawberry Purée

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

Cook down in a saucepan over medium heat for about 20 minutes until thickened, with some chunks remaining. Cool completely before adding to the batter.

Cake Batter (Makes enough for three 9” layers)

• 5 cups cake flour (or make your own: for every cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tbsp and replace with 2 tbsp cornstarch)

• ¾ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder

• 5½ tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp salt

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened

• 8 large eggs, room temperature

• 2½ tbsp vanilla extract

• 2½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

• Strawberry purée (from above)

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Whipped Strawberry Ganache

• 200g white chocolate, chopped

• ½ cup heavy cream (heated to near boiling)

• 1 cup cold heavy cream

• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

• ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder

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Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Three 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp meringue powder

Equipment:

All of my cake decorating essentials & tools are listed on my Amazon store front!