Today, I'm sharing how to make a moist & fluffy strawberry cream cake.
This is a dream cake for anyone who loves fluffy cakes like clouds - The fluffy whipped cream, juicy strawberries, and melty strawberry jam... Every bite is a heavenly experience that leaves me wanting more!

🍓 I love this strawberry cream cake because:
- The cake is so fluffy: It tastes incredible with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and jam. It feels like eating clouds.
- It's moist: This cake is very moist and stays moist in the fridge.
- It's simple: We can make it by following easy steps.
- The flavor is amazing, with the perfect sweetness, tartness, and creaminess balance.
💬 It's the perfect dessert to enjoy with friends and family. We had it last weekend with fresh strawberries from a local farm.
🍓 In this post, you'll learn essential baking tips such as:
- What type of pan should we use to bake chiffon cake?
- Tips for baking chiffon cake in round pans
- Tips for frosting a cake with whipped cream
- How to store it
The post provides step-by-step instructions and helpful visuals to guide you through making it at home.
Jump to:
📌 What's In Strawberry Cream Cake?
Chiffon Cake
For 2 8-inch pans (Use regular aluminum pans. Do not use non-stick pans.)
In a bowl
- Yolks
- Save the egg white to make meringue.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- It adds more flavor to the cake.
- Milk
- Use regular whole milk.
- Oil
- I used olive oil, but you can use any regular oil.
- Vanilla extract
- You can omit it or use vanilla beans instead.
- Cake flour
- I highly recommend using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour to create a fluffy texture.
Meringue
- Egg white
- Ensure no oil (including yolks) and liquids are mixed in egg whites to prevent the meringue from getting loose.
- Granulated sugar
- Sugar helps to stabilize egg whites and make meringue with finer air bubbles.
Fillings
- Fresh strawberries
- Strawberry jam
- We use fresh strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to make the homemade jam.
Whipped Cream
- Heavy cream
- Use regular heavy cream. I like to use one with around 40 - 45 % fat content.
- Granulated sugar
Decorations
- Fresh strawberries
- Or use any decoration you like!
📌 How To Make Strawberry Cream Cake
The 4 steps:
- Bake chiffon cake.
- Make fillings - strawberry jam & sliced fresh strawberries.
- Make whipped cream.
- Assemble them.
📝 Tips With Images
Now, let me share detailed tips on each step, which are all crucial for making the strawberry cream cake!
Chiffon Cake
Preparations:
- Set cake liners on the bottom of the pans.
- Prepare hot water (Not boiling hard but very gently simmering.)
- Preheat the oven to 300 F | 149 C
- (Sift cake flour.) * You can also sift it right before use.
8 steps to make chiffon cake
- Mix egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt until it looks paler.
- Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix.
- Add sifted cake flour and mix until it looks very smooth.
- Whip egg white until it gets fluffy.
- Add all the granulated sugar once it looks very bubbly, like foamed shampoo.
- Add the meringue to the yolk mixture and fold.
- Pour the batter into pans.
- Pour hot water into 2 10" pans (or any other pan that 2 8" pans can go in) and dip the pans. Bake them at 300 F | 149 C with a water bath for 25 - 30 minutes
- Flip the pans gently (take off the pans), and let the cakes cool before use.
Step 1: Mix egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt.
First, separate the eggs:
Set the egg white aside. We are going to make meringue with it at the very end.
👩🏻🍳 Ensure that all of your tools, ingredients, and even your hands are very clean with no oil, liquids, or dirt because they prevent the egg white from whipping well.
In yolks, add granular sugar and salt. And mix well until the color gets paler:
💬 It looks paler when it holds more air inside.
Step 2: Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix.
Mix them until it looks even:
Step 3: Add sifted cake flour and mix well.
Mix until it looks very smooth:
💬 Ensure that there are no lumps of flour at this point. We do not want them to make a silky chiffon cake!
That's it! Set it aside and make the meringue.
Step 4: Whip egg white until it gets fluffy.
Add all the sugar once it looks very bubbly:
💬 I usually divide sugar a few times, but I'm adding all of them at this stage today since the amount of sugar is not that much compared to the one of egg white.
Whip it until the tip curls up when you lift your whisk:
Step 5: Add the meringue to the yolk mixture and fold.
👩🏻🍳 The meringue starts separating as it sits. So finish the yolk mixture first, make the meringue next, and use it immediately.
3 steps to fold
- Add half of the meringue to the yolk mixture and fold with a whisk until about 50% is incorporated. (You can also fold with a spatula.)
- Add the rest of the meringue Immediately and fold with a whisk until about 75% is blended.
- Switch to a spatula, clean the bowl, and fold until blended evenly.
1:
2:
3:
👩🏻🍳 Try not to over-mix. Stop right after it's evenly incorporated.
Step 6: Pour the batter into pans right away.
Swirl with the toothpick to eliminate some bigger air bubbles:
And toss the pans sometimes (I usually toss 3 - 5 times) for the same reason.
Step 7: Bake at 300 F | 149 C with a water bath for 25 - 30 minutes.
Bake them right away with a water bath:
💬 Be careful so that the water does not go into the pans.
⚠️ Avoid opening the oven before the cake sets so the temperature does not drop quickly.
How to check if it's baked enough
- Touch the center and see if it bounces back very gently.
- Or insert a toothpick and see if it comes off clean.
Step 8: Flip the pans gently and let the cakes cool.
💡 Chiffon cake tends to deflate after they're out of the oven, especially with round pans. It might disappoint you at the moment but don't worry! You'll feel the sponge is fluffy and moist after it cools down.
Fillings
- Fresh strawberries.
- Make strawberry jam.
Fresh Strawberries
Today, I cut strawberries into big pieces. And remove excess moisture in advance.
Strawberry Jam
Check out how to make simple & delicious strawberry jam in this post.
💬 One batch of the strawberry jam recipe is more than enough for the 1 8" cake. I made one batch today and stored the rest for other uses. Make less amount as you like!
👩🏻🍳 It's important to use thick jam so that it's not going to leak when you frost.
You can also use store-bought jam, especially when you want to save some time. But I've gotta say the cake tastes much better with fresh homemade jam!
Whipped Cream
For the final coat: Whip heavy cream and granulated sugar together until it reaches its soft peak:
It should be fluffy but has a nice softness.
For the crumb coat: Whip only about half of them to make it stiffer:
💡 We want a firmer cream to sustain the whole body as the crumb coat.
Frost & Decorate A Cake!
- Spread the jam on the first layer of sponge cake.
- Fill in fresh strawberries.
- Drop a few big scoops of whipped cream on top. Push and fill the gaps between the strawberries and flatten the surface.
- Coat the side and seal the filling.
- Place the second layer on top, facing down the caramelized side.
- Finish the crumb coat by spreading the cream thinly on top and sides.
- Mix the rest of the whipped cream and see how thick it is. Whip more if you need to.
- Finish the final coat by spreading the whipped cream on top and sides. Watch the video tutorial to have a deeper understanding of all the moves.
👩🏻🍳 As an option, prepare ice water and place the bowl of whipped cream on top of it to keep it cool. It'll be easier to frost, especially if your room is not cooling enough.
💬 Do not spread the jam near the edge to ensure it won't come out from the side.
Fill in as many strawberries as possible:
💬 The jam does a nice job as glue so that the strawberries are not moving around.
Drop a few big scoops of whipped cream on top. Push and fill the gaps between the strawberries and flatten the surface:
Coat the side and seal the filling:
Place the second layer on top, facing down the caramelized side. Ensure it's standing straight:
Finish the crumb coat by spreading the cream thinly and lock on any crumb:
Mix the rest well and see how thick it is. And whip more if you need to.
I like this thickness:
Finish the final coat by spreading the whipped cream on top and the side:
Today, I decided to add some textures:
Decorate any way you like!
Check out the video tutorial to see how I frosted it in more detail.
💬 Warm up your knife with hot water or a torch to slice it clean.
The sponge is incredibly soft and moist, and when combined with the fluffy whipped cream, fresh fruits, and jam, it tasted exceptionally delicious.
📌 Uses For Strawberry Cream Cake
Enjoy the delicious strawberry cream cake in many ways:
- For special occasions, such as birthdays, Mother's Day, other home parties, holidays, etc. It'll for sure impress your guests!
- Celebrate the season: This is a great dessert to enjoy fresh strawberries in season.
- Try different designs and shapes: Make it in a bigger or smaller cake pan, a sheet pan, a chiffon cake pan, etc. You can easily arrange it!
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
Store in the fridge for up to four to five days. Enjoy it sooner, within that day or the next day, for the best taste. When you store the sliced cake, attach plastic wrap directly to the cut surface so it won't get dried.
Yes, it still tastes amazing, BUT the cake sinks more around the center, as shown in the image below. With a water bath, the heat gets delivered a little bit more evenly, and your cake looks more even.
One important thing when you bake chiffon cake is the type of pan you use. Do not use non-stick pans or parchment paper - As you can see in the image below, the cakes slide on a lot more after it's taken out of the oven. Use regular aluminum pans for the best result!
Yes, you can! But I feel the cake tastes even better with fresh homemade jam, specifically with this chiffon cake. I highly recommend trying it with jam if you wonder. I think you'll know what I mean!
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To learn how to make strawberry cream cake visually and have a deeper understanding of all, watch this video.
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
📌 Other Fluffy Cake Recipes
Lastly, try my Genoise sponge cake recipe if you want a different type of sponge cake. Compared to the chiffon cake, the texture is lighter, fluffier, and gentler. And this chiffon cake is more springy and a little bit more moist. Try both and see which one you like better!
As a fluffy sponge cake lover, I also created matcha and chocolate versions. They are also SO fluffy and go with any dessert!
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Strawberry Cream Cake
Equipment
- 2 8" pans I used regular alminium pans. * Do not use non-stick pans.
- Parchment paper for cake liners
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment or hand blender
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Toothpick
- Knife
- Icing spatula
Ingredients
Chiffon Cake: 2 8” pans (Do not use non-stick pans)
- 6 Egg yolks
- 2 oz Granulated sugar ¼ US cup
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 oz Milk ⅓ US cup
- 2 oz Oil ¼ US cup
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 oz Cake flour 1 US cup
- 6 Egg white
- 2 oz Granulated sugar ¼ US cup
Fillings
- 10 about medium-sized strawberries Fresh strawberries
- 3.5 oz Strawberry jam ⅓ US cup
Whipped Cream
- 14 oz Heavy cream 1 ⅔ US cups
- 1 oz Granulated sugar 2.5 Tbsp
Decorations
- Some Fresh strawberries Or use whatever you like!
Instructions
Chiffon Cake
- Mix egg yolks (Save egg whites for the meringue), granulated sugar, and salt until it looks paler.
- Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix.
- Add sifted cake flour and mix well until it looks very smooth.
- Whip egg white until it gets fluffy:The tip should curl up when you lift up your whisk. Add all the granulated sugar once it looks very bubbly, like foamed shampoo.
- Add the meringue to the yolk mixture and fold with the 3 steps:1. Add about half of the meringue to the yolk mixture and fold with a whisk until about 50% is blended.2. Immediately add the rest of the meringue and fold with a whisk until about 75% is blended.3. Switch to a spatula, clean the bowl, and fold until it is blended evenly.
- Pour the batter into pans right away and remove some bigger air bubbles by swirling it with a toothpick and tossing the pans sometimes.
- Pour hot water into 2 10" pans (or any other pan that 2 8" pans can go in) and dip the pans with the cake batter. Bake at 300 F | 149 C with a water bath for 25 - 30 minutes (It took 28 minutes with my electric oven.)Adjust the time & temperature accordingly.To check if it's done, touch the center and see if it bounces back very gently, or insert a toothpick and see if it comes off clean.
- Flip the pans gently, (take off the pans), and let the cakes cool completely before use. Wrap the surface if you are not using it right away.
Fillings
- Fresh strawberries: Cut strawberries into big pieces. And remove excess moisture in advance.
- Strawberry jam: Check out how to make homemade strawberry jam in this post. One batch of the strawberry jam recipe is more than enough for the 1 8" cake. I made one batch today and stored the rest to enjoy for other uses. Make less amount as you like!It's important to use thick jam so that it's not going to leak when you frost.
Whipped Cream
- For final coat: Whip heavy cream and granulated sugar together until it reaches its soft peak. It should be fluffy but has a nice softness.
- For the crumb coat: Whip only about half of them to make it stiffer.
Frost & Decorate A Cake!
- Spread the jam on the first layer of sponge cake:Do not spread the jam near the edge to ensure that it's not going to come out from the side.
- Fill in as many fresh strawberries as possible.
- Drop a few big scoops of whipped cream on top. Push and fill the gaps between the strawberries and flatten the surface.
- Coat the side and seal the filling.
- Place the second layer on top, facing down the caramelized side. Check 360 degrees and make sure it's standing straight.
- Finish the crumb coat by spreading the cream thinly on top and sides.
- Mix the rest of the whipped cream and see how thick it is. Whip more if you need to.
- Finish the final coat by spreading the whipped cream on top and sides. Decorate any way you like, and have fun!Check out the video tutorial to see how I frosted it in more detail.
Video
Notes
How to store it:
Store in the fridge for up to four to five days. Enjoy it sooner, within that day or the next day, for the best taste. And when you store the sliced cake, attach plastic wrap directly to the cut surface so that it's not going to get dried. ** For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience. **Nutrition
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Other strawberry recipes:
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MEL says
If I need this cake, for example by 7 pm - Do you recommend I make it early in the morning or can I make it the night before ? Would it remain fresh/tender if made the day before needed ? Thank you Aya.
ayacaliva says
Hello! It works either way but I would make it in the morning if possible. The frosted cake was still delicious the next day, though!
Mel says
Hello again Aya,
Because I had many other food items to prepare, I decided to make this cake the night before.
It turned out very well. Everybody loved it.
Next time, I think I will need to make 2 cakes instead of 1 or simply to make a 9 inch layer cake.
I love your style and the way you present your work.
Arigatou Gozaimasu.
Mel from Montreal.
Michelle says
Share recipes please
ayacaliva says
Hi! You can get the printable recipe at the end of the post. You can jump from the top as well.
lili says
I only have 9 x 13 inch sheet pan, would that work for this recipe or do i need to reduce/increase? thanks aya love your videos 🙂
ayacaliva says
Hello! I think either 1.5 or 2 batches work for 2 layers of that size. I would do 2 batches for a lot thicker sponge cake.
& thank you for watching videos too!😊
Lili says
Hi Aya Thank you for your kind reply and tips! I made the 2batches cake and it was a thick flat sheet and so tasty!! My family loved it!😍 I will make your cheesecake next!! I have another question about folding methods, when you make 1. egg white meringue+add yolks+sift flour+add butter is it the same fluffiness as if you 2. whip yolks+egg white meringue+fold whites into yolk+sift flour? Or is it a different mouthfeel? Thanks for your help 😊
ayacaliva says
I'm so glad to hear that!! Thanks for sharing the result!
About your question, do you mean if whipping egg yolks or not can change the fluffiness for genoise sponge cake? I want to clarify it to see if I got it right.
Lili says
Hey Aya,
Yup you got it! That is what u meant if whipping yolks and folding it back will change the texture 🙂 I just saw some tutorial doing it that way and thought I would consult w a professional lol
Jin says
Aya, your cake looked so good I had to try it. Just finished making the cakes…I had some issues lol. Firstly, I didn’t have bigger round pans for the bath so I used my biggest rectangular. I’m not sure if I didn’t use enough water. It only came up 1/4 of the way up the cake pan. It looked like it covered most of the pan in your video. Secondly, I made the batter sit until the water boiled. I think that was a big mistake. Thirdly, I didn’t have cake flour so I used your hack with AP (I used a Korean soft flour) and corn starch. The cake rose about 1/2-3/4”. Yours looked taller. I had to cook for about 45-50 min because my oven temp dropped drastically after putting pans in the oven. I baked 5 min more at a time. I think I can handle the rest with little to no disaster (fingers crossed). Oh! I forgot. I made your jam. It looks good. Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m afraid it might be a little runnier than yours. I’ll update my comment after I taste it. I def want to try it again with cake flour and better bath pans.
ayacaliva says
Hello! I'm so sorry to hear that 🙁 About how to fix the issues; Your analysis is right, Not baking it right away affects hugely. The air bubbles pop and disappear as you leave the batter longer. As long as the water is very hot, you can use it even if it's not simmering; Baking the batter right away is more important.
Using all-purpose flour also affects hugely for the texture and the height. The homemade cake flour with cornstarch doesn't make the same texture unfortunately as I shared in the video. It rose higher with the genoise sponge cake but I am not sure if it works the same since this one contains more liquids... Just my guess!
The rectangle pan should not be an issue as long as the pans are sunk 1/3 - 1/2 of the height.
I hope that helps. Again, I'm so sorry it happened!
Let me know if you have any further question!
Jin says
Yes, I knew the AP/corn starch hack would not have the same results, my hunch was that waiting for water to boil was deflating the batter, not letting the water come up at least halfway up the pan could be a mistake (but the hot water I boiled didn’t go very far in the big rectangular pans, and I didn’t want to wait longer on the batter not going in the oven), that the jam seemed runnier than yours, that putting the thinner cake on the bottom would probably not be stable enough (the jam completely soaked through the cake)…
Despite all the issues, it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted Which makes me think, your cake must be like no other.
Oh, I added thinly sliced mint sprinkled around the strawberries on top which added another dimension. I will definitely try baking it again because my hubby would not—could not?— stop raving about it. I even showed him your video 🤣 He said I need to make your best chocolate cake next.
Aya, keep up with your amazing content. As an avid cook (unfortunately not baker haha), I watch a lot of tutorials. I appreciate the concise instruction and lessons I learn from your videos. You’re an amazing instructor and creator!
ayacaliva says
Wow I'm SO happy to hear that!! And relieved! The mint is a great idea, I can imagine the refreshing note.
You can also try this recipe with my genoise sponge cake when you don't want to use a water bath method. It tastes great too, just a different texture.
How sweet🥰 Thank you for watching my videos and visiting my blog. And taking the time to leave feedbacks!!
Jin says
Ok, me again haha. I made this cake 2 more times--making that a total of 4X in the month of August. I'm obsessed with getting this cake right!
Attempt #2: I used cake flour (King Arthur) and no water bath (I had ordered 11" stainless steel round pans, but they had not arrived by the time I made the cake. I did not want to fuss with rectangular pans.). I knew that the cakes would not rise much, but I figured they couldn't be worse than my first attempt. It was about the same height if not thinner. I have to say though, the texture was worse than Attempt #1! It was really wet and stuck more to my racks during the cooling stage. I added blueberries this time along with the mint. Still really delicious!
Attempt #3: I used King Arthur cake flour, water bath in 11" round pans on the same rack in oven (it was tight and bake was a bit uneven), I added blueberries and mint again (husband can't get enough lol). The rise was the worst this time (maybe slightly smaller than 1/2", but still tasted amazing haha.)
Attempt #4: same as #3, I figured practice makes perfect. Nope! My cakes are coming out so thin. Should I raise the temperature? The temperature is accurate, but I'm noticing that I have to cook it longer than you suggest.
Attempt #5: TBD. My husband is craving this cake again. It's a testament to the flavor even if it is no way near pretty (I am getting better at frosting. Attempt #4 was not as wonky as previous attempts.) I'll be back to leave a comment however it turns out haha.
TNP says
The water bath is a gamer changer. Perfect chiffon cake!
ayacaliva says
Thank you so much!!