Description

A creamy strawberry cake with a crisp streusel topping that combines tender cake, juicy strawberries, and a crunchy streusel for a nostalgic and comforting dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (about 310g)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (113g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese, softened (225g)
½ cup milk (120ml), whole milk preferred
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
¾ cup all-purpose flour (90g) for streusel
½ cup packed brown sugar (100g) for streusel
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed (85g) for streusel
½ cup rolled oats (45g) for streusel
1 tsp cinnamon (optional) for streusel
Pinch of salt for streusel

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup rolled oats, 1 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add cold cubed butter and work into mixture with fingers or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Chill in fridge.
Prepare cake batter: In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
Add granulated sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to wet mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined.
Fold in chopped strawberries gently with a spatula.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Sprinkle chilled streusel topping evenly over batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Watch last 10 minutes to prevent streusel from over-browning; tent with foil if needed.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Use room-temperature eggs, butter, and cream cheese for smooth batter. Do not overmix after adding flour to avoid dense cake. Fold strawberries gently to preserve shape and prevent pink batter. Keep streusel cold before baking for crisp topping. Watch baking time closely and tent with foil if streusel browns too fast. Let cake cool fully to set creamy texture and crisp topping. Frozen strawberries can be used if thawed and drained well.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cak
Calories: 320
Fat: 14
Carbohydrates: 38
Protein: 3

Keywords: strawberry cake, creamy cake, streusel topping, easy dessert, berry dessert, family recipe, potluck dessert