Strawberry Honey Cake with Honey Buttercream

If you want to capture the delights of fresh ripe seasonal strawberries then this Strawberry Honey Loaf Cake is a wonderful testament to the most flavourful berries.

A lovely tea-time loaf cake which feels a little bit special thanks to the gorgeous whipped honey buttercream and the dazzling mound of fresh strawberries adorning the top.

This cake is delicious all throughout the season. As Spring moves into Summer the taste of the strawberries evolve meaning you get a little bit of something different as the seasons progress.

The flavour combination of the strawberries and honey is a joy. I collect local honey from all the little farm shops and farmer’s markets I visit so I have quite the larder full. I love a light clear floral honey in this cake which is baked into the batter along with sour cream to add density and offset the sweetness. The cake is then topped in the same way, a simple buttercream imbued with more honey and sour cream.

A perfect teatime treat, eaten out in the garden with the distant sound of a lawnmower buzzing in the background.

Strawberry Puree

The secret to the incredible authentic strawberry flavour in this cake is to use a fresh strawberry puree baked into the batter.

We achieve this by cooking the strawberries down to a thick puree (almost a paste) which intensifies the strawberry flavour and eliminates the excess strawberry juice. The puree is swirled throughout the cake mixture creating a sponge which is still light and fluffy with remarkable pockets of sweet strawberry flavour.

Making the puree sounds faffy but I assure you it’s an incredibly easy 2 step process and takes your cake to strawberry heaven.

This method is also used in this incredible Gluten-Free Fresh Strawberry Cake if you are looking for a beautifully layered strawberry cake.

Ingredients Needed

Fresh strawberries. If they are in season then these are the strawberries that will be the sweetest and most flavourful. I don't recommend frozen strawberries for this recipe.

Honey. You can use any runny honey you have to hand for this cake. Do bear in mind that local honey can be much more flavourful than the generic shop bought honeys. So if you want an authentic complex honey flavour then do choose your favourite local honey.

Unsalted butter. We need unsalted so we can control the salt content of the recipe. Make sure it is at room temperature.

Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar available in the UK. Regular white granulated sugar can be substituted.

Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US. I recommend weighing your eggs to ensure the correct amount.

Gluten-Free Flour – FTL Blend. This recipe uses my Homemade Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour which works really well here as the flour ratio has been carefully tested to ensure the mix between wholegrain flours and starchy flours is balanced. This also means we don’t need to use xanthan gum as the blend is strong enough and produces a well structured and textured bake which can hold together without needing any extra binders.
 
This flour blend is a mix of 4 different flours: sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour), sorghum flour, oat flour, tapioca flour (tapioca starch).

You cannot swap for another brand of gluten-free flour but there are plenty of flour substitution tips ideas if you click on the original post for this homemade flour mix.

There is an alternative suggestion I can make for this cake and that is to use 50% gluten-free flour (brand of your choice. Doves Farm or Bob’s Red Mill work well) and 50% almond flour. You do not need xanthan gum with this flour route but the recipe will be fine if your branded blend already contains it.

You can swap for an all-purpose wheat flour if gluten-free is not a requirement for you.

Sour cream. Using sour cream is excellent in gluten-free cakes as it helps the texture and flavour of the cake. It adds moisture and a subtle tang and leads to a soft rich tender crumb. Its acidity also helps activate bicarbonate of soda so the cake rises better with more lightness.

Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.

Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.

Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Icing sugar. (powdered sugar). (not pictured) Icing sugar is preferred over white sugar in buttercream because it dissolves more easily, resulting in a smoother and less grainy texture, while also contributing to the desired consistency and sweetness of the buttercream.

How To Make Fresh Strawberry Honey Cake

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

To Make The Strawberry Puree: Blend strawberries and honey.

Pour the puree into a saucepan and heat until reduced to a thick paste (about 20-25 minutes). Chill the puree until ready to use.

To Make The Strawberry Cake: Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat to combine.

Pour in honey and vanilla and mix again.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the flour and sour cream alternately to the rest of the cake mixture until well combined.

Spread ¼ of the cake mixture into the bottom of the baking tin. Dollop ⅓ of the strawberry puree over the cake mixture and swirl with a skewer. Repeat twice more, finishing with a smooth layer of cake mixture.

Bake for 55 minutes and cool.

To Make The Buttercream: Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Pour in honey, sour cream and salt until well combined.

Using a palette knife spread the buttercream thickly on top of the cake. Decorate with strawberries, drizzled honey.

More strawberry recipes you’ll love

This Strawberry Gooseberry Crumble is a marriage of the best of this year’s sweet and tangy berries under a generous, crisp and slightly chewy crumble topping.

Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Cheesecake sees in the bounty of early summer spiked with the fruity pepperiness of pink peppercorns.

This Strawberry Redcurrant Jam is ideal for those that don't like the strawberry jam too sweet as the redcurrants add extra vibrancy and tartness.

Strawberry Stem Ginger Sangria is sweet and spicy, a delightfully refreshing cocktail for a summer's day.