Sour Cream Sheet Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting

This Sour Cream Sheet Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting is one of those simple, nostalgic desserts that everyone loves. The cake has a soft, buttery crumb that tastes almost like a cross between a sugar cookie and a fluffy cake…a little more tender than a cookie but slightly more dense than a traditional cake. Sour cream keeps the texture incredibly moist while adding a subtle richness that makes every bite irresistible.

The real magic is the fresh strawberry frosting. Real strawberries are mixed right into the frosting, creating a naturally sweet, slightly tangy topping with beautiful color and bursts of fresh strawberry flavor. The texture is creamy with little bits of fruit that make it feel extra special.

Because it’s baked in a large sheet pan, this cake is perfect for feeding a crowd…potlucks, family gatherings, celebrations, or anytime you want a dessert that disappears quickly. In fact, it’s so good I made it twice in the same week, and both times the pan was completely empty by the end.

I recently brought it to a gathering where a community came together to comfort a grieving family, and it felt like a small but heartfelt offering of sweetness during a difficult time. Food has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? Bringing people together and offering comfort when words fall short.

If you love easy sheet cakes, fresh strawberry desserts, and soft bakery-style treats, this one is guaranteed to become a favorite.

Hope you get a chance to try it!

Let me show you how to make it happen.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl, place your softened butter. Add the sugar and beat until well combined and slightly fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each one. Beat for another 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, milk and sour cream and beat until combined. It will look a little bit lumpy/curdled at this point and that’s ok.

Turn the mixer off and add the flour, salt and baking powder. Before you mix these dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, take a fork and toss them around a bit so they combine well before you mix them into the batter. Once you’ve done that, turn the mixer on and mix everything together, just until combined.

Spray a large cookie sheet (mine is 11×16, and 3 inches deep) with cooking spray and spread the batter out evenly onto the sheet. (I’ve tried it with a cookie sheet that is less deep and it fit…but just barely. If you have a deep sheet, I’d use it).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool completely.

While your cake is cooling, set your frozen strawberries on the counter to defrost a bit. You don’t want them to be completely frozen when we make the frosting. Chilled still, but not frozen.

To make the frosting, blend up your strawberries into a nice puree.

Into your stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and beat on low speed until the mixture starts to come together. It will be kind of bulky, but will thin out as we add the strawberries. Add your strawberries and beat well, on low speed, until the mixture is combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to be sure any butter or strawberry clumps get loosened. Then, turn up your mixer to medium high speed and let it really get to work. The frosting should become nice and fluffy and wonderful. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it gets too thick, you can add a touch of milk.

Spread the frosting over the top of the cake, serve and enjoy!

You can make this beauty 24-48 hours in advance, and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. It also freezes super well.

Recipe from Cook with Chel