This Texas-style strawberry sheet cake is made with a box of cake mix and strawberry gelatin. It's moist, tender and bursting with strawberry flavor.
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Updated Sep. 26, 2024
Everything is bigger in Texas—and a Texas sheet cake is no exception. In the Lone Star State, they do things differently than the rest of the country when it comes to single-layer cakes. This strawberry sheet cake recipe is loaded with fresh strawberry flavor, and it’s perfect for large gatherings because this sheet cake is the size of Texas!
What is Texas sheet cake?
While most bakers prepare sheet cakes in 13×9-inch cake pans, it’s common in Texas to see sheet cakes baked in actual sheet pans, which are like jelly roll pans but bigger.
The original Texas sheet cake recipe is made with a thin, decadent, ultra-moist layer of chocolate cake topped with a poured fudge icing and chopped walnuts. Our sheet cake with strawberries is a variation of the classic, replacing the chocolate cake with a strawberry-flavored sheet cake prepped using a simple box of white cake mix, strawberry gelatin and chopped strawberries.
Finished with a light mascarpone buttercream made with fresh pureed strawberries, our strawberry sheet cake recipe is sweetened with just enough confectioners’ sugar to draw out all the natural sweetness of the berries.
Ingredients for Strawberry Sheet Cake
- White cake mix: Our Test Kitchen experts tested a ton of different brands to find the best white cake mix. If you don’t have a go-to, consider one of their favorites!
- Strawberry gelatin: If you’ve never added gelatin to a cake before, today’s your lucky day! Gelatin flavors and colors the cake, and it impacts the cake’s overall texture, making it ultra moist, tender and lighter than air.
- Sugar: We need to sweeten this strawberry sheet cake recipe with only a few tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- All-purpose flour: Because the gelatin adds so much moisture, we need a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour to balance the cake so we aren’t left with a sheet cake that won’t set.
- Water: Water helps hydrate the gelatin and the white cake mix. It may be tempting, but avoid swapping in milk or cream. Milk or cream won’t give the same texture to the cake that we need.
- Canola oil: Instead of butter, we use canola oil to enrich the cake. Canola oil is liquid at room temperature, meaning it won’t reharden and make the cake less moist after it sits.
- Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature by taking them out of the fridge 30 minutes before using them. For quicker room-temperature eggs, place them in a bowl and cover them with warm (not hot!) water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Strawberries: Clean the strawberries thoroughly, then hull the strawberries to remove their white core and leafy top. After that, finely chop enough strawberries to measure 1 cup.
- Strawberry frosting: Our sheet cake with strawberries includes a homemade strawberry frosting that’s made from fresh strawberries, butter, creamy mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar and a little bit of salt.
Directions
Step 1: Prep a half-sheet pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet with parchment, and coat it with cooking spray.
Step 2: Whisk together dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, gelatin, sugar and flour.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients
Pour in the water, oil and eggs.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for two minutes.
Step 4: Fold in the strawberries
Fold in the chopped strawberries. Pour the cake batter into the prepared sheet pan.
Editor’s Tip: Use a mini offset spatula to make sure the cake batter reaches all four corners in the pan and is spread out evenly.
Step 5: Bake the sheet cake
Bake the strawberry sheet cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 16 minutes. Cool the cake completely to room temperature.
Step 6: Pulse the berries
For the frosting, pulse the strawberries in a food processor until smooth, then set them aside.
Step 7: Make a strawberry frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and mascarpone until light and fluffy, three to five minutes.
Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have mascarpone, use light cream cheese instead.
Beat in the salt and strawberries.
Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar.
Beat in enough confectioners’ sugar to reach your desired consistency and level of sweetness.
Step 8: Frost the cake
Spread the frosting over the top of the room-temperature cake.
Step 9: Decorate and serve
Decorate the strawberry sheet cake with fresh strawberries, as desired, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Use another gelatin flavor: You can flavor this sheet cake with strawberries any way you wish by switching up the gelatin flavor and changing the fresh fruit to match. Cherry or raspberry would work best. Let us know how creative you get in the comments.
- Change up the frosting: No need to stick to our mascarpone strawberry frosting. Feel free to use cream cheese frosting, on-theme strawberry frosting and even chocolate frosting for a chocolate-covered strawberry flavor.
How to Store Strawberry Sheet Cake
This strawberry sheet cake may be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to five days. Remove the cake from the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before serving to allow the cake and frosting to come to room temperature. For the best results, we suggest not topping the cake with fresh berries until you’re ready to serve.
Can you freeze strawberry sheet cake?
Yes, you can freeze strawberry sheet cake, but only the cake layer! The mascarpone-strawberry frosting won’t freeze well.
To freeze the cake, allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Keep the cake in its pan and wrap the cake in storage wrap. It can be frozen for up to two months. Allow the cake to thaw for one hour at room temperature.
Strawberry Sheet Cake Tips
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones?
You definitely can use frozen strawberries in place of fresh ones. Allow the frozen strawberries to thaw completely, then drain away all their excess liquid or else your cake and frosting will be soupy.
Can I bake this in a different pan?
Absolutely! You could split the batter between two greased 11×7-inch baking pans, two 10-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans.
Strawberry Sheet Cake
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Yield
24 slices
Ingredients
- CAKE:
- 1 box (13-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
- 1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
- FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a 15x10x1-in. baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, gelatin, sugar and flour. Add water, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds; increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Fold in chopped strawberries. Bake 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Place strawberries in a food processor; pulse until smooth. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and mascarpone until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in salt and strawberries. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Spread frosting over cooled cake.
Nutrition Facts
1 slice: 307 calories, 17g fat (8g saturated fat), 49mg cholesterol, 212mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (29g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.
This Texas-style sheet cake is made with a box of cake mix and strawberry gelatin. It's moist, tender and bursting with strawberry flavor. —Lauren Habermehl, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Recipe Creator
