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Strawberry Almond Cake (Dairy-Free)

Amazingly fluffy almond cake layers paired with a sweet homemade whipped strawberry buttercream frosting that practically sings summer. This dairy-free strawberry almond cake is everything fresh and fruity that a summer-inspired layer cake should be. Topped with chopped almonds for a slightly salty crunch element that will have your tastebuds rejoicing.


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A close up of the top of a pink frosted cake with buttercream swirls and a strawberry slice of each swirl.

Dairy-Free Strawberry Almond Cake Flavor Profile

Anytime I think of strawberries I think of sweet, light, and refreshing. And that’s what this cake is. Sweet and springy, almost cloud-like, almond cake layers that act as a supporting flavor to highlight the main star of this cake show: the strawberry frosting. Speckled with bits of real strawberry, this buttercream frosting uses a homemade strawberry filling to incorporate a real genuine strawberry flavor that packs a sweet summer berry punch in every single bite.

A pink frosted cake topped with buttercream swirls an a strawberry slice on each swirl

An Almond Cake From Scratch

Using my go-to Vanilla Cake recipe as a base, I simply swapped out the vanilla extract for almond extract. At first, I contemplated using pulverized almonds in the cake batter to bring that warm nutty taste but I knew that would create a dense cake crumb. Nothing wrong with a dense texture, but I wanted this cake to be airy and light for a summertime dessert. Almond extract packs a whole lot of almond flavor though so use it sparingly. This recipe only requires a teaspoon for the whole batter!

A pink strawberry frosted cake cut open with three layers of almond cake showing. Topped with buttercream swirls an a strawberry slice on each swirl.

How To Make Strawberry Filling

Let’s quickly walk through how strawberry filling from scratch is made. First off, you can use either fresh or frozen strawberries. The only difference will be the cooking time. If you do use frozen strawberries let them thaw a bit so you can dice them up. Next, in a medium pot combine all the ingredients, stir to combine, and cook over medium heat.

The strawberry filling mixture will begin to thicken and come to a boil. It will take approximately 5-10 minutes depending on whether you use fresh or frozen strawberries. Once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon take it off the heat and pour it into a shallow dish. Lastly, cover the surface of the strawberry sauce with plastic wrap and allow it to fully cool to room temperature before you use it.

The top view of a pink frosted cake with buttercream swirls, chopped almons, and fresh strawberry slices.

Real Strawberry Almond Buttercream

The key to real strawberry buttercream is real strawberries. Using that strawberry filling, add 1 cup to the prepared almond buttercream and give it a good whip together. Don’t worry if there are small pieces of actual strawberry in the frosting, it only adds to the flavor and gorgeous soft pink appearance. Those strawberry speckles practically scream “summer yumminess.”

Serve the remaining strawberry filling on the side of each cake slice for an extra burst of real genuine strawberry flavor. Trust me when I say that this strawberry frosting will knock your socks off!

A pink frosted strawberry cake with swirls and fresh strawberry slices on top.

And there you have it…a fresh, fruity, and oh so simply delicious dairy-free strawberry almond cake packed full of real strawberry flavor that will suit each and every summer cake celebration need.

If you enjoy a strawberry almond flavor combo…give my Strawberry Almond Sprinkle Cookies a shot and let me know what you think!

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A pink frosted cake topped with buttercream swirls an a strawberry slice on each swirl

Strawberry Almond Cake (Dairy-Free)


  • Author: Katie Stymiest
  • Total Time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Slices 1x
  • Diet: Low Lactose

Description

Fluffy soft layers of dairy-free almond cake covered in a fresh strawberry buttercream whipped to perfection. This cake is fabulous for a spring or summer celebration.


Ingredients

Scale

Almond Cake

  • ¾ cup dairy-free milk, divided & room temperature
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature *can substitute liquid egg replacer for vegan
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups cake flour, sifted *can sub 1:1 gluten-free baking blend
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅔ cup dairy-free salted butter, room temperature

Strawberry Filling

  • 3 cups diced strawberries, fresh or frozen
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Strawberry Almond Buttercream

  • 2 cups dairy-free salted butter, room temperature
  • 6 cups icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup strawberry filling

Cake Decor

  • Almonds, chopped
  • Strawberry slices

Instructions

Almond Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.
  2. In a small mixing bowl combine ¼ cup of milk and the vegetable oil. Set aside.
  3. In the other small mixing bowl gently whisk together the remaining milk (½ cup), eggs, and almond extract. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer and with the flat beater attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and give it a quick mix together for approximately 1 minute.
  5. Add in the butter, in small pieces, to the dry ingredients and mix on low until it looks like coarse sand.
  6. Slowly pour in the milk and oil mixture and mix on medium for 2 minutes.
  7. Slowly pour the milk, egg, and extract mixture in and mix on medium for another 2 minutes. Scrap the sides of the bowl when necessary.
  8. Divide the cake batter into the three prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Allow the cake layers to cool for 10 minutes and then invert them on a cooling rack to fully cool.

Strawberry Filling

  1. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine all the ingredients and stir with a spatula until combined.
  2. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to thicken. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes. Once thickened remove from the heat.
  3. Pour the strawberry filling into a shallow container and cover the surface gently with plastic wrap and allow to fully cool.

Strawberry Almond Buttercream

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high for 10 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add in the icing sugar, almond extract, and salt and mix on low until fully combined.
  3. Add in 1 cup of fully cooled strawberry filling and mix on low until combined.
  4. Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

Cake Assembly

  1. Place one leveled layer of almond cake on a plate, cake board, and/or cake turntable with a small dollop of buttercream.
  2. Top with approximately 1 ½ cups of strawberry almond buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat this step with the remaining layers.
  3. Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  4. Apply a final coat of buttercream around the entire cake. Smooth the sides and scrape off excess buttercream from the top edge.
  5. Decorate as you please. I finished the cake off with buttercream swirls using a Wilton 1M piping tip, chopped almonds, and a strawberry slice on top of each swirl. Enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 2 Hours
  • Cook Time: 25 Minutes
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 786
  • Sugar: 42 Grams
  • Sodium: 524 Miligrams
  • Fat: 58 Grams
  • Saturated Fat: 29 Grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 24 Grams
  • Trans Fat: 3 Grams
  • Carbohydrates: 65 Grams
  • Fiber: 1 Gram
  • Protein: 4 Grams
  • Cholesterol: 118 Miligrams

Keywords: strawberry almond cake recipe, dairy free strawberry almond cake, almond cake recipe, strawberry almond cake, dairy free strawberry frosting recipe, dairy free summer cake, summer cake recipe, strawberry cake recipe, dairy free strawberry cake, dairy-free strawberry almond cake recipe

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43 Comments

  1. Brilliant recipe by Katie! The cake layers are soft and fluffy, and the strawberry and almond flavours are so delicious – highly recommend!

    1. Thanks for taking the time to bake this one Katy. I simply adore strawberry and almond together.

  2. One of the best tasting cakes I’ve ever made. I am a sucker for anything almond flavored, and this nailed it. The strawberry almond buttercream was to die for! My husband and I were eating it by the spoonful.

    1. I’m a sucker for almond too! I am so happy to hear both you and your husband enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to give it a shot Alison.

  3. The best cake that I have ever made, the flavors are incredibly delicious and the recepie ( directions) were easy to follow and at point. Thank you Katie!

    1. I have a thing for almond cake too. It pairs so beautifully with almost every other flavor.

  4. This cake was everything a cake should be. Fluffy, moist, sweet, and delicious.

    1. I will make this cake soon ..love strawberries.do you have a white gluten. Free cake recipe? I have made a few and they don’t taste well.. thank you

      1. I haven’t personally tested it but I would replace the eggs with vegan sour cream, yogurt, or aquafaba. If you try I’d love to know!

  5. I’m curious why you use salted butter..because they always say unsalted..I’m making today!!

    1. I grew up on salted butter and that’s how I learned how to bake. Purely personal preference.

  6. Hi Katie! I’m going to attempt to make this cake this weekend. Two quick questions (I’ll apologize though if you already answered these). 1) I want to make two 9 in cakes – do you recommend doubling the recipe or more than double it? 2) i also want to make it GF – would you recommend that I use your GF vanilla cake recipe but just use almond extract instead of vanilla extract?

    Thank you!!

    1. Hi Amy. This recipe will translate fine as is into two 9-inch round cake pans. And yes, I would use the gf vanilla cake recipe with some almond extract instead.

  7. I baked this caked twice and both times the middle sunk in. I made sure not to over mix. The second time I cut the baking soda in half and it did sink less severely. Other people have obviously had success with this recipe but I think it has too much leavening.

    1. Oh no! I’m so bummed for you Morgan. It’s frustrating when that happens, isn’t it?! Sinking is generally caused, first and foremost, by undermixing. Make sure to give the batter a mix on medium speed for the full 2 minutes after each liquid addition. Depending on your mixer you could even go up to a medium-high.

  8. This looks amazing! If I don’t need it to be dairy-free could I use cow’s milk + butter and get the same result? Thanks!

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