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Think spring: soft vanilla–chamomile layers, just-sweet whipped frosting, and plenty of juicy strawberries. It’s simple, pretty, and perfect for showers, Mother’s Day, or any sunny afternoon.
We keep the “naked” finish minimalist—so you get more cake, less frosting, and a relaxed, bakery-style look you can pull off at home.
Happiest FRIDAY!! I am very excited the weekend is here, and hoping for a little bit of down time after a busy week. We have been working endlessly over here on multiple projects, the biggest one being the studio barn. There has been lots of decision making and hair pulling, so I know everyone over here is ready for a bit of a reset. We probably will not get it, but hey, it’s all going to be worth it in the long run!
Thankfully, a lot of my “hard” work and days spent in the kitchen this week resulted in a few beautiful creations, like this strawberry cake that makes ending the work day, extra, extra sweet.
As most of you probably know, I am normally all about the chocolate desserts. Read, the more chocolate the better. See this cake for example. BUT that’s not to say that I don’t still love a good fruity dessert. Granted it took me a while to warm up to fruit based desserts, and I do still think of them as more of a brunch type of item than dessert, but regardless, I now love them.
With spring on its way and Easter coming up in less than two weeks, I knew I needed to share this strawberry chamomile cake that I’ve literally been thinking about since December. I’ve said this before, but sometimes I get ideas in my head months and months before I actually create them. Sharing a strawberry cake in December really does not make sense, so I waited and waited and finally the time has come.
And guys? To be expected, I LOVE this cake.
For one, it’s covered in chamomile flowers, which you all know I am obsessed with.
Two, and most importantly, this cake honestly is so DELICIOUS. It’s light, springy, perfectly sweet, hinted with warm chamomile flavors, and studded with fresh springtime strawberries.
Basically, this cake is spring in cake form, and it is good! I also say this often, but you need this cake in your life. My grandpa said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten!
I made this cake with Easter in mind, but it’s obviously great for any and all spring (and summer) occasions. Mother’s Day, a spring brunch, or just a simple weekend treat.
It’s pretty easy to make, and I love that it’s a naked cake, as opposed to a cake covered completely in frosting. Naked cake means easy, peasy, and doesn’t require any fancy decorating or really any decorating skills at all. Layer everything up, add strawberries, and done.
Yes, please!
The cake base is my favorite vanilla cake with sweet strawberry jam swirled throughout. It’s simple, but really delish. I used a strawberry jam instead of fresh berries in the cake because I found that using jam was easier. The jam actually resulted in a better strawberry flavor, and baked up prettier than using fresh berries in the cake.
For the topping, originally I was planning on doing a frosting, but during my second attempt at the cake I realized that a lighter topping would compliment the cake much better, so I made a chamomile cream to slather all over cake layers. I love that the cream is hinted with the warm tones of chamomile tea and has just the right amount of sweet. It’s perfect topped with plenty of fresh strawberries.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheat
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Bake ahead: Wrap cooled layers tightly; refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months. Assemble the day of serving for best texture.
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Frosting ahead: Whipped frostings are best same day; rewhip briefly if made a few hours in advance.
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Leftovers: Refrigerate slices in an airtight container. Add fresh berries right before serving to avoid weeping.
FAQ:
Can I use chamomile tea bags instead of loose flowers?
Yes—use the same steeping approach and taste as you go. Strain well so no tea flecks end up in the batter or frosting.
How do I keep strawberries from making the cake soggy?
Macerate with a little sugar, then drain off juices before layering. Add a thin frosting barrier between cake and berries to keep crumbs dry.
Can I assemble this cake the night before?
You can stack and crumb-coat, then chill overnight; finish the outer swipe and add fresh berries the day you serve for the prettiest look.
What if I don’t want a “naked” finish?
Go for a full frosting coat using the same recipe; chill briefly between coats for smooth sides and sharper edges.
Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake
Servings: 28 servings
Calories Per Serving: 314 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup high quality strawberry jam
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- honey, for drizzling
Chamomile Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 chamomile tea bags
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Gently swirl in the strawberry jam, leaving large streaks and not fully incorporating the jam. 3. Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 28-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.4. To make the chamomile cream. Add 1 cup cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, but do not boil, simmer 1 minute and remove from the heat. Add the tea bags, cover and steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bag and place the cream in the fridge to chill completely. Next, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy, add the chilled chamomile cream and remaining 1 cup cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stored in the fridge. 5. To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and drizzle lightly with honey. Spread 1/3 of the chamomile cream over the cake and add a handful of fresh chopped strawberries. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Be careful not to over fill your layers with fruit or the cake will be hard to slice. Serve or store in the fridge for up to 1 day. If desired, decorate the cake with chamomile flowers.
Layers and layers of spring strawberry perfection.
This post was originally published on March 16, 2018
Hi! I’m making this cake for my daughter‘s birthday and she wants it to be pink! I’m thinking of adding powdered freeze dried strawberries and wondering how much I should use? I’ve read that the acidity from the freeze dried strawberries can interact negatively with baking soda/powder. Do you ant any thoughts about this you can share?
Hey Abby,
If you wanted to do that, I would use this recipe and just make a cake out of it:
https://fett-weg.today/double-strawberry-cupcakes/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Or you could just make your icing pink! I hope this helps! Happy Birthday to your daughter! xx
Love this cake!! I’ve tried it at different friend’s bridal showers, and now I want to try making it myself.
Is the cream thick enough to cover the cake instead of doing a naked cake?
Hey Emily,
So glad to hear you have enjoyed this cake! Yes, you could frost the cake, that would work nicely for you! xx
I have made this cake 4 times. It always comes out perfect! Its the perfect showstopper without it taking ages to make. I love it!
Hi Esther,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
Thank you!!! Do you think this will be as good if i swap for raspberries or will it change too much?
Hey Taylor,
I think raspberries would be delicious! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hi! Do you think three layers will work with 9 inch round pans? Thank you!
Hi Taylor,
Yes, that will work nicely for you, you may just need to reduce your bake time slightly. I hope you love this recipe! xx
What can I use instead of canola oil for this recipe?
Hi Erica,
You can use another neutral oil in place of the canola oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi Tieghan! I love this cake so much! It has such a gorgeous light sweetness and the chamomile cream is to die for! I was wondering if the cake layers could be frozen?
Hey there,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for making it! Totally, that will work nicely for you. Happy Weekend!!
Do whip frosting like whip cream vs traditional cream cheese frosting?
Hi Tatum,
You are going to whip the frosting like whip cream. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi! How much time in advance can I bake the cake?
Hi Paula,
I would say a few days in advance is just fine to do. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Have you ever made this as a sheet cake? Do you think it would work?
Hey there,
So sorry, I have never tried this recipe as a sheet cake, but it should work nicely for you! Here are some other sheet cake recipes you might enjoy too:
https://fett-weg.today/strawberry-shortcake-sheet-cake/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/blackberry-lavender-sheet-cake/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/lemon-coconut-vanilla-sheet-cake/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! Happy Fourth of July! xT
I’m trying to make this cake for a birthday and the cream keeps curdling, I don’t know what I’m doing to cause that though. I’ve tried looking up videos and what not but can’t exactly nail where I’ve gone wrong. Does anyone have advice?
Hey there,
Sorry to hear you are having issues with the cream. Are you making sure to not boil it and then allowing it to completely cool? Let me know!! xx
The same thing happened to me, I had chilled the cream before incorporating it but it turned only kitchen was too warm because it started to peak and then collapsed. The next time I chilled the mixing bowl and it worked a lot better
Is it possible to convert this into a two-layer cake? If so, how would I go about doing that? I’m planning on making this cake for my mom’s birthday 🙂
Hey Rosemary,
Sure, I would use 2 9-inch pans and then follow the recipe as written, that should work nicely for you! Let me know if I can help in any other way! Happy Birthday to your mom! xT
Where do you add strawberry jam?
Hi Pam,
You are going to add the strawberry jam in step 2. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Made this cake for my daughter’s 10th birthday. She loves strawberries and chamomile. Perfect timing because the flowers were blooming in my garden. The cake was delicious! Only change I made was trading out canola for avocado oil. And added a touch more powder sugar in the cream since I was making it for kids. It was really so so good!
Hey Amanda,
Fantastic! Love to hear that this cake turned out nicely for you, thanks so much for making it! Happy Birthday to your daughter! Have a great weekend:)
How do you get the cake to rise? I followed all the steps but my cake came out a little flat however, yummy still.
Hi there,
I would check your baking soda and baking powder, make sure they aren’t expired. I hope this helps!
Hi, where do you find fresh camomile flowers? I am only seeing dried tea leaves online.
TIA!
Hey Alexis,
I order from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this for dessert on last Sunday’s brunch for an early mother’s day celebration. It was a complete success ! Everyone (kids, teens, adults) loved it.
Will make again in the future for sure !
The cream was too liquid, but I just kept adding ice sugat until the desired consistency, as simple as that!
Many thanks to you and your team for outstanding recipes !
Hey Virginie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this cake and your feedback, so glad it was delish! Happy Mother’s Day! xT