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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! This cake looks beautiful and delicious! I would like to make it for my daughter’s birthday but I have a lot of people to feed (18 adults and 6 kids). I’m thinking of making it in an 18 inch wedding cake pan and slicing it in half. Any advice on the proportions? Should I double it? What about cook time?
Thank you!
HI Danielle! Unfortunately, I do not feel comfortable advising you on this as I have never baked a cake of that size, so I really have no idea how to adjust the proportions or cooking time. So very sorry I could not help you. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Sorry Tieghan ! Not Taegan (My sister is a Taegan). ? thanks for the beautiful blog. All the recipes are amazing
I made this cake over the weekend for a bbq. Everyone loved it ! It looked beautiful! I didn’t have fresh flowers but I had some dried camomile flowers and they looked great. It tastes super yummy – go make it ! Everyone said it was super delicious! Will make it again for sure – thanks Taegan !
Thank you Jane! I am so glad you loved this cake!
This cake looks so amazing!! I’m going to bake it for a friend’s birthday in June. One quick question, I’m not a huge fan of canola oil, can I use butter instead? Thanks!
This cake looks so amazing!! I’m going to bake it for a friend’s birthday in June. One quick question, I’m not a huge fan of canola oil, can I use butter instead? Thanks!
HI! You dont taste the oil, it just keeps the cake moist. That said, I am sure melted butter will work great too! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hey Meg! You can use melted butter, that will be great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It is such a beautiful cake and the recipe sounds delicious!
Thank you so much Heather! I am so glad you loved this!
Tieghan – you can ignore my previous question about the flowers….I found your replies and a link to the website when I started from the bottom of all the great comments! Thanks again! Can’t wait to make this!
What a beautiful cake! Sorry if you’ve been asked this many time and I’ve missed your responses…do you grow your own edible flowers? If not, where do you get them? I’d love to replicate what you’ve made for Mother’s Day, but I have no clue where to start in regards to the flowers 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Erin! I do not grow my own edible flowers, I order them online. I’ll link it below! I hope you love this cake!
https://shop.gourmetsweetbotanicals.com/Edible-Flowers_c3.htm;jsessionid=595A34C9AFF884AF0843522C4336358F.p3plqscsfapp003
I live the recipes you have on the site and can’t wait to try this one. I do have one question. If I choose to make two lates only, do I just apply 2/3 to all of the ingredients? (I apologize if the question is rudimentary…I’m a novice cook).
HI! Yes, just make 2/3 of the recipe and divide between 2 cake pans. That will be great!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I REALLY want to try this recipe! It’s so delightfully springy! Do you think I could make this as cupcakes? Are there any variations you would recommend if I tried doing that?
I think cupcakes will be great! I would bake them 18-22 minutes. This will make around 32 cupcakes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This recipe is on another level! I made it for my friend’s birthday and everybody was OBSESSED. 🙂 I will definitely be keeping it in my spring/summer cake rotation. It is BEAUTIFUL. I decorating with blueberries, strawberries, and edible flowers.
Thank you so much Chelsea!
Hello Tieghan, this was the highlight of our Eater table!!! Not as beautiful as yours but everyone loved it (I used cream cheese and quark for the frosting with no chamomile because I am not found of chamomile). It was sooo goooooood. Thank you for the recipe.
I am sure it looked amazing Maria! Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed this!
Hi! I can’t get my frosting to whip into stiff peaks. After trying to get it to in my stand mixer without success I popped it in the fridge in hopes that chilling it colder would help but it didn’t. Is it possible I overmixed it and stiff peaks are now unable to form? Should I start over?
HI Megan, did the cream boil at all? this can cause the cream to not whip. Also was the cream very chilled? it needs to be very cold in order to whip. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Has anyone used cake flour or should I just use regular?
I have not tested this with cake flour, but I am sure it would be just fine. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Now this is just dreamy. Those pictures and that CREAMY GOODNESS!!!! I Want spring and I want it now!
ME TOO! Thank you so much Lucy, I am so glad you like this!