Strawberry Champagne Cake with Whipped Buttercream Frosting
Have you ever wanted to make something really special for a birthday or party? Today I’m going to tell you all about my favorite cake to make when I want people to say “wow!” This Strawberry Champagne Cake with Whipped Buttercream Frosting is the kind of treat that makes any day feel like a celebration. It looks fancy, but don’t worry – I’ll walk you through every step so you can make it too!
When I first tried to make this cake, I dropped an entire bowl of frosting on the floor. My dog thought it was the best day ever! But I’ve learned a lot since then, and now I can help you skip the messy mistakes I made.
What makes this cake so special is how the fizzy taste of champagne mixes with sweet strawberries. The cake is soft and pink, and the frosting is so light it’s almost like eating a cloud. It’s perfect for grown-up birthdays, wedding showers, or any time you want to make someone feel extra special.
What You’ll Need
Before we get started, let’s make sure you have everything you need. This recipe isn’t hard, but it does need some special items. The good news is that once you have them, you can use them for lots of other tasty treats too!
| For the Cake | For the Frosting | Tools |
| 2½ cups cake flour | 2 cups unsalted butter (room temp) | Two 9-inch round cake pans |
| 2 cups sugar | 4 cups powdered sugar | Stand mixer or hand mixer |
| 1 tsp baking powder | 2 tbsp heavy cream | Mixing bowls |
| ½ tsp baking soda | 1 tsp vanilla extract | Measuring cups and spoons |
| ½ tsp salt | Pinch of salt | Rubber spatula |
| 3 large eggs | Pink food coloring (optional) | Cake turntable (helpful but not needed) |
| ¾ cup buttermilk | 1 cup fresh strawberries | Wire cooling rack |
| ¾ cup champagne | ¼ cup strawberry jam | Offset spatula or butter knife |
| ½ cup vegetable oil | Sifter | |
| 2 tsp vanilla extract | Serrated knife | |
| ½ cup strawberry puree | ||
| Pink food coloring (optional) |
Making the Strawberry Puree
Let’s start by making the strawberry puree. This is what gives our cake that amazing fresh strawberry taste. Take about 2 cups of fresh strawberries, wash them, and cut off the green tops. Cut them into smaller pieces and put them in a blender. Blend until smooth. Then, pour the mixture through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. You need ½ cup of this smooth puree for the cake.
You can make this a day before if you want. Just keep it in a closed container in the fridge. Making it ahead saves time on baking day!
Preparing to Bake
Before you start mixing anything, make sure your oven is heating up to 350°F (175°C). While it’s warming, get your cake pans ready. Rub some butter all over the inside of each pan. Then sprinkle some flour in each pan and tap it around until the butter is covered. Shake out any extra flour. You can also use cooking spray made for baking, or put circles of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan.
Take your butter and eggs out of the fridge about an hour before you start baking. They mix better when they’re not cold. This is one of those small tricks that makes a big difference in how your cake turns out!
Making the Cake Batter
Now let’s get mixing! In a big bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps hiding in there.
In another bowl, mix the eggs, buttermilk, champagne, oil, and vanilla extract. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Now slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix gently until they’re just combined. Don’t mix too much or your cake might get tough! Then stir in the strawberry puree. If you want a really pink cake, you can add a few drops of pink food coloring. I like to add just a little, so the cake has a soft pink color that says “strawberry” as soon as you see it.
One time I tried to make this cake with my niece, and she squeezed WAY too much food coloring in the batter. We ended up with a cake that looked like bubble gum! It still tasted amazing, though. So don’t worry if you add too much – it’ll still be yummy!
Baking the Cake
Pour the batter evenly into your two prepared cake pans. Give each pan a gentle tap on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Put them in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you can stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs on it.
When the cakes are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then carefully turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. If the cakes have domed tops (like little mountains in the middle), you can use a serrated knife to carefully cut the tops flat. This will make your cake layers stack better.
While the cakes are cooling, we can work on the frosting!
Making the Whipped Buttercream Frosting
This frosting is so good you might want to eat it with a spoon! It’s like normal buttercream, but whipped until it’s super light and fluffy – kind of like the bubbles in champagne!
Start by beating the room temperature butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Beat it for a full 5 minutes until it looks almost white and is very fluffy. This takes longer than you might think, but it’s worth it! The fluffier your butter is now, the lighter your frosting will be.
Next, add the powdered sugar, but do it slowly – about ½ cup at a time. Mix well after each addition. If you add it all at once, you’ll end up with a sugar cloud all over your kitchen! (Trust me on this one…my cat looked like a powdered donut after my first try at this recipe!)
After all the sugar is mixed in, add the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and just a tiny pinch of salt. The salt might seem weird in a sweet frosting, but it actually makes the sweet taste even better! Then beat everything on high speed for another 5 minutes. The frosting should be so light and fluffy it almost looks like whipped cream.
Take out about 1 cup of the frosting and mix it with ¼ cup of strawberry jam. This will be the filling between your cake layers. You can also add a drop of pink food coloring if you want it to look extra strawberry-ish.
Building Your Cake
Now comes the fun part – putting it all together! Make sure your cake layers are completely cool. If they’re still warm, the frosting will melt and slide right off.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Spread the strawberry frosting mixture evenly on top, leaving about ½ inch from the edge. This keeps the filling from squishing out the sides when you add the second layer.
For extra strawberry goodness, you can add a layer of thinly sliced fresh strawberries on top of the frosting. Just pat them dry with a paper towel first so they don’t make the cake soggy.
Carefully place the second cake layer on top. Now cover the whole cake with a thin layer of the plain whipped buttercream. This is called a “crumb coat” and it seals in any loose crumbs. Put the cake in the fridge for about 15 minutes to let this layer set.
After the crumb coat is set, use the rest of the frosting to cover the cake. You can make it as smooth or as swirly as you like! I like to create soft swirls with the back of a spoon, which gives it a dreamy, cloud-like look.
Decorating Your Masterpiece
Now let’s make this cake look as amazing as it tastes! There are so many ways you can decorate this beauty. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
Fresh strawberries are always perfect. You can place whole berries around the top edge of the cake, or cut them in half and arrange them in a pretty pattern. You can also dip some strawberries in melted white chocolate and place them on top for an extra fancy look.
Edible flowers like pansies or rose petals look so pretty on this pink cake. Just make sure they’re actually edible flowers, not just any flowers from the garden!
Sprinkle some pink sugar or tiny sugar pearls around the top or sides of the cake. They catch the light and make the cake sparkle, just like champagne bubbles!
If you’re making this cake for a special celebration, you could add a cake topper that matches the occasion. A “Happy Birthday” sign, wedding cake topper, or even a funny message can make it extra special.
Serving Tips
This cake tastes best when it’s at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to serve it. Use a sharp knife to cut it, and wipe the knife clean between each slice for the prettiest pieces.
Want to make it even more special? Serve each slice with a few extra fresh strawberries on the side, or even a small glass of champagne for the grown-ups!
Make-Ahead Options
If you need to make this cake ahead of time, you have a few options. You can bake the cake layers and freeze them for up to a month. Just wrap them really well in plastic wrap and then in foil. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting.
The finished cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just put it in a cake keeper or loosely cover it with plastic wrap (be careful not to mess up the frosting!).
I like to make the cake layers one day, and then do the frosting and decorating the next day. It breaks up the work and makes the whole process more fun and less tiring.
Final Thoughts
This Strawberry Champagne Cake with Whipped Buttercream Frosting is more than just a dessert – it’s a celebration on a plate! The combination of sweet strawberries and fizzy champagne flavor creates something truly special that your friends and family will remember long after the last crumb is gone.
Don’t be afraid if your cake doesn’t look perfect the first time. Mine sure didn’t! What matters most is the love you put into making it and the joy of sharing something homemade with people you care about. Plus, even a “messy” version of this cake still tastes amazing!
So next time you have something special to celebrate – or even if you just want to make an ordinary day extraordinary – give this Strawberry Champagne Cake a try. I promise it will bring smiles and maybe even a few “wows” to your table!
Happy baking, friends!
