A strawberry angel food cake is a light and refreshing taste of summer you can have any time of the year. This strawberry dessert recipe is made with just two ingredients -- an angel food cake box mix and frozen strawberries. Topped with a simple cream cheese glaze, this angel food cake recipe combines the classic strawberries and cream flavors for a delicious and easy dessert that just might become a new family favorite.
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You’re going to love this
Strawberries and angel food cake. If you love the classic combination of fluffy angel food cake with fresh berries -- and maybe a dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream -- you're in for a treat! This angel food cake dessert has all the same flavors, just rearranged in a different way. And instead of whipped topping, this strawberry cake is topped with a tangy cream cheese glaze.
Easy dessert recipe. This 2-ingredient strawberry angel food cake dessert takes no time at all to make, with ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store. Just add thawed frozen strawberries and water to the cake mix and you’re well on your way to a delicious strawberry cake.
Fancy enough for special occasions. Sure this strawberry angel food cake recipe starts with a box mix, but adding the strawberries and cream cheese glaze dresses it up enough for special occasions. And a light and airy angel food cake just might be a welcome relief from other heavy desserts.
Frozen strawberries. Using frozen strawberries in this cake recipe means that you don't have to wait until strawberries are in season to make this cake. The frozen strawberries are ideal for this strawberry angel food cake because when they thaw, they are very, very soft so they break up easily with just a regular hand mixer.
Healthy-ish. Relatively speaking, angel food cake is on the lighter side of things. So if you or anyone in your crew is trying to cut calories or fat from their diet, they can still work this strawberry angel food dessert into their plan.
Pretty dessert. This cake is pink so that automatically qualifies it as pretty. I was tempted to play around with food coloring to brighten up the pink hue, but I think the natural color of the strawberries is perfect just as it is. But if you’re going for something brighter, feel free to add a few drops of red dye to your mix.
Just the right amount of cream cheese glaze. The first time I made this cream cheese glaze recipe, I thought this could never be enough. I’m kind of a more-is-more person when it comes to frosting, anyway. But this is really just the right amount to cover the top and drip down the sides.
How to Make Strawberry Angel Food Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Preheat the oven according to the instructions on the cake mix box.
Place the thawed strawberries in a large bowl and mash them thoroughly with a fork.
Add the water and angel food cake mix. Mix on low until combined, then on high for about 1 minute, until the batter is light and fluffy.
Place the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Run a knife through the cake batter to deflate any air bubbles.
Whenever I make angel food cakes with fruit in them, like this one or 2-Ingredient Orange Angel Food Cake, they tend to develop large air bubbles, which can cause the cake to collapse, have an uneven appearance, and well, just really big holes in it. So I recommend taking the time to do this.
Bake the angel food cake according to the directions on the package, until the top is golden brown and the cracks are dry, usually around 35-45 minutes.
Remove the strawberry angel food cake from the oven and immediately turn the pan upside down onto a baking rack or the neck of a bottle. If your angel food cake pan has feet on it, you can just invert it and let it cool upside down.
It will take about two hours to for the cake to cool. Once the pan feels completely cool, run a thin knife around the edges to release the cake from the pan. It will be super moist because of the strawberries, so be gentle.
How to Make Cream Cheese Glaze
Beat 4 ounces softened cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Beat in ½ cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2-4 tablespoons milk until it reaches a glaze consistency.
Spread cream cheese glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Strawberry Angel Food Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Strawberry Angel Food Cake
- 1 box angel food cake mix
- 1 ½ cups frozen strawberries, thawed Measure the strawberries when frozen. When defrosted, you should have about one cup of mashed strawberries.
- 1 cup water
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the instructions on the cake mix box.
- Thoroughly mash the thawed strawberries with a fork.
- Add strawberries and water to the angel food cake mix. Mix on low until combined, about 30 seconds, then on medium for about 1 minute, until the batter is light and fluffy.
- Place the batter into an angel food cake pan. Run a knife through the batter to deflate any air pockets.
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the package, until the top is golden brown and the cracks are dry.
- Remove from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack or bottle -- basically, do what you need to do to keep it upside down while it cools so it doesn’t deflate. I’ve personally never had luck using a bottle for this particular maneuver, so I bought an angel food cake pan with feet on it.
- When cool, run a knife around the edges to release the cake from the pan. It will be super moist because of the strawberries, so be gentle.
Make the Cream Cheese Glaze
- Beat 4 ounces softened cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Beat in ½ cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2-4 tablespoons milk until it reaches a glaze consistency. Spread over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Nutrition
There are so many tasty toppings you can put on a plain angel food cake -- or this strawberry angel food cake. Here are 9 fun things to put on angel food cake:
1. More strawberries! Fresh strawberries will amplify the strawberry flavor of this delicious strawberry dessert.
2. Blueberries. There's nothing better than angel food cake with strawberries and blueberries, so it only makes sense that fresh blueberries or a blueberry sauce will taste amazing on this strawberry cake.
3. Chocolate. A drizzle of chocolate ganache over the cream cheese glaze would be so decadent, wouldn't it? So would chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips -- plus, you'd get some crunch factor!
4. Lemon. Lemon and strawberries are natural-born BFFs, so a swirl of lemon curd or some lemon zest in the strawberry angel food cake mix would be delicious.
5. Lime. Another citrus fruit that goes well with strawberries is lime. For a quick garnish, you could sprinkle some lime zest over the cream cheese glaze before it sets.
6. Mint. Add some fresh chopped mint to the cake mix or as a garnish for an instant boost of bright flavor.
7. Rhubarb. Serve your strawberry angel food cake dessert with a warm rhubarb compote.
8. Pineapple. Some sliced grilled pineapple will bring all kinds of summery flavors to this angel food cake dessert.
9. Balsamic vinegar + black pepper. If you've never tried balsamic vinegar on fresh strawberries, it's a delightful combo. Same with black pepper. Sounds weird, I know. But if you're at all curious, give it a try. Start with these roasted balsamic strawberries, and add some fresh cracked black pepper.
No, not at all. And in fact not only do you not need to, but you shouldn't grease the pan for making angel food cake. Because angel food cake rises so high as it bakes, it needs to be able to grab onto the pan. And if the pan is greased, it just won't have anything to hang onto.
The reason for cooling an angel food cake upside down is so that it doesn't collapse. That's why a lot of angel food cake pans have feet on them, so you can rest it upside down.
Absolutely! You will probably need two 9-inch loaf pans for one angel food cake recipe. When they come out of the oven, just rest the loaf pans on their sides to keep the cake from collapsing.
Angel food cakes can seem like they're stuck in the pan because they don't just slide out like some others might. But it's really easy to remove an angel food cake from the pan.
Here's what you do: Just run a knife around the outer edge of the cake and separate the two pieces of the pan. Then run your knife around the center hole and the bottom of the cake to loosen it from the tube section. Then invert the cake onto a serving plate.
There are so many ways you can elevate a simple box angel food cake mix. This strawberry angel food cake is one.
You can also mix in a can of oranges, like in this 2-Ingredient Orange Angel Food Cake recipe. Or stir in some pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree, like in this Pumpkin Angel Food Cake recipe. Or even add a whole bunch of chocolate, like in this Chocolate Angel Food Cake recipe.
Yes!
For an unfrosted cake, thoroughly wrap it in plastic. A couple of times, just in case. Then again in aluminum foil. You can store your angel food cake in the freezer for a couple of months.
You can also freeze a frosted angel food cake, depending on the type of frosting. Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, and ganache will all freeze fabulously. Just set the cake on a sheet pan in the freezer until it’s firm. If your freezer won’t hold an entire angel food cake, you can cut it in pieces. Once your cake (or pieces) are frozen firm, wrap them really well in plastic, then again in foil.
To defrost your cake, set it on the counter or in the fridge.
Let the angel food cake cool completely in the pan before removing it. Otherwise, it could stick.
You bet! After you remove it from the pan, just cover it in plastic and store it at room temperature. If it’s frosted with cream cheese frosting or ganache, store it in the refrigerator.
Hungry for More Easy Angel Food Cake Recipes?
Orange Angel Food Cake with Honey Ricotta
How to Make an Angel Food Cake Roll
Recipe Essentials
Nordic Ware Angle Food Cake Pan
I recommend getting an angel food cake pan with feet on it, so you can easily invert it when it comes out of the oven. This is what I have.
Baking Racks
Whenever I'm icing or glazing something drippy, I like to place a baking rack over a sheet pan so the icing doesn't puddle around my cake or cookies or whatever.
Will this work with fresh strawberries? It's strawberry season!
Hi, Katie, I haven't tested this recipe with fresh strawberries so I am not able to say for sure, but I would think so! If you try it, let me know how it works out.
I could drink this glaze with a straw!! This was amazing!
Hi, Mindy! I'm so happy you loved the glaze! I do too ... I definitely call dibs on licking the bowl when I make this one! Thanks again :), Cara
What a refreshing twist on a classic favorite!
Thanks, Jess, it means so much to me that you enjoyed it and took the time to drop a note :). Cara
This is such an easy and delicious cake. It was already delicious even before adding the glazing.
Thank you, Anita, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! You're right, it's so good on its own -- I probably make it as often with the glaze as without.
I love this recipe! I usually just enjoy angel food cake with sliced strawberries, now I can have the double dose of strawberries + the tasty cream cheese glaze.
Hi Rebecca, thank you so much! Right, now you can double the strawberries in every bite :). Cara
Yum! what a perfect summer dessert. It is so easy to make with cake mix and using frozen strawberries is genius! My toddlers gobbled this cake up so quickly and was a delicious treat for them!
Aw, thank you so much, Liz, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And it makes me so happy to know that your little ones loved it :).
I have looked and looked for strawberry angel food cake. I have tried this recipe 4x and ALL 4X's it has fallen flat as pancake!!! I have tried cooking longer up to an hour and nothing helped. I would like to know what to try to keep it from falling.
Thank you
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that! I make this one a lot and have never experienced that. But here are a few thoughts that I hope will help you figure out the culprit. 1. Measure the strawberries when they are frozen. 2. Run a knife through the batter before baking, otherwise large air holes can develop, which can deflate the cake. 3. Rest the cake upside down until the cake has completely cooled. I like to give it a full two hours. I hope this helps you! Let me know, please! Cara
This has happened to me too. It has fallen on me while still baking in the oven. I’ve followed the directions exactly and ran a knife through the cake before baking and it still deflated. What am I doing wrong?
Oof, how frustrating! While I've never had this happen, it seems to be one of the more common problems with angel food cakes, unfortunately.
Here are a couple more troubleshooting tips for you:
1. Use an ungreased pan -- not a nonstick pan -- without parchment. The cake needs to be able to grab onto the pan.
2. Measure the strawberries carefully so there isn't too much liquid being added.
3. Be careful not to undermix. Or overmix.
4. Check that your oven temperature is accurate.
I'm so sorry this happened and hope these tips help you.
Cara
I absolutely love the light texture of this cake! It sounds so good paired with the cream cheese glaze.
Hi, Tara, thank you so much for your note! Strawberries and cream cheese are such a match made in heaven, I couldn't resist adding the glaze to this cake. Thank you! Cara
Yum! This cake is delicious - love all the flavours! Also love how easy it is to make!
Hi, Vanessa, Thank you so much for sharing your feedback -- it means so much to me that you enjoyed this yummy, easy strawberry cake!
Delicious and yummy mix. So easy to make and I love the fruit combinations too. Glaze looks perfect. Best dessert for sure
Thank you so much for your note, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it! Cara
I love how simple this recipe is, and how few ingredients it has!! It is definitely going to be a staple in my house from now on!!
Hi, Cathleen, Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it! Nothing like an easy cake mix hack to get to dessert as quickly as possible :). Thanks again, Cara
This was so light and delicious! We really enjoyed it. Thank you. 🙂
Hi, Kris, thank you for your note! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :). Cara