Prosecco is one of the most popular drinks in the UK (even more so than milk around Christmas time!) and it goes so well with strawberries. This Prosecco & Strawberry Cake is soaked in a prosecco syrup, filled with prosecco buttercream and strawberry jam, and topped with more yummy prosecco buttercream and fresh strawberries. It is a perfect celebration cake for birthdays, Christmas, New Year's Eve or any special day worthy of a glass of fizz! It's easy to make and you can decorate it however you wish. I went for fresh strawberries and some sprinkles!
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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- You can use champagne instead of prosecco if you're really feeling fancy!
- You can swap the strawberries for raspberries, and the strawberry jam for raspberry jam if you prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Prosecco & Strawberry Cake
To make the cake mix the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Next mix in the self raising flour, and divide the mixture between the cake tins.
Bake them, then leave them to cool. Before stacking them, brushe each sponge with prosecco syrup.
To decorate, make a prosecco buttercream. Pipe the buttercream on the bottom sponge around the edge and fill the centre with strawberry jam. Add the second layer and pipe the remaining buttercream on top. Decorate with fresh strawberries and sprinkles.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?
Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.
Can this cake be made into cupcakes?
Yes! Please check out my Prosecco & Strawberry Cupcakes recipe for the ingredients and method.
How long does the Prosecco & Strawberry Cake last for and can you freeze it?
The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool place. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated (but do not freeze the strawberries and sprinkles). Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.
Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 3 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additional baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 3 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ½ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for both the cake and buttercream. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the Prosecco & Strawberry Cake:
- You can use champagne instead of prosecco if you're really feeling fancy!
- I like to pipe the buttercream between the layers, but you can also spread it with a spoon or palette knife.
- I don’t recommend baking this cake in one deep tin, as it may not cook evenly. It is best to bake it in two sandwich tins (that are at least 2" deep).
- You can swap the strawberries for raspberries, and the strawberry jam for raspberry jam if you prefer.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- 8" cake tins
- Mixing bowls
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Ateco 828 piping nozzle
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More strawberry recipes...
Prosecco & Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
For the prosecco syrup
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 125 ml Prosecco
For the cake
- 350 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
- 350 g Caster sugar
- 6 Eggs large
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 350 g Self raising flour
For the buttercream
- 200 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 400 g Icing sugar
- 3 tbsp Prosecco
For filling & decoration
- 150 g Strawberry jam
- 9 Fresh strawberries
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
- Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl, ideally with an electric mixer, until fluffy and pale
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk until fully incorporated
- Add the self raising flour and whisk in gently until you can't see any flour anymore
- Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy
- Bake them for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or on cooling racks
- While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Put the caster sugar and prosecco in a pan on a low heat, stir together until the sugar is dissolved
- Bring to the boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool completely
- If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a serrated knife
- Poke the cakes all over with a thin skewer, then brush the syrup evenly over them
- To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, this is best done using an electric mixer
- When it starts to come together add the prosecco, and whisk until smooth
- Put one of the sponges on your plate or cake stand, and pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the sponge. Fill the centre with the strawberry jam
- And the second sponge on top, pipe larger rosettes of buttercream all around the edge and smaller ones in the centre
- Decorate with the fresh strawberries and sprinkles, if using
- Serve immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
Video
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- You can use champagne instead of prosecco if you're really feeling fancy!
- You can swap the strawberries for raspberries, and the strawberry jam for raspberry jam if you prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
Looks perfect and the flavours sound delicious.
Sophie Morley
This cake was so light and fluffy and everyone said how nice it was.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Haha - I love the fact that prosecco is more popular than milk round Christmas time! This cake certainly makes good use of it, it looks gorgeous! Eb 🙂
Donna
I made this for my husbands 30th as he loves prosecco! It went down really well, the cake cooked perfect and he was very pleased. The only thing I wish the recipe included was some tips for the icing - i can never get my icing firm enough to be able to pipe, so it didn't look anything like this although i used the strawberries to make it look better. Not sure if I overmixed or something?! But anyway I love your recipes 😁
thebakingexplorer
Hi Donna, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the cake! I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with the icing, if it wasn't firm enough I'd suggest adding less prosecco to it next time. I found 3 tbsp was enough to keep it firm for piping but with a good prosecco flavour, but the different result you experienced could be due to different brands of butter and icing sugar (I find real butter creates much firmer buttercream than a baking spread like Stork for example). You can get prosecco extract if you want a good flavour but without adding too much liquid. If you check out my YouTube channel you can see me making buttercream for many of my recipes in a similar way as I'd make it for this one if that helps as well 🙂
Donna
Thank you for the tips 😁 will bear them in mind for next time! My husband has said I'll have to make the cake again. Also my first comment shouls have been 5 stars sorry!
Monisha naik
This recipe looks amazing! I’ve just made the cakes and the syrup. I wanted to ask do you use all of the syrup? Or just brush over lightly?
Will all of the syrup make the cakes soggy?
Thank you so much
thebakingexplorer
Hi, yes I use all of the syrup and brush it over both cakes equally. I hope you enjoy the cake! 😀
Monisha Naik
This is an amazing recipe. I have baked it for two hen parties and it has been loved both times! The prosecco really comes through and the sponge is so moist. I split it into 3 tins and it still worked amazingly. Thank you so much!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Monisha!
Jill
Please could someone tell me how tall finished cake is. As I want it for an ice bucket cake but not sure if I’ll need 3 layers
Juanita
Hi. This cake looks delicious. Before I make this question. This batter needs no oil? Also, if I wanted to use egg whites only, how would that change the t eggs called for?
Thanks for your help
Juanita
thebakingexplorer
Hi Juanita, no oil is required, unfortunately I have not made this cake using only egg whites so I cannot advise what the results would be. I recommend sticking to the recipe to get the same results as me. I hope that helps!
Juanita
The baking explorer
Thank you for answer and advice. I don’t need the cake for another two or three weeks, but when I do make it, I will follow the recipe to the letter I’m sure it will be delicious.
Thanks again
Juanita