German Strawberry Cake
German Strawberry Cake or Erdbeerkuchen is made from a heavenly combination of soft sponge cake, creamy vanilla custard, and fresh spring strawberries, all topped with a sweet, clear jelly. The most beautiful of all summer cakes.
Whenever I walk past a bakery or a patisserie, my eye is always drawn to the beautifully displayed fruit tarts and cakes. They are always so bright and colourful, the glazed fruit glistening like gemstones on top of the luscious creme patisserie.
And most beautiful of all? German Strawberry Cake, or Erdbeerkuchen.
About This Recipe
Before moving to Germany I’d always assumed that a classic German Strawberry Cake was a specialist matter, best left to the experts in the shops.
It was to my great surprise to discover that not only does every German Hausfrau or Hausmann have a recipe at home for strawberry cake, but it is also considered to be one of the very most basic recipes around. Who knew?
OK, so what is a German Strawberry Cake?
German Strawberry Cake is made from layers of soft sponge cake, creamy vanilla custard, and fresh spring strawberries, all topped with sweet clear jelly. There is a lot to love about this simple and beautiful cake, and it is always popular at summer parties.
Is it hard to make German Strawberry Cake?
Not at all! With my never-fail sponge recipe, this is simply an assembly job. In fact, I’ll let you in on a secret: loads of people here in Germany just buy a sponge base, and then top it with packet custard and strawberries – it still looks and tastes great!
But we’re not cheating here, are we?
Absolutely not! If you like, you can take a shortcut though. German Strawberry Cakes call for one special ingredient, known as Tortenguß. It’s the clear jelly on the top of the cake and it comes in a little packet (link in the recipe card). Tortenguß isn’t available everywhere, so I have come up with two different homemade versions.
Can you make Tortenguß at home?
Yes! In the recipe below, I include an old-fashioned method using potato starch, or gelatine (as in my recipe for German Strawberry Cream Torte) Both will work if you can’t get any Tortenguß, but I recommend using gelatine or buying packet glaze for the best and most professional results.
Double up the recipe for a party!
In my recipe below, I have given quantities to make a 20x30cm (that’s 8×12 in.) rectangular cake, which makes about 8 square slices. The recipe fits in a 26cm (10 in.) round springform cake pan, too. If you are feeding a crowd (or have LOADS of strawberries), double the recipe to make an oven tray-sized cake.
German Strawberry Cake is going to become your secret weapon!
Once you know a few tricks to baking them, a German Strawberry cake or Erdbeerkuchen will become a regular treat in your baking repertoire. They are quick and easy to make and look spectacular. This is the sort of cake that you can quickly whip up for unexpected guests and then sit back and enjoy all the praise.
Strawberries not in season? No worries!
If strawberries aren’t in season, this cake base is good with all soft or lightly poached fruits. That means berries of all kinds, ripe stone fruit, kiwi fruit, or tropical fruits like mango are all perfectly delicious.
Let your imagination go wild, but do take the time to arrange the fruit nicely, and make sure that you cut out any bumps and bruises as the fruit is very much on display.
more German baking recipes
How about an Eierlikörtorte? Or a deliciously simple German Apple Cake? Or classic Spitzbuben cookies? Yum!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best starch to use for this cake if I am not using Tortenguß?
Potato starch is the best to use for this cake as it sets clear. In a real pinch you could use corn starch, but it will set cloudy and not show off the berries at their best. I do recommend using gelatine for best results if you can’t get cake glaze.
How do I get my strawberries such a beautiful red?
If you fancy, you can colour the jelly by using 100ml of red juice, like grape, cranberry or red currant in place of some of the water.
I don’t want to use starch on this cake. Any alternatives?
If you aren’t keen on making the jelly glaze, simply melt a few tablespoons of apricot jam and brush it over the fruit. It won’t look quite so beautiful, but it will taste good.
German Strawberry Cake Recipe
Classic German Strawberry Cake (Erdbeerkuchen)
German Strawberry Cake or Erdbeerkuchen is made from a heavenly combination of soft sponge cake, creamy vanilla custard, and fresh spring strawberries, all topped with a sweet, clear jelly. The most beautiful of all summer cakes.
Ingredients
for the sponge:
- 3 large eggs
- 125 g white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 ml vegetable oil , e.g: sunflower
- 100 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
for the custard:
- 20 g cornflour / corn starch
- 40 g white sugar
- 1 egg
- 250 ml full cream milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
for the topping:
- 500 g strawberries
for the glaze:
- 1 packet packet Tortenguß, see notes
- 20 g white sugar
homemade glaze using gelatine (best alternative!):
- 3 sheets gelatine
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
to make homemade glaze (old fashioned):
- 2.5 Tbsp potato flour/potato starch
- 4 Tbsp white sugar
- 500 ml water
Instructions
- PREPARE: Line a 20x30cm (8×12 in.) deep-sided baking tray with baking paper and grease with a little butter. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4.
- MAKE THE SPONGE: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together for 5 minutes until pale and almost tripled in volume. After 5 minutes, drizzle in the oil while still beating, then sift over the flour and baking powder and fold through, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible.
- BAKE THE SPONGE: Pour the mixture into the prepared tray, smooth over the top, then bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Set aside to cool in the tin.
- MAKE THE CUSTARD: When the cake is cool, make the custard by whisking together the cornflour and sugar until well combined. Add the egg and half of the milk and whisk until smooth. Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan until nearly boiling. Pour over the cornstarch mixture whisking constantly, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring until thick. Pour immediately over the sponge base, using a spatula to spread it all the way to the sides.
- ADD THE STRAWBERRIES: Wash and dry the strawberries, then cut off the green tops, and halve lengthways. Arrange tightly on top of the custard in a pattern that you like, pressing the strawberries firmly into the custard to fix them in place.
GLAZE OPTIONS:
- MAKE THE GLAZE (easiest): If using Tortenguß, add the packet of powder to a saucepan with the sugar and 250ml of water. Stir well, then heat until thickened, set aside to cool for 1 minute. Proceed to adding the glaze.
- MAKE THE GLAZE (best alternative using gelatine): if using gelatine, soak 3 sheets of gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. In a very small saucepan heat 225ml of water with 3 tablespoons of sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, squeeze the liquid out of the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the hot sugar syrup until dissolved. Place the saucepan in a sink of cold water for 10-15 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Proceed to adding the glaze.
- MAKE THE GLAZE (old fashioned way using starch) :To make a homemade glaze, whisk together the sugar and potato flour until well combined. Whisk in 100ml of the water to make a loose paste and heat the remaining water on the stove until nearly boiling. Pour in the potato flour mixture and cook, stirring vigorously until the mixture not only thickens but becomes clear. You can check this by lifting the whisk out of the glaze to see – 1-2 minutes only. Remove from the heat and set aside for 2 minutes to cool.
- ADD THE GLAZE: Spoon the glaze evenly over the entire cake from the middle, taking care that each of the strawberries is completely covered. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least half an hour or until the glaze has set. Gelatine and potato starch will require longer in the fridge to set up.
- SERVE: Slice and serve with plenty of whipped cream.
Notes
The glaze for Erdbeerkuchen is known as Tortenguß and is a fixture in every German kitchen as it sets quickly and makes a beautiful cake topping. The link to purchase it online is below, but you can try making your own at home by using gelatine or potato starch.
After years of testing, I truly recommend using gelatine if you can’t get cake glaze – it is much more reliable than potato starch. If your strawberries aren’t a beautiful deep red, you can add a few drops of red food colouring to the glaze to make them really pop.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a review or a star rating and let me know how it was! Use the hashtag #daysofjay on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations.
About the Author
Jay Wadams is a cookbook author, food photographer, and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Gastronomy and Nutrition.
Based in Italy 🇮🇹 Germany 🇩🇪 and Australia 🇦🇺.
Lots of erdbeerkuchen recipes on the internet both in German and English. I’ve scoured them all and found this simply described recipe to be the best. I did a half recipe in a springform pan as Jay suggested. Came out fantastic and tasted zer gud.
Hi Stanley! Thank you for your lovely words, I am so happy to hear this recipe worked well for you and you are enjoying summery strawberry season! J.
Excellent!! Only one problem, I made my own Tortenguss according to the recipe, very tasty but it did not set up. What did I do wrong?? It got thick and looked like it set, but when I cut the cake it ran all over.
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Hi Deborah! Oh no, I am sorry the Tortenguß didn’t set up properly! How annoying! This is a very old fashioned way to make the Guß and usually works just fine (though I am using German ingredients usually when cooking). It may be that it needs a little more cooking time on the stove top? I’ll do some investing and see if I can locate the source of the problem. An alternative is to use the gelatine based topping from my Raspberry Jelly Cheesecake (use water and a few drops of food colouring instead of cranberry juice). It is also a very good Tortenguss alternative. Thank you so much for letting me know! J.
My sponge has cooked with sort of a crispy sugary meringue on top, while the bottom is carkey. Just peeling bits off to eat. I’m going to top with a condensed milk jelly then strawberry glaze
Oh that sounds like a lovely topping! Great idea Michelle! J.
I love it