Best Strawberry Cake Recipe Ever! 🍓🎂 and the cutest cake stand to display it on
t’s my birthday week, which means there is only one reasonable thing to do: make cake. And if I’m taking the time to bake a layered birthday cake, you better believe it’s going to be displayed beautifully on my favorite Monarch Butterfly Cake Stand.
I actually designed my Monarch Butterfly Cake Stand for moments exactly like this — birthdays, dinner parties, celebrations, or honestly just an excuse to make dessert feel a little magical. Inspired by childhood road trips along the California coast to see monarch butterflies migrate, each handmade ceramic cake stand is decorated with butterflies painted in real gold and made to turn cake into a centerpiece.
Now, onto the important thing: cake 🎂.
Not a sad grocery store sheet cake (though no judgment), but a proper, layered, celebratory birthday cake — the kind that gets slightly lopsided in the best way, tastes even better the next day, and somehow makes gathering around the table feel extra special.
This year, I’m making my favorite strawberry birthday cake layered with jam, fresh strawberries, and a dreamy lavender cream frosting that tastes like summer.
Now, before we begin, a quick truth: every recipe lies about how long it takes to make food.
You absolutely do not need a week to make this cake, but I personally enjoy breaking the process up so everything has time to cool before frosting. I’ll usually bake the layers one day and decorate the next. Less stress = better birthday energy.
The Recipe! Homemade Strawberry Birthday Cake with a Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
What You’ll Need
Cake
4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sour cream
4 whole eggs
2 1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups buttermilk
Equipment:
3 eight-inch cake pans
Parchment paper
Butter or oil for greasing
Filling
Strawberry jam
1 lb strawberries (about 2 cups chopped, plus extra sliced for decorating)
Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp culinary lavender (in a tea bag)
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Bake the Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a mixer, combine the wet ingredients: butter, sour cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully combined.
Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease with butter or oil.
Divide the batter evenly and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake begins pulling away from the edges and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely in the pans.
Make-ahead tip: If baking ahead, wrap cooled cakes tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to decorate.
Prep the Strawberries
Chop most of the strawberries into small pieces for layering between the cakes.
Save a handful to slice for decorating the top.
Make the Lavender Frosting
In a saucepan, steep the lavender in the heavy cream. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
Taste the cream — if you want a stronger lavender flavor, let it steep a little longer.
Cool completely.
Once chilled, whip the lavender cream with vanilla, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until fluffy and smooth.
(Using a piping bag makes assembly easier, but no one has ever complained about rustic frosting.)
Assemble the Cake
Trim the tops of the cake layers so they sit flat.
For each layer:
Spread strawberry jam
Add a layer of frosting
Top with chopped strawberries
Repeat for the second layer.
Place the final cake on top, frost the outside, and decorate with sliced strawberries and a few sprigs of lavender.
Put candles in it. Invite people over. Eat cake with friends.
Preferably on a butterfly cake stand.
The Butterfly Handmade Ceramic Cake Stand is inspired by childhood trips along the California coast to see the Monarch butterflies with my family. Those memories still bring me a sense of wonder and joy, and I designed this handmade ceramic cake pedestal to capture that feeling.
Adorned with hand-painted Monarch butterflies detailed with real 18K gold, this butterfly cake stand brings the beauty of nature into your home. The butterflies appear as though they could flutter away at any moment, transforming cakes, cupcakes, pastries, and desserts into an unforgettable centerpiece.
This ceramic cake stand is both functional serveware and decorative pottery art — designed to elevate celebrations, dinner parties, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and everyday moments around the table. Whether styled as a cake pedestal, dessert stand, pastry display, or kitchen centerpiece, it’s a unique serving piece that sparks conversation.
Each cake stand is handmade from stoneware clay and individually painted, making every piece one of a kind.
Details:
Handmade ceramic cake stand
Monarch butterfly design
Real gold details
Stoneware pottery
Decorative cake pedestal
Perfect for cakes, cupcakes, pastries, jello, cheese and desserts
Approx. 11–12” wide
Approx. 4–5” tall
Handmade in small batches
Hand wash recommended
Because each butterfly cake pedestal is individually handmade and painted, slight variations are part of what make every piece unique.