Description
These Strawberry Sheet Cake Bars come out soft, tender, and bursting with real strawberry flavor. I bake them in one simple pan, fold in juicy chopped strawberries, and finish everything with a bright pink strawberry-lemon glaze. They feel like summer in dessert form—easy enough for a weekday treat, pretty enough for a party platter, and perfect with coffee or tea when you want something sweet, comforting, and homemade.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (225 g) fresh strawberries, finely chopped and patted dry
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons strawberry puree (from fresh strawberries)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy lifting.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- In another bowl, whisk the melted butter with the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula just until you no longer see dry flour. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chopped strawberries carefully, keeping the batter light.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack before glazing.
- Make the glaze: mash a few strawberries and strain to get a smooth puree. In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons puree and the lemon juice. Add a little more puree (or a tiny splash of milk) until the glaze becomes thick but spreadable.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled cake. Let it set for 20–30 minutes, then lift the cake out using the parchment and slice into bars.
Notes
I always pat the chopped strawberries dry so the bars bake up tender instead of soggy. If you only have frozen strawberries, thaw them completely, drain well, and pat dry before folding in. For extra strawberry flavor, swirl a spoonful of puree into the batter right before baking. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. I prefer serving them at room temperature so they stay soft. You can freeze the unglazed cake (well wrapped) for up to 2 months, then thaw and glaze fresh.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg