Start by washing the strawberries and removing the stems and leaves.  Cut the strawberries into smaller pieces, if needed, and place them in a blender or food processor. Pulse the strawberries until they are broken down into a smooth puree. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and place it over medium heat.

Cook with the lid ajar, stirring frequently, until the strawberry puree thickens and reduced to ½ cup, which may take about 30 minutes, depending on how juicy the strawberries are. Once the puree has reduced, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before using it in the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a 9x13 inch baking pan by greasing with shortening or butter and flouring it or using baking non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Place the freeze-dried strawberries in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they become a fine powder. Add the ground freeze-dried strawberries to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. In a measuring cup, whisk together the strawberry puree reduction, vanilla extract, clear vanilla, and milk. If you're using food coloring, whisk it into the mixture until evenly distributed.

With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cover the strawberry cake loosely with foil if it is browning too much. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

👀👉Note: We used a ceramic baking dish for this Carrot Sheet Cake recipe. It’s important to keep in mind that the type of baking dish used can affect the cooking time of the Carrot Sheet Cake.

A metal baking dish may conduct heat differently than a ceramic dish, resulting in varying cooking times. We recommend keeping an eye on the cake while it’s baking and checking it periodically with a toothpick or cake tester to ensure it’s cooked through. If you are using a metal baking dish, you may need to reduce the cooking time slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and unsalted butter together until they become light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a food processor, grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Add the ground freeze-dried strawberries to the cream cheese and butter mixture, and beat until everything is combined.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and clear vanilla to the mixture, continuing to beat until the frosting becomes smooth and well combined.

Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Garnish the cake with crushed freeze-dried strawberries, if desired.