Strawberry Soda Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy here.
This Strawberry Soda Cake is pure retro joy. It ‘s soft, fluffy, and bursting with strawberry flavor thanks to a clever shortcut, boxed cake mix and fizzy soda. No eggs, no oil, just mix, bake, and top. It’s the easiest way to bring a little sparkle to your dessert table.
I love quick and easy desserts. Two of my favorites are my Peach Cobbler Cake and my Cherry Almond Cake. Give them a try, your family and friends will thank you.
Why this Easy Strawberry Soda Cake Recipe Works
This Strawberry Soda Cake delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort. With just two ingredients in the cake. It’s light, fluffy, and full of nostalgic charm. The strawberry buttercream adds a creamy, fruity finish that feels bakery-worthy without the fuss. It’s perfect for parties, potlucks, or last-minute desserts, and the playful pink color makes it as fun to serve as it is to eat.
- Incredibly Easy (2-Ingredient Cake Base): The cake itself only requires two ingredients (cake mix and Sprite), making it one of the simplest baking recipes. It’s a perfect beginner or kid-friendly recipe.
- Unique Light and Fluffy Texture: The carbonation in the Sprite replaces the need for eggs, oil, and water often called for on the box, resulting in an exceptionally light, airy, and moist cake with a delicate crumb.
- Bright Flavor: The combination of the strawberry cake mix and the lemon-lime Sprite creates a subtly bright, fruity flavor that is more complex than a standard box cake.
- Homemade Frosting Difference: Pairing the simple cake base with a homemade, flavorful buttercream elevates the dessert significantly beyond a typical boxed cake with canned frosting.
Why use Soda? What does the Sprite Do?
Soda acts as the liquid component, replacing the oil, water, and sometimes eggs called for on the cake mix box. The carbonation also acts as a leavening agent, contributing to the cake’s very light and fluffy texture.
Pro Tip for 2 Ingredient Strawberry Cake
Use a glass or ceramic baking dish: These distribute heat more evenly than metal pans, helping the cake bake up soft and fluffy.
Ingredient Notes to Make Strawberry Cake
Only a few pantry staples can create a light and fluffy dessert that takes only a few minutes to prepare.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Sprite: The magic behind the fluff! Sprite adds moisture, sweetness, and carbonation, which activates the cake mix without needing eggs or oil. It’s the shortcut that makes this cake light and airy.
- Strawberry Cake Mix: The base of the strawberry cake with cake mix cake, pre-measured and flavored for ease. It delivers consistent strawberry flavor and a vibrant pink hue with zero fuss
Variations and Substitutions for Cake Mix and Frosting
You can make a ton of fluffy soda cakes with a bunch of different fruit sodas and box cake mixes. The possibilities are truly endless.
- Cake Mix: Any box of cake mix will work. Vanilla, yellow cake, lemon, chocolate, cherry, white cake mix, all work for the cake mix strawberry cake. Pair the soda with a complementary mix (e.g., Cherry Coke with Chocolate mix).
- Soda: Try different variations for the pop cake recipe: 7-Up, Sierra Mist, or any lemon lime soda. You can experiment with other sodas like orange soda (Orange Crush) or cream soda cake.
- For a Sturdier Cake: Add 2 large eggs to the batter. This makes the cake less crumbly and better for stacking. This is perfect for a poke cake.
- Buttercream Flavor: Vanilla, Lemon, or Almond extract to the Icing. Change the extract to complement the cake flavor. Add strawberry gelatin or strawberry jell-O to the frosting. You can use cool whip topping or vanilla pudding mix for the frosting.
- Topping: Different berries, sprinkles, lemon/lime zest. Use any fresh berries or a dust of confectioners’ sugar for a simpler finish.
- Diet Option: Use Sprite Zero or another diet soda for the cake batter. This generally works fine, though some note it can affect the texture slightly.
How to Make Easy Soda Cake
My strawberry soda pop cake is wonderful for a quick and easy cake. It is adaptable and bursting with flavor.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Mix & Bake the Cake: First, beat strawberry cake mix and Sprite together for 2 minutes in a mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 9×11″ dish and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Make the Buttercream: Next, whip softened butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add strawberry extract, optional food dye, and milk as needed for smooth texture.
- Frost & Pipe: Spread most of the frosting over the cooled cake. Pipe 12 star-tip dollops evenly across the top to mark servings. Place a halved strawberry on each dollop. Finally, let set or chill until ready to serve.
Prep Ahead Suggestions
The best part about this quick and easy dessert is that it is super quick and easy, however, you can do some prep in advance.
- Bake the Cake (Up to 2 days ahead): Bake the cake completely, let it cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature.
- Make the Frosting (Up to 1 day ahead): Prepare the buttercream, transfer it to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator. Before use, let it come to room temperature, then beat it again briefly to restore its fluffy texture.
- Slice Strawberries: Slice the strawberries a few hours before assembly. Keep them covered in the refrigerator.
Alternate Cooking Methods – Strawberry Pop Cake
Make this cake fancy by putting it in a bundt pan or make individual portions in the form of cupcakes.
- Cupcakes: Line a cupcake pan. Fill liners about 2/3 full. Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes. This is a great way to serve the cake due to its light texture.
- Bundt Cake: Grease and flour a Bundt pan well. Increase the baking time to about 35-45 minutes.
How to Store and Use Leftover Cake with Soda
- Store: Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap tightly and store it in the refrigerator (due to the fresh strawberries and buttercream). It will keep well for 3-4 days.
- Use Leftovers: Cake Balls/Pops: Crumble the leftover cake and mix it with a small amount of extra frosting to form “dough.” Roll into balls and coat in melted white chocolate. Trifle: Cube the leftover cake and layer it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries in a glass dish or individual cups.
Common Questions About This Cake Mix and Soda Recipe
The cake primarily tastes like strawberry, but the Sprite imparts a subtle, bright, citrusy note (lemon-lime) that complements the strawberry flavor without being overwhelming.
Yes, but the 2-ingredient cake is quite delicate. For a sturdier cake that’s better for layers, consider adding 2 large eggs to the batter (making it a 3-ingredient cake base). Bake in two 8-inch round pans.
Expert Tips for Making Easy Strawberry Soda Cake
- Do Not Overmix the Batter: Mix just until the cake mix and Sprite are combined. Overmixing will deflate the carbonation, resulting in a denser cake. The batter should look frothy.
- Use Room Temperature Butter for Frosting: Softened butter is key to achieving light, fluffy buttercream. If it’s too cold, your frosting will be lumpy; if it’s melted, it will be greasy.
- Taste Test the Frosting: Start with 4 cups of powdered sugar and add more as needed for your desired consistency. Taste it before adding all the milk/extract.
- Cool Completely: Ensure the cake is fully cool before frosting. Warm cake will melt the buttercream, making a runny mess.
- Adjust Serving Size: If you’re looking for closer to 9 servings, use a 9×9 inch pan and check the bake time for a slight increase (as it will be a thicker cake). Your 9″ x 11″ pan is perfect for the 12-serving recommendation.
- Serve this recipe with: Try a delicious, Strawberry Horchata or a easy Strawberry Jello Shots and my Lemon Strawberry Cookies.
More Recipes You Might Like
Simple Strawberry Soda Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 355 mL Sprite Soda
- 15 ounces Strawberry Cake Mix
Strawberry Buttercream Ingredients:
- ¾ cup Butter, softened
- 4-5 cups Powdered Icing Sugar, as needed
- 1-2 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 teaspoons Strawberry Extract
- Pink Food Dye, optional (our strawberry extract dyed the frosting enough that we didn’t use any)
- 6 Strawberries, sliced in half
Instructions
- Grease a 9″ x 11″ casserole dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the white cake mix and Spritefor 2 minutes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered icing sugar for 2 minutes, then add the strawberry extract and optional food dye. Beat to incorporate, then add the milk as needed.
- Use an offset spatula to spread most of the frosting on the cooled cake.
- Scoop the remaining frosting into a piping bag fit with a large star tip and place 12 evenly spaced starburst dollops along the cake to indicate each “serving.”
- Place a halved strawberry on top of each dollop of frosting.
Christina’s Notes
- Use room temperature Sprite: Cold soda can cause clumping in the cake mix. Let it sit out for 10–15 minutes before mixing.
- Don’t overmix: Beat just until smooth—about 2 minutes. Over mixing can make the cake dense instead of light and fluffy.
- Watch the bake time: Soda cakes can brown quickly. Start checking at 25 minutes and use a toothpick test for doneness.
- Cool completely before frosting: The buttercream will melt if the cake is even slightly warm. Chill the cake if needed.
- Taste before tinting: Some strawberry extracts add enough color on their own. Add food dye only if needed for a brighter pink.
- Use fresh, dry strawberries: Pat sliced berries with a paper towel before topping to prevent bleeding into the frosting.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, scroll up on the page.
