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German Strawberry Tart

App exclusive

50 min

Dessert

10 ingredients or less

Budget-friendly
This recipe takes inspiration from the cherished German dessert 'Erdbeerkuchen,' also known as strawberry cake. It features a tender sponge base topped with fresh, succulent strawberries. Traditionally, these strawberries are set and glossed with a gelatin glaze, but we've chosen agar—a vegan-friendly alternative—to achieve the same classic, shiny finish in our plant-based version. Easy to prepare, this delightful cake pairs perfectly with a dollop of vegan whipping cream and is a favourite during the spring and summer, often enjoyed with afternoon coffee.

Servings

Total

50 min

Prep

20 min

Cook

30 min

Contains

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Soy symbol

soy

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Ingredients

Coating & topping

  • ½ Tbsp (7 g)
    unsalted vegan butter
  • 2 Tbsp (14 g)
    breadcrumbs
  • 3 cups (432 g)
    fresh strawberries, sliced into ½ cm pieces

Dry ingredients

  • 1⅔ cups (230 g)
    all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (168 g)
    granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (13 g)
    vanilla sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 g)
    baking powder
  • ¼ tsp
    salt

Wet ingredients

  • 1 cup + 1 Tbsp (255 mL)
    carbonated water
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
    vegetable oil

Agar agar coating

Serves well with

  • vegan whipped cream

Directions

  1. Butter an 11-inch (28 cm) tart pan and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)*.
  2. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and spread them around to coat.
  3. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix.
  4. Add the wet ingredients.
  5. Mix until combined. Make sure to avoid overmixing the batter, some clumps are fine.
  6. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes before flipping it upside down onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. When the cake has cooled and you're ready to serve, then slice the strawberries and add them on top.
  9. Optionally, create an agar coating. Add the water, sugar, and agar to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
  10. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, but not too much as the mixture begins to harden as it cools. Evenly spoon the agar mixture over the strawberries to give a glossy finish.
  11. Slice the cake, plate, and add whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  • * We used top and bottom heating (not fan-assisted/convection).

Storage

  • Best to enjoy the day it's made.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.
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Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.

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Sai - Feb. 2, 2025, 8:24 a.m.

Tried this it came out so delicious thankyou

Reply
Kat - Oct. 15, 2024, 5:21 p.m.

It’s a German diacussion whether to put vanilla pudding underneath the berries or none. However: It isn’t Gelatine on top of the berries. We call it “Tortenguss” and you can get it in every supermarket in Germany. It’s almost always vegan. Only the red strawberry flavored ones have non vegan colorings in it. But I’m sooo happy I have a good vegan recipe for the biscuit cake base now!!

PUL small logo PUL Team - Oct. 15, 2024, 6:25 p.m.

Aww thanks for sharing your connection with the recipe, Kat! ✨

Reply
Amitabh - Oct. 6, 2024, 9:10 a.m.

Made this with Kivi fruit turned out to be fantastic !

Reply
Margarita Kuzina - Sept. 1, 2024, 2:08 p.m.

Made it with peach, fantastic 😍

Reply
Aileen - July 31, 2024, 5:06 a.m.

Phenomenal! We all loved it! I’d certainly make again!

Reply
MarieS - July 25, 2024, 3:33 p.m.

Just got the cake out of the oven! Smells so good, can’t wait to eat this but quick question: the dough rises as a dome towards the middle (which is what I thought might happen). So I will need to cut out the middle to make space for the strawberries. Nobody else here seems to have had that problem so I wonder what I may have done wrong? Thanks for any advice!

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 26, 2024, 7:38 p.m.

Hey MarieS! We flipped our cake upside down. Our tart pan had a raised bottom, which naturally created an indent when the cake was flipped, making it perfect for filling with strawberries. If your cake is rising too much, it could be due to uneven oven heat or overmixing the batter. Reducing the oven temperature slightly and ensuring the batter is evenly spread before baking might help. Cutting out the middle should work just fine to make space for your strawberries if flipping the cake over doesn't give you a flat surface to work with. Hope this helps! 🫶✨

MarieS - July 29, 2024, 1:16 a.m.

Thank you! 💖

Reply
Devon - July 22, 2024, 4:14 p.m.

Surprisingly easy to make, simple and delicious. I added a thin layer of vanilla custard, but next time I will add a thin layer of melted white chocolate, as it prevents the cake from going soggy. I will definitely make this again!

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 22, 2024, 11:38 p.m.

Ooo a delicious idea, Devon, thank you! 🫶

Reply
Hannah - July 18, 2024, 4:58 p.m.

What a fantastic cake! My non-vegan family really enjoyed it too :)
I’m German and loved this cake growing up. So I was thrilled to find a vegan version of it, especially by PUL!
Just two additions: I spread a thin layer of vanilla custard on top of the cooled cake, then topped it with the strawberries as described in the recipe. The agar-agar coating worked splendidly — I simply added a few drops of red food colouring to make it look just how I remember it. It all turned out really well and I’m truly happy about this recipe! Many thanks to Sadia & PUL team 🫶🏽

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 19, 2024, 3:57 a.m.

Oh this sounds incredible, Hannah! Love the idea of adding custard and food colouring. Many thanks back to you and your family ✨

Amitabh Prasad - July 27, 2024, 5:21 p.m.

Can you share the recipe of vanilla custard?

Reply
Eileen - July 18, 2024, 10:38 a.m.

Oh this is one of my favorite cakes growing up. Always had it for my birthday 🤩 it’s best if you put vanilla custard (in German it’s Pudding) underneath the strawberries. So so good!

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 19, 2024, 3:22 a.m.

Awe thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience with the German Strawberry Tart, Eileen! How special to have it on birthdays 🤗

Reply
Amitabh Prasad - July 18, 2024, 8:41 a.m.

Can we use frozen strawberries especially when fresh strawberries are not available?

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 18, 2024, 3:16 p.m.

Hi Amitabh, the frozen strawberries might make the cake too soggy. We haven't tested it, but we imagine blueberries or chopped stone fruits like peaches might also work well. Hope you love the tart if you give it a try 🍓

Annabel - July 18, 2024, 3:16 p.m.

Wouldn’t recommend that as they get soggy and would destroy the dough underneath!

And I‘m with Eileen, it would be more German to add Vanilla Custard underneath the strawberries and also a loooot more of the agar-topping. Here in Germany the cakes are usually filled with like 0,5 litres of agar-topping, so that every space between the strawberries is filled up. 🥰

Amitabh Prasad - July 18, 2024, 3:24 p.m.

Thanks !
Will wait for next strawberry season :-)

Reply
Mairi - July 16, 2024, 6:18 p.m.

I'm originally from Germany, now living in the US and I got super excited about this recipe because it's the one I had my grandma make for every one of my birthdays!
I just gotta add: if you can find it, you gotta add a layer of rolled out marzipan to the crust, then layer banana slices on top of it and only then add the strawberries 👌🏻👌🏻

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 17, 2024, 3:22 p.m.

Awe love the personal connection to the recipe, Mairi! Thanks for sharing your experience with it 🤗

Eileen - July 18, 2024, 10:41 a.m.

Love your individual twist to it! I’m from Germany, too, and we always put Vanillepudding underneath the strawberries. It’s like every family or region has their own version 🤩

Reply
Niki Russell - July 16, 2024, 3:36 p.m.

This looks amazing! Is there anything I could substitute for vegetable oil?

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 16, 2024, 6:10 p.m.

Hey Niki, we haven't tested it with other oils, it might work with some other neutral oil, but if using coconut oil or even applesauce it could change the texture and the cake might not be as moist. Let us know if you experiment with any modifications 🤗

Reply
angelica - July 15, 2024, 6:56 a.m.

Wow, this turned out amazing!!! I made homemade whip cream on the side. Probably one of my favorite recipes so far. Thanks Sadia and PUL team!

Reply