This unique no bake strawberry cloud cake is very light, fluffy, and melts in your mouth. The cake does not require any baking. It is just 3 ingredients and doesn’t need any flour, eggs, added sugar, butter or oil. It is a very light and refreshing dessert.
This strawberry cloud cake is a fun dessert to serve. It looks like a fluffy cake, but when you bite in you realize it isn’t like your typical cake. It is a light, airy and low-calorie dessert that feels like you are eating a cloud.
Ingredients
- Strawberries
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Unflavored gelatin powder
Strawberries: This recipe uses fresh ripe strawberries. Try to use sweet strawberries because the cake does not have any added sugar. I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries because they will make the batter too watery.
Unsweetened applesauce: Make sure you use unsweetened applesauce. This recipe will not work with sweetened applesauce. The added sugar will prevent the batter from turning light and fluffy. Applesauce is key to helping this cake work. I’ve tried making this recipe with many other fruit purees but it works best with applesauce. When mixed with the strawberries, you don’t really taste the applesauce.
Unflavored gelatin powder: This recipe needs unflavored gelatin powder. I have not found a substitute for gelatin powder.
How to Make Strawberry Cloud Cake
The strawberries and applesauce are pureed together. The gelatin powder is then mixed in. The mixture is then brought to low heat so that the gelatin fully dissolves. The mixture is then beaten on high speed with a mixer until it quadruples in volume and is very light and fluffy, looking like whipped cream. The batter is then poured into a cake pan and placed into the fridge to set.
Cloud Cake Texture
This dessert is called a cake because it looks like a cake, but the texture is very different from traditional cake. The texture is very light. When you eat it, it will be very airy and melt on your tongue and will then taste like strawberries and apples. You won’t taste the gelatin. I like to serve the cake with whipped cream frosting. The frosting helps add some texture and adds more flavor to the cake. The cake is also very low in sugar. It is only lightly sweetened. Adding the frosting will make the cake a little sweeter.
This cake is a light and refreshing dessert. It is best served straight out of the fridge. It’s a fun dessert to eat and I think it works especially well in summer when you want something cool, refreshing and not heavy.
More Cloud Cake Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Honey Cloud Cake
- 2 Ingredient Apple Cloud Cake
- 2 Ingredient Mixed Berry Cloud Cake
- 2 Ingredient Lemon Cloud Cake
3 Ingredient No Bake Strawberry Cloud Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (77 g) chopped strawberries chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 1/3 cups (313 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 1/2 tsp (15 g) unflavored gelatin powder
Instructions
- Use a large sheet of parchment paper to line the sides and bottom of an 8 inch or 9 inch square pan. You want to use a single sheet so that you can lift the cake out of the pan after.
- Add strawberries and applesauce to a blender. Blend on high speed until strawberries are fully pureed and the puree is uniform in color.
- Add puree to a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin across the surface. Whisk until gelatin is fully incorporated. The gelatin powder should make your puree thicker and chunkier.
- Using the double boiler method on the stove, dissolve the gelatin completely. When the gelatin is dissolved, your mixture should become thinner and more liquidy. The mixture should feel warm to the touch, but not hot. Be careful to not let the mixture get hot or boil. Remove bowl from stove and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to cool the mixture back to room temperature.
- Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat on highest speed for about 15 minutes. Your mixture should quadruple in volume and should look like airy whipped cream. When you stop your mixer, your wire whisk should be able to hold a soft peak.
- Pour mixture into your prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread it evenly across and smooth the surface. Place into fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
- Keep the cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, you can decorate the cake with whipped cream frosting or other frosting. Slice cake with a very large and sharp knife. The cake is best served chilled. Store any uneaten cake in the fridge.
Notes
- This dessert needs time to set so plan ahead when making it. I prefer to make it a day ahead of time.
- Strawberries should be chopped into 1/2 inch cubes before measuring 1/2 cup of them.
- Use fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries have too much moisture which also prevents the batter from fluffing up.
- I used Knox unflavored gelatin powder.*
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- This cake can be made in an 8 inch or 9 inch square pan. If using an 8 inch pan, the slices will be taller. The pictures in the post are of the cake made in an 8 inch pan.
- This will not taste like your typical cake. See post for details on the texture of this dessert. I think it is a fun dessert to serve. It is a very light and refreshing dessert when you don't want anything heavy but want something a little sweet.
- This cake is very low in calories and sugar. If you prefer sweeter desserts, you can add a sweet frosting.
- Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce. This recipe will not work with sweetened. Adding sugar to the batter will prevent it from fluffing up. I used 365 by Whole Foods unsweetened applesauce.
- I have also made this cake with fresh blueberries. However, the cake doesn't come out quite as fluffy and the color of the cake is a grayish purple. If you do make the blueberry version you may want to add 1 tsp of food coloring.
- Optional Whipped Cream Frosting: Add 1 cup of cold heavy cream and 3 tbsp of sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat on highest speed until stiff peaks form. You can add more or less sugar to taste. You can substitute the sugar with stevia or other sugar substitutes. You can also use Cool Whip instead.
- Estimated nutrition does not include frosting.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This looks delicious and perfect for what I was looking for, thank you! I am planning on making this and bringing it to a restaurant. Can I put it in the freezer then bring it with us so that we can eat it 1.5 hours after it has been taken out of the freezer?
Also, I don’t have a stand mixer with one of those voluminous attachments 😉 Will a hand mixer work?
You can use a hand mixer but it might take a little longer to whip the mixture. As far as freezing, we haven’t tried that and can’t say for sure how the cake will hold up. It really needs to stay in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it, too.
I see lots of comments about it not tasting enough like strawberry. Could you add pulverized freeze dried strawberries? That would give it a strong berry flavor. The only issue is this not being sweet enough which kind of turns me off about making it. There has to be a sugar to add that wouldn’t wreck it. I’m not a fan of applesauce in desserts either.
We haven’t tried freeze dried strawberries, so can’t say if it will work. If you don’t like applesauce desserts, this may not be a recipe you want to try.
I made this wonderful cake for my family for Christmas. They really enjoyed it after eating a hearty meal. I am making it again for New Year’s celebrations. I am going to use raspberries this time. Thank you for a great recipe.
We’re so glad your family loved it!
Really unusual recipe. I loved trying this. I agree with others. Even with ripe strawberries, it wasn’t sweet enough. I am wondering how one might increase the sweetness without disrupting the chemistry of the recipe. One answer might bet to make the whipped cream sweet. Alternatively, is there a sweetener that could be added at some point, in which it could still stiffen? Agave nector, monk fruit sugar, honey water?
We don’t recommend adding sweetener to the actual cake part – a sweetened whipped cream on top would work better if you want it sweetener.
Do you think this would work with a shortbread cookie crust on the bottom?
Sure – as long as a 9″ crust.
So I tested this cake with my family and neighbors. All said that they call this a dessert, but not a cake as cake implies a specific texture. I found that it wasn’t quite sweet enough. Both my boyfriend and I liked it and I would mix whipped cream with frosting to sweeten it more.
We’re glad you enjoyed it! As far as calling it cake – there are many different kinds of cakes with different textures. Pound cake, cheesecakes, flourless cakes, angel food cakes (these are just a few!) So, this cloud cake is just another option!
Hi Kirbie,
I am making the no bake strawberry cake recipe, but the batter doesn’t taste much like strawberry, it mostly tastes like applesauce. Is there a way to add more strawberry flavor? My berries were super sweet.
Thank you and I love your site!
You could try adding some strawberry extract. You could also play around with the ratio of applesauce and strawberries a little bit, just don’t do too much because too many strawberries will make the batter too wet.
Really fantastic. Thanks for creating a delicious option for those of us who can’t have a ton of sugar.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
A slightly sweet, light dessert. This little delight isn’t going to make you feel bloated and beyond full, but will hit the spot for a small sweetness craving.
I made this for my husband’s birthday (at his request, when I shared the recipe with him, since he’s trying to watch his calorie intake). We did add a spritz of whipped cream to it.
I wondered if adding a little strawberry extract might increase the strawberry flavor, but that’s an experiment for another day.
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it
Do you have a video for this 3 ingredient no bake strawberry cake? I would appreciate it if you share it. Thank you.
I don’t yet but I do have a video for the 2 ingredient apple version: https://kirbiecravings.com/healthy-apple-cloud-cake/
Ours didn’t grow when in the mixer! Any suggestions? I was hoping to use this for my baby’s first birthday cake
Hi, Did you make sure to warm up the berry mixture to fully dissolve the gelatin? Just adding in the gelatin won’t be enough to dissolve it. It does need to be heated up. Also did you use the right amount of gelatin powder? Using too much or too little can also prevent the mixture from fluffing up
Made it for the grands visiting July 4th. They never knew because grandma ate All of it the night before. I went to store and gave them a vanilla pudding cake (store brought) My son can’t stop laughing at me! Thanks for your recipes ?
Haha! I’m so glad you enjoyed it that much!
It has calories for 1 skice, but it doesn’t say how many slices should be from the cake.
You can find that information under servings. It states that the cake has 12 slices.
Luv this!
Thanks!
Batter is not fluffy 🙁 I measured everything. No sugar. Added an extra gelatin packet too. I’ve been mixing for 20 minutes and it’s just as flat as when I begun. Cloud cake fail. I want my money back.
Adding the extra gelatin is likely the issue. Too much gelatin will cause the batter to not fluff up properly and it would also be more dense and not fluffy.
This is a great tasting dessert for hot summer months, fresh farm strawberries bring robust flavor. The ‘four times volume’ result has not been working for me. I would love to achieve the height shown in the picture. Perhaps my 7-speed hand mixer is the problem? Cooking the sauce to ‘melt’ the powder gelatin over double boiler ‘without getting hot’ is tricky too. Any recommendations? Does High humidity effect results?
It could be the humidity – if it’s very high there is a lot of moisture in the are which the gelatin can absorb making it harder to get a bigger volume.
No substance. Like eating air. Cotton candy is like a cloud. This is not that …
As mentioned in the post, the cake is very light and airy and melts in your mouth. That seems like a cloud to us!
I am so intrigued by the final texture! ? Loved it, will make again
I’m so glad you loved it!
Don’t you need water to dissolve the gelatin, and if so, how much?
No, it’s sprinkled over the puree. This is in step 3 of the recipe card.
Hi Kirbie
Is there a substitute for the applesauce?
We have a 2 ingredient Cloud Cake that uses pear puree. We haven’t tried it with this strawberry version but if you do we’d love to know what you think.
Have you ever tried making this with vegan gelatin?
We haven’t tried vegan gelatin.
This is absolutely delicious ??
We’re so glad you love it!
Thank you very much.
You’re welcome!
Love your recipes! Thank you so much…
We’re glad you’re enjoying them.
Could you add protein powder to this and still have the texture remain the same? Thinking this is a great dessert for those of us looking for healthy protein filled options.
We’re not sure it will work with protein powder – it might weight it down too much.
Haven’t made this yet! Excited to make! Looks yummy ?
Let us know when you try it!
Delish ?. Would definitely make again
We’re glad you liked it!
Is there any chance you have tried to make this recipe vegan using tapioca starch or agar agar instead of gelatin?
I would love to see that
Sorry, but we haven’t.
Why I can’t loading the video for my reference?
We don’t have a video for this recipe at this time.