Fresh Strawberry Cake
From: https://www.cookingclassy.com/fresh-strawberry-cake/
3 cups (370g) cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup (390g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups milk (anything but skim)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup (125g) powdered sugar, divided
8 oz cream cheese , left at room temperature until partially softened (about 20 – 30 minutes)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 lbs strawberries , hulled and sliced into pieces slightly under 1/2-inch
Sliced strawberries for decorating (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round cake pans then line bottom with a round of parchment, butter parchment and lightly dust pan with flour, shake out excess. Set pans aside.
Make the cake: Sift cake flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add baking powder and salt and whisk 20 seconds, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (if you don’t have a paddle that constantly scrapes bowl while mixing then stop mixer occasionally throughout entire mixing process and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to ensure even mixing), whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Mix in eggs and egg yolks one a time adding in vanilla with last egg yolk. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time (to the butter/egg mixture) alternating with 1/2 of the milk and mixing on low speed just until combined after each addition. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and gently fold batter several times.
Divide batter among prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven 25 – 30 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan about 5 minutes, run knife around edges of cake to ensure they are loosened then invert onto wire racks to cool completely (I recommend transferring them to gallon size resealable bags after about 25 minutes of cooling so they don’t dry and let them finish cooling in the bag).
Once cool frost with Strawberry Cream Cheese Whipped Cream. Store cake in an airtight container in refrigerator.
For the topping: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form (occasionally scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to ensure even mixing).
Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (make sure they are stiff or your topping will be runny, it should get to the point where it doesn’t have a wet sheen). Scrape cream out into a separate bowl.
Add cream cheese to bowl of stand mixer, fit with paddle attachment and whip cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
Mix in remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar and vanilla (I’ve made this cake twice and the second time I added a few drops of liquid red food coloring at this point for a better pink, that pictured was without).
Add strawberries and mix until uniform in color. Remove bowl from stand mixer, add whipped cream and fold into mixture. Frost over cooled cake.
Notes
Recipe source: inspired by Spiced Blog
Feel free to add a few drops of red food coloring to the frosting to make it a lovely pink color.
If you only have salted butter on hand, scale back on the amount of salt you add into the cake batter.
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Or try this one from Southern Living
Ingredients
2 cups trimmed fresh strawberries (from 1 qt. fresh strawberries), plus more for serving
Baking spray with flour
2 3/4 cups (about 11 3/4 oz.) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 (3-oz.) pkg. strawberry-flavored gelatin (such as Jell-O)
2 cups (1 lb.) unsalted butter, softened, divided
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups (about 13 oz.) powdered sugar, sifted (about 4 cups once sifted)
Directions
Make strawberry puree:
Place strawberries in a food processor or blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed; set aside.
Prepare oven and cake pans:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in center position. Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with baking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and lightly coat parchment with baking spray; set aside.
Combine dry ingredients:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl.
Mix butter, sugar, and gelatin:
Beat granulated sugar, gelatin, and 1 cup of the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla:
With mixer on low, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla until just combined.
Finish cake batter:
Whisk together milk and 1/2 cup of the reserved strawberry puree in a 2-cup measuring cup.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just combined after each addition, about 2 minutes total.
Add batter to pans:
Divide cake batter evenly among prepared pans, spreading batter into an even layer.
Bake cake layers:
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and discard parchment paper. Let cool completely on wire racks, about 1 hour.
Make strawberry reduction:
Meanwhile, place remaining 3/4 cup strawberry puree in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a small bowl; refrigerate, uncovered, until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
Cream butter for frosting:
Once cakes have cooled, beat together remaining 1 cup butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add sugar and reduction to butter:
With mixer on low, alternately add powdered sugar and cooled strawberry reduction, beating until just combined after each addition. Increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
Assemble cake:
Place 1 cooled cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of the frosting in an even layer over top of cake layer.
Garnish and serve:
Top with remaining cooled cake layer.
Spread remaining 2 cups frosting evenly over top and sides of cake; swoop or smooth as desired.
Garnish with additional fresh strawberries.