Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake
Turn your fresh strawberries into this delightful, fluffy pink layer cake. Bursting with natural strawberry flavor and nestled in a pink strawberry buttercream, this gorgeous layer cake will be unforgettable at your next summer gathering.
Ingredients
CAKE
- ½ pound strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, soft 64 grams
- ¼ cup oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 egg whites or 2 whole eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Few drops red food coloring optional
- ¼ cup milk
FROSTING
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons cooked strawberry reduction reserved from cake
- 2-3 tablespoons boiling water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- In a saucepan, cook strawberries over medium high heat. Once they reach a boil, lower the heat to medium low and allow to cook until there is ½ cup left. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the strawberries aren't scorching on the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the strawberry reduction and set aside. This will be used for the buttercream and the remaining reduction will go into the cake batter.
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Grease bottoms and sides of two 6 inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, sift together all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl cream together the soft butter, oil and sugar on high speed for 1-2 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Next add the egg whites (or whole eggs, if using), sour cream, vanilla, red food coloring (if using) and the cooled strawberry reduction prepared earlier. Beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate well, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, ending with the flour mixture. This is best done by adding the flour mixture in thirds and the milk in 2 parts. Beat the batter until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Divide batter evenly among the 2 prepared pans. Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the table to release any air bubbles in the batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. Fill and frost with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING
- In a medium mixing bowl beat butter and salt together until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, scraping sides of the bowl often to incorporate well. Add boiling water, bit by bit until the mixture loosens and looks very creamy. (Do not add too much boiling water or the frosting may split.) Add strawberry reduction and vanilla. Cream well for about 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Notes
You can double this recipe for an 8 or 9 inch cake or a 9 x 13 inch slab.