This strawberry layer cake is actually each strawberry lover’s dream. From strawberry-packed cake layers to strawberry cream cheese frosting, this three-layer cake is completely brimming with mouthwatering strawberry taste from actual fruit. It’s the proper summertime deal with.
The Finest Strawberry Cake Recipe
Contemporary strawberries are the most effective issues about summer time. I’ve all the time cherished them – consuming them recent or baked right into a cake. I really like strawberry cake combine, however this cake isn’t that. This one is all about the actual, recent strawberry taste. It may be a problem to get sufficient recent strawberry taste to taste an entire cake, however it’s price it. It took a number of renditions to get it proper, however this wonderful dessert was the ultimate outcome, and my oh my was it price it.
Three layers of moist, completely tender cake are loaded with strawberry taste from a strawberry discount produced from recent strawberries. The layers are crammed and frosted with a wealthy cream cheese frosting that derives its taste (and it’s pretty pink colour) from powdered freeze-dried strawberries. The result’s a fully scrumptious, lovely, festive summertime cake that may have you ever and your company coming again for seconds.
Why You’ll Love This Layer Cake
There are various causes to like this cake. Listed below are a number of causes I believe it’s completely excellent.
- Actual strawberry taste. The strawberry taste within the cake and the frosting come from REAL strawberries. No synthetic flavoring right here.
- Texture. The reverse creaming technique used on this cake provides it a singular texture. It’s delicate, tender and has a beautiful density to it that makes it a bit extra substantial than different desserts. I like it.
- Festive. That is the proper cake for a spring or summertime celebration. I believe it might be good for a child bathe as a result of it’s so cute and pink, however it might additionally make an awesome dessert for an Easter celebration or a warm-weather celebration.
What You’ll Want
Here’s a listing of substances wanted to make this colourful strawberry cake. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card under for actual measurements.
Strawberry Cake
- Quartered strawberries – Make certain your strawberries are ripe, juicy, and flavorful. In case your strawberries lack taste, your cake will too.
- Bitter cream – So as to add further moisture to the cake.
- Milk – For moisture.
- Eggs – Be sure you use massive dimension eggs.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – Be happy to make use of your favourite 1:1 gluten-free flour as a substitute.
- Sugar – Sugar provides sweetness, however it additionally provides moisture and impacts the feel of the cake.
- Baking powder and Baking soda – For the proper rise and texture.
- Salt – To intensify the flavour of the cake. Don’t go away it out.
- Unsalted butter – The butter ought to be at room temperature in any other case it is not going to crumble correctly through the reverse creaming course of.
- Pink meals colour – That is non-obligatory. It would flip your cake a wonderful shade of pink, fairly than being sort of brown-ish colour.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Freeze-dried strawberries – Cream cheese frosting tends to be thinner, so I like to make use of freeze dried strawberries and never skinny it out with recent strawberries. However if you happen to’d want to not use freeze-dried strawberries, you should use recent strawberry discount as a substitute, just like my Selfmade Strawberry Frosting.
- Cream cheese – It’s best if the cream cheese is at room temperature. Whether it is too chilly, you’ll find yourself with a lumpy frosting. I additionally suggest full-fat cream cheese. Diminished fats tends to be thinner and provides you with a thinner frosting.
- Unsalted butter – The butter ought to be at room temperature. Whether it is too chilly, the frosting will likely be lumpy. Whether it is melted, the frosting will likely be runny.
- Powdered sugar – To not solely sweeten the frosting, but in addition to thicken it and provides it quantity.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Chopped strawberries – For layering between the cake layers and frosting.
Find out how to Make Strawberry Layer Cake
Able to make the most effective strawberry cake you’ve ever tasted? Right here’s the right way to do it. Don’t overlook to scroll to the recipe card under for extra detailed directions.
To make the desserts
- Make the strawberry discount. Puree the strawberries in a meals processor or blender till clean. Goal for 1 1/2 cups of puree.
- Prepare dinner the puree. Deliver the puree to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium warmth. Prepare dinner for 20-25 minutes till the combination has thickened and diminished to three/4 cup. Stir constantly.
- Cool the diminished puree to room temperature.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the underside of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the perimeters with baking spray.
- Mix the moist substances. Combine collectively the strawberry discount, bitter cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Take away about 1 cup of the combination and put aside.
- Mix the dry substances. Whisk collectively the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt within the bowl of a standup mixer.
- Reverse cream. Add the butter about 1 tablespoon at a time to the dry substances, mixing on low pace till integrated after every addition.
- Add the moist substances. Add the bigger portion of the egg combination. Stir on low pace to include. Scrape the perimeters of the bowl. Beat on medium-high pace till gentle and fluffy. Combine within the remaining egg combination and the pink meals coloring (if utilizing) on low pace. Scrape the perimeters of the bowl. Combine on medium-high pace till properly mixed.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 24-26 minutes.
- Cool. Take away the desserts from the oven and permit them to chill of their pans for 2-3 minutes. Switch them to cooling racks to chill utterly.
For the frosting
- Mix. Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a meals processor and grind them right into a powder.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter collectively till clean.
- Sweeten it up. Add half of the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and blend till clean. Add remaining powdered sugar and strawberry powder and blend till clean. Add some salt, to style.
- Take away the domes from the tops of the desserts with a serrated knife.
- Layer. Place one cake on a serving plate. Unfold 1 cup of strawberry frosting evenly over the cake. Press half of the chopped strawberries into the frosting. Repeat with the second layer. Prime with the third layer.
- Frost the skin of the cake and, with the remaining frosting, pipe shells across the backside and high edges of the cake. Add a number of strawberries on high.
What’s The Reverse Creaming Technique?
This cake is exclusive in its use of the reverse creaming technique. Usually, when making a cake, you’ll cream the butter and sugar collectively, then alternate including the remaining moist substances and dry substances. The reverse creaming technique is a bit totally different. Right here’s the right way to do it.
- Mix the moist substances (other than the butter).
- Mix the dry substances.
- Slowly combine the butter into the dry substances till you obtain a sandy texture.
- Add the moist substances in two elements, mixing properly after every addition.
That’s all! “Why use this technique?” you would possibly ask. Effectively, it’s fairly straightforward and the ensuing cake has a beautiful, distinctive texture. It’s so tender and silky with simply the correct quantity of crumble. It’s a bit denser than a conventional cake however it isn’t too heavy. It’s good.
Suggestions for Making Strawberry Cake from Scratch
Layer desserts can appear intimidating however I promise that you are able to do it. I’ve compiled a number of easy suggestions and methods that may assist set you up for fulfillment. Right here they arrive.
- Get the strawberries proper. The overwhelming majority of strawberry taste on this cake is coming from actual, recent strawberries. So ensure that to choose further candy, flavorful berries. In any other case, you received’t get the flavour you’re in search of.
- Maintain it transferring. When decreasing the strawberry puree, make sure to stir constantly. The pure sugars within the strawberries are liable to burn. Maintaining the combination transferring will assist forestall that.
- Be affected person. When cooking the strawberry puree, It’s important that it reduces to three/4 cup, in any other case the cake batter may have an excessive amount of moisture in it. Be affected person and don’t overlook to measure.
- Begin with room-temperature substances. The butter within the cake batter in addition to the butter and the cream cheese within the frosting should be at room temperature. The butter within the batter is not going to crumble correctly through the reverse creaming course of whether it is too chilly or in any respect melted. In the case of the frosting, utilizing cream cheese or butter that’s too chilly will lead to a lumpy frosting. Moreover, If the butter within the frosting is melted, the frosting will find yourself runny. So assume forward and let your substances sit out at room temperature for a bit earlier than utilizing.
- Scrape. When combining the moist and dry substances, it is very important scrape the perimeters of the bowl periodically. This may deliver any substances clinging to the bowl again into the batter to be blended in.
- Let it cool. Earlier than stacking and frosting, enable the desserts to chill utterly. In any other case, the frosting will slide proper off. Nobody needs that.
Adorning Concepts
The pink frosting and the recent strawberries on this cake are fairly sufficient, however in case you are feeling further festive, listed here are some adorning concepts that may take this cake to the following stage.
- Flowers. I really like the thought of including recent, edible flowers to the highest of this summertime cake.
- Coloured frosting. Put aside about 1 cup of frosting earlier than including the powdered freeze-dried strawberries. Colour it with gel icing colour and use the coloured frosting to pipe shells across the backside and high edges of the cake.
- Sprinkles. I really like cake coated in enjoyable sprinkles.
Find out how to Retailer Leftover Strawberry Cake
If you end up with leftover home made strawberry cake. Retailer it in an hermetic cake provider. I like to recommend this cake provider. You possibly can additionally wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. Already sliced the cake? Organize the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. In any case, retailer the cake within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Permit it to come back near room temperature earlier than serving.
Can I Freeze This?
You may, simply remember that the strawberries in between the layers might get a bit mushy. Pop the cake within the freezer for a few hours to agency up earlier than wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap and returning it to the freezer. When you already sliced the cake, organize the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container and place it within the freezer. Complete or sliced, it might probably keep there for as much as 3 months. Permit the cake to thaw within the fridge earlier than serving.
Extra Strawberry Desserts
It’s strawberry season and I’m so excited. This strawberry layer cake is just about pretty much as good because it will get however listed here are a number of different excellent strawberry desserts so that you can attempt. Blissful baking!
Recipe
Selfmade Strawberry Cake
Prep Time: 2 hours quarter-hour
Prepare dinner Time: 51 minutes
Complete Time: 3 hours 6 minutes
Yield: 12-14 slices
Class: Dessert
Technique: Oven
Delicacies: American
Description
This Selfmade Strawberry Cake is stuffed with candy, recent strawberry taste! Moist strawberry cake layers are paired with a strawberry cream cheese frosting for the last word strawberry cake! The feel isn’t gentle and fluffy, however as a substitute tender with a decent crumb. You would possibly even discover it a bit dense, however not too heavy.
Components
Strawberry cake
- 3 cups (400g) of quartered strawberries*
- 3/4 cup (173g) bitter cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 4 massive eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all goal flour (measured correctly)
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7–9 drops pink meals colour, non-obligatory
Strawberry cream cheese frosting
- 2 cups (46g) freeze dried strawberries*
- 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (172g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
Directions
To make the desserts
- To make the strawberry discount, add the strawberries to a meals processor or blender and puree till clean. It’s best to have about 1 1/2 cups of puree.
- Add the puree to a medium sized saucepan and prepare dinner over medium warmth. Permit the combination to come back to a sluggish boil, stirring constantly to maintain it from burning, till it has thickened and diminished to three/4 cup, about 20-25 minutes. To measure, pour the puree right into a measuring cup. If it’s greater than 3/4 cup, add it again to the pan and proceed cooking.
- When the puree has thickened and diminished, pour into a big measuring cup and permit to chill to at the least room temperature. This strawberry combination may be made forward, if you happen to like, and saved within the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and put together three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper within the backside and baking spray on the perimeters.
- Mix the strawberry discount, bitter cream, milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a big bowl, then separate about 1 cup of the combination into one other bowl or measuring cup. About 1 1/2 cups ought to stay within the different bowl. Set each apart.
- In a big mixer bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- With the mixer on the bottom pace, add the butter a couple of tablespoon at a time, permitting it to include earlier than including the following tablespoon. As you add extra butter, the combination will begin to clump collectively a bit a ought to find yourself resembling moist sand.
- Add the bigger of the reserved egg combination (about 1 1/2 cups) to the dry substances/butter combination. Stir on the bottom pace till it’s integrated, then scrape down the perimeters of the bowl.
- Improve the pace to medium excessive and beat till gentle and fluffy, about 45 seconds to at least one minute. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl.
- Flip the pace right down to low and slowly add the remaining egg combination in a sluggish stream till integrated.
- Scrape the perimeters of the bowl, then flip pace again as much as medium excessive and blend till properly mixed, about 10-15 seconds.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake 24-26 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out with a number of crumbs.
- Take away desserts from the oven and permit to chill for 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling rack to chill utterly.
For the frosting
- To make the frosting, add the freeze-dried strawberries to a meals processor and grind right into a powder. It ought to provide you with a bit greater than half a cup of strawberry powder.
- In a big mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter collectively till clean.
- Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and blend till clean.
- Slowly add remaining powdered sugar and strawberry powder and blend till clean. Add some salt, to style. Put aside.
- To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the desserts in order that they’re flat. Consult with my tutorial, if wanted. Place the primary cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical.
- Add about 1 cup of frosting to the highest of the cake layer and unfold evenly. Add about half of the chopped strawberries and press into the frosting.
- Add the second layer of cake, one other cup of frosting and the remaining chopped strawberries.
- Prime the cake with the remaining layer and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Consult with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake, if wanted.
- Pipe the shell border across the high and backside of the cake. I used a big closed star tip for the highest – Ateco 847. For the border across the backside of the cake, I used Wilton tip 22.
- Add a number of strawberries on high for adornment and refrigerate till able to serve. Cake is finest when saved properly coated and eaten inside 3-4 days.
Notes
NOTE: I used a full pound of strawberries for the puree for the cake layers and extra strawberries for between the cake layers. Your strawberries MUST have nice taste to ensure that your cake to have any taste. In case your strawberries are missing, your cake will likely be too.
When you’d want to not use freeze dried strawberries, you should use recent strawberries. Simply take a look at my Selfmade Strawberry Frosting.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 slice
- Energy: 696
- Sugar: 95.1 g
- Sodium: 291.4 mg
- Fats: 23.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 116.8 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 101.5 mg
Key phrases: strawberry cake, strawberry layer cake, home made strawberry cake
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