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Strawberry Cake

 

This melt in your mouth strawberry cake filled with fresh strawberries and covered in a luscious buttercream is beyond easy to make and so delicious!


Equipment

  • 9" cake pans
  • Stand mixer or electric mixer
  • Mixing Bowls


Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 330g
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
  • 4 large egg whites room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup whole milk 120ml
  • ½ cup fresh strawberry puree reduced (see Notes) (120ml)
  • pink food coloring optional

For the Strawberry Frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (227g)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (227g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar sifted (720g-840g)
  • ¼ cup fresh strawberry puree reduced (see Notes)


Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, or spray with baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. (You can wrap the cake pans with soaked fabric baking strips if desired.)
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed just until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg whites and vanilla. Beat until on medium speed for about 1 minute or until well combined and very fluffy. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk and the strawberry reduction, mixing just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. If desired, mix in a drop or two of pink food coloring. Divide the batter among the two cake pans.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack. Discard the parchment paper.

For the Strawberry Frosting:

  1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  2. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a tablespoon of the strawberry puree. Stop and scrape down the bowl a few times during mixing. Once all of the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. If the frosting feels too stiff and not silky, add a tablespoon or two of puree or milk.

For the Assembly:

  1. Place a cake layer on a cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top of the cake. Top with the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the outside of the cake and decorate as desired. The cake should be stored covered and will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.


Notes

  • To make a strawberry reduction, start by washing and hulling 1 pound of fresh strawberries. For frozen strawberries, thaw before using. Place the strawberries in a blender and puree. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until reduced by about half, 25 minutes for fresh and up to 45 for frozen. You should have 1 cup of reduction. Let cool completely before using.
  • If the tops of your cakes are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes so you can stack them evenly. Alternatively, use cake strips to help your cake layers come out evenly. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don't want to buy cake strips, I have a post on how to DIY cake strips.
  • I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour as it's the most accurate method. If you don't have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
  • If the ingredients were refrigerated (eggs, milk, and cream cheese), it's best to bring them to room temperature before using them, so they mix well into the batter without overmixing.
  • I recommend using gel food coloring as the color is more concentrated and does not add additional liquid to the frosting.
  • Make sure you do not skip alternating the flour mixture and wet ingredients. If you add the wet ingredients all at once into the mixer, you risk the batter separating.
  • Be careful not to overmix the batter, as it'll lead to a dense and dry cake. Once all the flour has been incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.