Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
MAKES ONE 8″ CAKE (16 SERVINGS) | LEVEL: BEGINNER
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This Strawberry Layer Cake is one of my favorite layer cakes, EVER, if not at the very top of my list. With fresh strawberries in the batter, it makes for a really special birthday or Mother’s Day cake. Who are we kidding? It’ll be one of your most talked about desserts no matter when you make it!
Cake ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sliced strawberries
10 oz. all purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup low-fat buttermilk or sour milk (1 Tablespoon white vinegar with enough low-fat milk added to equal 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- To prepare the cake, place sliced strawberries in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Weigh or lightly spoon flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps.
- Place softened butter and sugar in a mixer bowl or large bowl and beat at medium speed until well blended.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in egg whites.
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
- Add pureed strawberries and food coloring. Beat until just blended.
- Coat two 8-inch round cake pans with butter or cooking spray, and parchment rounds if you have them (makes for easy removal).
- Divided batter evently between the two cake pans.
- Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove cake from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
- Prepare the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
12 whole strawberries (optional)
- Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and Grand Marnier on medium speed until blended.
- Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and incorporate, a little at a time, until completely blended.
Cake assembly:
- Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer.
- Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
- Cut one strawberry into thin slices, cutting to, but not through, the stem end. Fan strawberry on top of cake just before serving.
- For a beautiful presentation, cut the remaining 11 strawberries in half, leaving the stems on. Garnish the cake by pressing in strawberry halves around the base of the cake.