Homemade Strawberry Cake - Yum!

This was the first cake that I made from scratch and I was really surprised how well it turned out!

Katie’s Strawberry Cake

3/4 cup strawberry puree, room temperature (directions follow)
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened (not melted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8 inch pans (I used 9 inch): line outside with heavy duty foil or Bake Even Strips (I did not use either and it turned out perfectly even) and spray inside with baking spray with flour.

In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, vanilla and mix with fork until well blended (I used a whisk). In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. (For the flour, I sifted it into a bowl and then re-measured before mixing. I found that I had more than I needed this way).  Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.

Add liquids and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until full and evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds. Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops. (Eventhough it might not look fully mixed be careful not to over mix! It is better to undermix than overmix.)

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - time will vary. Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours). (Be prepared for your house to smell very good!)

Yields: 2 8-inch round cakes

I made a 3-layer cake so it was necessary to go through this twice. You can make cupcakes with the second half of the second recipe. I also used 9-inch round cake pans so they turned out a little bit thinner.

Source: Good Things Catered (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Classic White Layer Cake) via Confections of a Foodie Bride

Strawberry Puree 

24oz frozen strawberries, thawed*

*I actually used fresh strawberries that I hulled and sliced before letting sit over night with 2 tsp. of sugar in a closed container. You can also let them sit at room temperature for a couple hours with sugar instead before you are ready to bake the cake. 

Pour sliced strawberries into a fine strainer placed over a bowl and let sit. Lightly toss the strawberries occasionally to remove any pockets of excess liquid. Reserve the liquid for another use or discard. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.

Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. 

Yields: Approx 1 1/4 cup strawberry puree

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride 

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 (1-lb) box of confectioners' sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixture for approximately 30 seconds. With the mixer on low, slowly add sugar. Add vanilla and beat on medium speed. Continue to blend until frosting is fluffy (approximately 1 minute).

*I doubled this recipe to make sure that I had enough frosting. I also mixed a small amount of strawberry puree with the frosting to create a filling for between the layers.

Source: The Martha Stewart Show, April 2008

First Layer

Cake Assembly

I piped a small amount of of icing around the perimeter of the bottom cake with Wilton's tip #12 in order to prevent the filling from seeping out. I then spread the strawberry puree/cream cheese icing mixture inside the circle (it will be a little bit runny but can be thickened with more confectioners' sugar).

Notes

The only drawback to this cake recipe is that the icing will start to melt if the weather is too hot, which was the case when I made it. I've read that you can substitute shortening for butter so that the icing will hold up in warm weather but I am not sure how it will affect the taste of this recipe.