The Best Homemade Strawberry Cake
This Homemade Strawberry Cake is not made with box cake mix and jello. I much prefer to make cakes the old-fashioned way, with pantry ingredients and real strawberries. The frosting is a blend of butter and cream cheese. Strawberry pulp turns the frosting a pretty pink, with bits of strawberries. This cake is a show stopper! The frosting was off-the-charts delicious!
Servings 12
Calories 601kcal
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 10 ounces strawberries frozen whole (2-cups) (I used fresh strawberries)
- 3/4 cup whole milk room temperature
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour 9-ounces
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 12 1/4-ounces
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces and softened
FROSTING:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 9-ounces
- 12 ounces cream cheese cut into 12 pieces and softened
- Pinch of salt
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries hulled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2-cups)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, grease parchment, and flour.
- Transfer strawberries to bowl, cover, and microwave until strawberries are soft and have released their juice, about 5 minutes.
- Place in fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan. Firmly press fruit dry (juice should measure at least 3/4 cup); reserve strawberry solids.
- Bring juice to boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk milk into juice until combined.
- Whisk strawberry milk, egg whites, and vanilla in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined.
- Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Scrape equal amounts of batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and cool completely, about 2 hours. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
For the frosting:
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix butter and sugar on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Increase speed to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add reserved strawberry solids and salt and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.
- Pat strawberries dry with paper towels. When cakes are cooled, spread 3/4 cup frosting over 1 cake round.
- Press 1 cup strawberries in even layer over frosting and cover with additional 3/4 cup frosting. Top with second cake round and spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Garnish with remaining strawberries. Serve.
Notes
(Cake can be refrigerated for 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Recipe source: Cook's Country Magazine June/July 2011 issue.