It’s spring, the weather is gorgeous, and strawberries have started to make an appearance at the farmer’s market … what more can you ask for?
The first week that strawberries are really good might be the happiest that I am all year. In season strawberries can’t even compare to the pale, bitter berries that are available the rest of the year. Just follow your nose – if they’re ready, you’ll be able to smell them even before you see where they are in the store or at the market. Their scent is so intoxicating that it makes me giddy, and I buy them by the basket full. I just can’t help myself!
Once I’ve eaten way more than my fill, I make this cake. I’ve been making it for a few years now, an it’s absolutely delightful. It’s light and fluffy and had the perfect strawberry milkshake-like flavor. Go ahead and add plenty of colorful sprinkles – a cake this good is worthy of a celebration.
(Also worthy of a celebration? Winning $100! You still have a week to enter my contest – see the details here.)
Fresh Strawberries and Cream Cake
It’s really hard to get homemade strawberry cake right, but good berries do the trick. Unfortunately, that means there’s only about a month-long window where this recipe really works. I’ve made it in the winter with frozen berries, but it’s just not the same. What are you waiting for?
I use store bought icing. I know a lot of people think it’s terrible, but I love it and my homemade icing is never as good (except for my peanut butter oreo buttercream, but that just doesn’t go with this cake). If you have a great recipe for frosting, go ahead and use it. But if you don’t, by all means, go ahead and use the stuff from the store.
Ingredients
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted Butter, softened
- 2 cups fresh Strawberry Puree
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 5 Egg Whites
- 2 cups of your favorite cream cheese or buttercream frosting
- 1 cup chopped fresh Strawberries
- Rainbow Sprinkles
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350*F. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and strawberry puree and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes. Mix together the milk and egg whites in a second bowl, then gradually incorporate into the batter. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake coms out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely, about 1 hour, then invert and remove them from the pans.
- Mix together 1/2 cup frosting and chopped strawberries. Place one cake layer on a platter. Spread the top with strawberry frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Spread the top of the cake with a thin layer of frosting, then frost the sides. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
Adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Three Layer Cakes
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
This is such a gorgeous spring cake, Lauren! It looks so fu, flavorful and definitely worth celebrating the lovely weather we’re having lately in Texas! Great recipe!
Carol says
Would this work in a 13X9 inch pan too. Of course it means only one layer of frosting…
Lauren says
it will work volume-wise, but you might have to adjust the cooking time.
Suzi says
Love this cake, it’s a beauty. I don’t use jello but I have been known to use a boxed mix, for shame I know. I am going to try making my own cake from scratch and this is a great place to start.
Lauren says
No shame! I’m definitely not above using box mix. I still haven’t figured out how to make a good from-scratch yellow cake and, hey, sometimes you just don’t feel like the extra time and mess!It just seems silly to me to go through the hassle of making it from scratch, but then using jello…
Andrea says
So CUTE with the sprinkles! Strawberries are perfect right now… I guess I’d better make this cake now!
Joanne says
I’ve made this cake before but in cupcake form and it’s the best! I always get so upset when I see strawberry cake recipes that use jello to flavor…not good at all compared to the real thing!
Lauren says
I’ve never understood the whole jello thing. If you’re going to do that, why not just go all the way and buy a boxed cake mix? Jello is so gross!
Blog is the New Black says
This sounds wonderful!