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From-Scratch Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Posted on 06/29/2010 by Maura

For whatever reason, I have had incredible anxiety since I was born, about.  Once I was old enough to walk, I wouldn’t go anywhere without holding my dad’s pinky.  I’d also clutch onto his leg when he was conversing with friends, and therefore wasn’t able to hold his pinky, and he would walk around like that–with me hanging on for dear life to his limbs. 

As I got older, my anxiety stayed while other phases of my life subsided–like wanting to cut my hair into a mushroom cut or wearing only skirts that showed my undies in the winter and pants that covered my shoelaces in the summer.  I would rather have a mushroom cut than live with anxiety!

When I find something that subsides my anxiety, I become obsessed with it.  In the past it has been riding horses, running, reading or writing.  Lately it’s been cooking.  Therefore, when my anxiety came rushing back the first day home from vacation, along with my allergies, I set out the cook the entire next day.  After being anxiety-free at the beach for an entire week, I almost forgot what it was like to be anxious!  Almost.  Being in the kitchen for me is almost theraputic.  I don’t worry, I don’t get anxious, I play with my hair much less ( ) and my crazy brain stops running if for only a few hours.  I set a menu of three items and got to work by 10 a.m. Sunday!

—–

This strawberry cake is one thing I have been dying to play around with.  Kierney (Tim’s sister) made a strawberry cake on vacation that was a box of strawberry cake with a pint of strawberries and cool whip for frosting.  It was so, so delicious.  With that cake in mind, I set out to make a from-scratch version.  While the boxed version was definietly more “strawberry” tasting, this one gave it a run for it’s money in terms of taste!  Yum!

If you decide to add more strawberries to the batter, which in turn means you would be adding more sugar to render the juices, make sure to cut back on the sugar in the dry ingredients. 

Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Recipe by Maura Dieringer, white cake recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Cake:

Ingredients

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and diced

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup 2% or whole milk, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2-1/4 cup Softasilk (cake flour), sifted

1-3/4 cup sugar, minus 1 tablespoon

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature (12 tablespoons)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans and set aside.

Put the diced strawberries in a small bowl and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar on top.  Mix with a fork and set aside to let the juices come out while you prepare the rest of the cake.

In a small bowl, whisk milk, eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.

In a large bowl fit for a stand mixer, add the sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.  Put the bowl on the mixer and add the butter.  Beat on low until the mixture is moist and crumbs form.  Add the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add the strawberries in the sugar, with the juices, and beat for about a minute until the batter turns a faint shade of pink and the berries start to break up (do not beat over a minute).

Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.  Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Run a knife around the outside of the pans, let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting:

Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

1 quart Heavy Whipping Cream

1-2 cups powdered sugar (I use only one cup, but that doesn’t make a really sweet cream.  Start with one and add as desired).

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Fit the whisk attachment on a stand mixer and add the whipping cream to the bowl.  Whisk on high until soft peaks form.  Add sugar to your liking and vanilla and whisk on high until stiff peaks form.

Putting the cake together:

Ingredients

1 Strawberry Cake (above)

Whipped Cream Frosting (above)

1/2 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into thin slices

Instructions

Line the outsides of a cake plate with parchment paper.  Place bottom layer of the cake on the plate.  Place a generous portion of the whipped cream in the middle of the layer and evenly spread.  Take the thin cut strawberries and line in a single layer over the whipped cream.  Place the second cake layer on top.  Put another generous portion of whipped cream on top and frost the top and the sides.  Decoratively place the the rest of the sliced strawberries on the top of the cake with a whole strawberry in the middle if you desire.  Remove the parchment paper to reveal a clean cake plate!

Refrigerate until 30 minutes before ready to serve.

Enjoy!

About Maura

I have a secret: I cannot do anything in moderation. I always have to take things to the extreme, at the expense of my own and my family's sanity and often times my dad’s checkbook. When I started taking horseback riding lessons, I insisted on having a pony. When I ice skated for probably the second time, I made my mom buy me ice skates that were never again worn. When I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I made my parents turn one of the rooms in the basement into a school room, stocked with an overhead projector, pull-down maps and a real, classroom-sized chalkboard and white board. When I discovered cooking I bossed my older sister around in the kitchen for an entire day, forcing her to make dozens of recipes with me against her will and then had her do all the dishes (sorry Cait). And, when I discovered food blogs I bought the biggest binder I could find, printed out 250 recipes in one day and laminated and categorized each one. My dad was not happy about the ink situation. So, what does this tell you about me? For one, you can trust that every recipe I post is more than delicious and has been meticulously tried and tested for you. Also, that I’m an anal freak. Enjoy! View all posts by Maura → This entry was posted in Cakes, Dessert, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink. ← Mediterranean Pasta Salad Grilled Corn Salsa →