I am not a pink kind of girl, but I will make an exception for this cake because the light pink hue is all natural. And I love strawberries.
This cake is surprisingly made with frozen strawberries, so it easy to enjoy any time of the year. The frozen berries are simply thawed and pureed until smooth.
The recipe for this cream cheese frosting is genius. It calls for cold cream cheese, which makes it much easier to work with, and harder to over-beat. A thin layer of strawberry jam gives the cake layers a nice pop of color against the pale pink cake and white frosting.
Strawberry Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, and Sky High Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes Serves 12 to 16Strawberry Butter Cake
4 1/2 cups cake flour 3 cups sugar 5 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups strawberry puree (from about 1, 14-ounce bag of thawed frozen strawberries) 8 egg whites 2/3 cup milkWhite Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pound cream cheese, chilled 6 cups confectionary sugar, sifted if lumpy 6 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly 2 teaspoons vanillaStrawberry Jam Layer
1/2 cup strawberry jamFor cake, pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. Butter three 9-inch round, or 8-inch square cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and butter paper.
Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minute; the batter will look like strawberry ice cream at this point.
In another large bowl, whisk together the egg white and milk to blend. Add the whites to the batter in 2 or 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well, and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.
Bake the cakes for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake. Allow to cool in pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and peel off parchment liners. Let stand until completely cooked before assembling the cake, at least one hour.
To make the frosting, add cream cheese and confectionary sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla and blend in. Do not beat excessively at this point, or the frosting will heat up and become too soft.
For strawberry jam layer, heat jam in microwave for 30 seconds to slightly liquify jam. Push through a stainer to remove seeds, and set aside.
If your cakes are domed, trim tops to level, and set aside.
To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 2/3 cup of frosting. Invert second layer, and spread with half of the strawberry jam – it will be a very thin layer, keeping it 1/4-inch from the edge of the cake. Turn cake layer jam side down, and place on top of cake layer. Repeat steps with third layer, using another 2/3 cup of frosting and remaining jam. Decoratively frost cake with remaining frosting. Cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Leave a Reply