Description
This Fresh Strawberry Cake is a true delight! I absolutely adore the combination of tender, moist vanilla cake layers studded with (inferred) hints of citrus, paired with a luscious frosting that’s bursting with real, fresh strawberries and tangy cream cheese. It’s like the essence of spring and summer in every slice.
Ingredients
Cake: (Ingredients Still Missing – Proceeding with Inferred)
- ~3 cups Cake Flour, ~1 Tbsp BP, ~1/2 tsp BS, ~1/2 tsp Salt, 1 cup Butter, 2 cups Sugar, 4 Eggs, 1 cup Milk, 1/2 cup Sour Cream, 2 tsp Vanilla, Opt. Orange Extract
Strawberry Puree:
- 2 cups pureed strawberries (From original Step 1) – Reduced to 3/4 cup
Frosting/Filling (Based on Directions):
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- (Implied: ~1/2 cup Sugar for cream cheese)
- (Implied: ~2 tsp Vanilla for cream cheese)
- 3/4 cup Reduced Strawberry Puree (Made in Step 1) – Divided
- 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam, divided (As listed, used between layers)
- (Implied: ~1-2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped for folding) – Not explicitly listed but needed for DIRECTIONS method.
Garnish:
- Halved or sliced fresh strawberries, optional
Note: Proceeding with inferred/adjusted list based on conflicting information. Clarity on exact ingredients from user would be ideal.
Instructions
Let’s bake this delightful Fresh Strawberry Cake:
(Prep) Make Reduced Strawberry Puree (Based on Directions Step 1):
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups pureed strawberries to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until reduced to ¾ cup, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to a shallow container. Refrigerate until chilled.
Make the Cake Layers: 4. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment. 5. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy (5-7 mins). Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in 2 tsp vanilla (and orange extract if using). 6. In another bowl, whisk ~3 cups cake flour, ~1.5 tsp baking powder, ~0.5 tsp baking soda, and ~0.5 tsp salt. 7. Combine ~1 cup milk and ~0.5 cup sour cream. 8. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk/sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with dry. Beat well after each addition. 9. Stir in ½ cup of the chilled reduced strawberry puree into the batter. 10. Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 30-33 minutes until toothpick is clean. 11. Cool 10 mins in pans, then remove to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely.
Make the Frosting (Following Directions’ Method, Inferring Cream): 12. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and butter (from list) until fluffy. 13. Beat in 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, the remaining ¼ cup reduced strawberry puree, and strawberry extract/food coloring (if using). Beat until smooth. (This makes a Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream based on ingredients list, diverging from directions). * Alternative Following Directions’ Implied Method: Beat cream cheese, sugar (~1/2 cup inferred), vanilla until smooth. Separately, whip ~1-2 cups heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.* (I will proceed describing assembly using the frosting from the ingredient list method, as it’s more complete).
Assemble the Cake: 14. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. 15. Top with the ½ cup seedless strawberry jam, spreading evenly. 16. Top the jam with about 1 cup (or more) of the prepared strawberry cream cheese frosting. 17. Top with the second cake layer. 18. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. 19. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired. Refrigerate until serving
