Strawberry Cake

You will fall in love with this fresh Strawberry Cake made with a homemade strawberry reduction. It’s moist, tender, and the most beautiful shade of pink! This recipe combines layers of strawberry flavored cake with strawberry flavored cream cheese frosting, so you get fresh strawberry flavors with every bite.

Equipment

• 9″ cake pans
• Stand mixer or electric mixer
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 330g
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
• 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
• 4 large egg whites room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk 120ml
• ½ cup fresh strawberry puree reduced (see Notes) (120ml)
• pink food coloring optional

For the Strawberry Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (227g)
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (227g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar sifted (720g-840g)
• ¼ cup fresh strawberry puree reduced (see Notes)

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, or spray with baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. (You can wrap the cake pans with soaked fabric baking strips if desired.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed just until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape down the bowl and add the egg whites and vanilla. Beat until on medium speed for about 1 minute or until well combined and very fluffy. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk and the strawberry reduction, mixing just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. If desired, mix in a drop or two of pink food coloring. Divide the batter among the two cake pans.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack. Discard the parchment paper.

For the Strawberry Frosting:

• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a tablespoon of the strawberry puree. Stop and scrape down the bowl a few times during mixing. Once all of the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. If the frosting feels too stiff and not silky, add a tablespoon or two of puree or milk.

For the Assembly:

• Place a cake layer on a cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top of the cake. Top with the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the outside of the cake and decorate as desired. The cake should be stored covered and will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

• To make a strawberry reduction, start by washing and hulling 1 pound of fresh strawberries. For frozen strawberries, thaw before using. Place the strawberries in a blender and puree. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until reduced by about half, 25 minutes for fresh and up to 45 for frozen. You should have 1 cup of reduction. Let cool completely before using.
• If the tops of your cakes are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes so you can stack them evenly. Alternatively, use cake strips to help your cake layers come out evenly. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to buy cake strips, I have a post on how to DIY cake strips.
• I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour as it’s the most accurate method. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
• If the ingredients were refrigerated (eggs, milk, and cream cheese), it’s best to bring them to room temperature before using them, so they mix well into the batter without overmixing.
• I recommend using gel food coloring as the color is more concentrated and does not add additional liquid to the frosting.
• Make sure you do not skip alternating the flour mixture and wet ingredients. If you add the wet ingredients all at once into the mixer, you risk the batter separating.
• Be careful not to overmix the batter, as it’ll lead to a dense and dry cake. Once all the flour has been incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Leavening agents — this strawberry cake uses both baking soda and baking powder. Make sure they are fresh and replace them if they’ve expired.

Butter — buy unsalted butter to prevent the cake and buttercream from tasting salty as there is salt added to the cake.

Eggs — this recipe uses a lot of egg whites to keep the cake light and fluffy. Save the egg yolks for my crème brûlée recipe.

Milk — to add the maximum richness and creaminess to the cake, make sure you use full-fat milk.

Strawberry reduction — reducing a strawberry puree is the secret to a flavorful strawberry cake and frosting. Adding strawberries directly into the batter or frosting does not incorporate the strawberry flavor throughout the cake, and just pureeing strawberries adds too much liquid to the cake and frosting. A strawberry reduction ensures the most flavor.

Cream cheese — be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and not the spreadable type from a tub. Cold cream cheese won’t mix well, so make sure to bring it to room temperature.

How to Make Strawberry Cake

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed just until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg whites and vanilla. Beat until on medium speed until well combined and very fluffy. Reduce the speed to low.

3. Add the flour mixture in batches to the mixer.

4. Alternate the flour with the milk and the strawberry reduction, mixing just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. If desired, mix in a drop or two of pink food coloring.

5. Divide the batter among the 2 buttered 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a tablespoon of the strawberry puree. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. Then assemble the strawberry cake by adding the frosting between the cake layers and the exterior of the cake.

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

• If the tops of your strawberry cake layers are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes so you can stack them evenly. Alternatively, use cake strips to help your cake layers come out evenly. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to buy cake strips, I have a post on how to DIY cake strips.
• I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour as it’s the most accurate method. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
• If the ingredients were refrigerated (eggs, milk, and cream cheese), it’s best to bring them to room temperature before using them, so they mix well into the batter without overmixing.
• I recommend using gel food coloring as the color is more concentrated and does not add additional liquid to the strawberry cake’s frosting.
• Make sure you do not skip alternating the flour mixture and wet ingredients. If you add the wet ingredients all at once into the mixer, you risk the batter separating.
• Be careful not to overmix the strawberry cake batter, as it’ll lead to a dense and dry cake. Once all the flour has been incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a strawberry reduction?

To make a strawberry reduction, start by washing and hulling 1 pound of fresh strawberries. For frozen strawberries, thaw them before using. Place the strawberries in a blender and puree. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until reduced by about half, 25 minutes for fresh and up to 45 for frozen. You should have 1 cup of reduction. Let cool completely before using. Do not add sugar to the reduction.

If you’d like to use a premade jam instead, reduce the sugar in the cake by ⅓ cup. If your strawberries aren’t very flavorful or you’d like a stronger strawberry taste, you can add up to 1 teaspoon of strawberry extract to the cake batter and frosting.

Can I use the batter for cupcakes?

While you can adapt this strawberry cake recipe into cupcakes, I recommend you try my strawberry cupcake recipe instead!

How do I store this cake?

You can leave the strawberry cake at room temperature for up to 5 days if you keep it covered. You can also store the cake in the fridge.

Can I freeze this?

You can freeze fully frosted or unfrosted cake for up to 2 months. Wrap the cake tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and then tin foil before freezing. Let the cake thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.

From: The Preppy Kitchen