Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake Food

STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center position. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep); line with parchment cut to fit. Butter parchment; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat in vanilla.
• Divide batter between pans. Bake, rotating halfway through, until tops spring back when gently touched and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool in pans for 20 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of cakes, and invert onto racks; remove parchment, and let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Combine strawberries with granulated sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving syrup.
• Whisk cream with confectioners' sugar until medium peaks form.
• Trim cake tops. Slice cakes in half horizontally. Generously brush 1 cake layer with some reserved syrup, and spread on one-third of the jam. Top with one-third of the filling, then one-third of the whipped cream. Repeat with 2 more cake layers. Top with remaining cake layer, bottom side up. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. Dust cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

FRESH STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Combine milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract in another bowl.
• Beat sugar and lard together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and beat to combine. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture and strawberry puree, making 3 dry and 2 wet additions. Beat for 1 minute. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
• Drop cake pans 2 to 3 times on the countertop to break any air bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto the rack to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes more.
• Ice cooled cake using vanilla frosting between the layers and on the top and sides.

STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the puree: Pulse the strawberries in a food processor, scraping as needed, until a smooth puree forms. Add the strawberry puree to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the puree reduces by half (to about 1 cup). Transfer the puree to a bowl and set aside to cool.
• For the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment rounds; lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla in another bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the whole eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cooled strawberry puree. Reserve the rest of the puree for the frosting.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the butter, beating until smooth. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Remove 3 cups of the frosting to a medium bowl and set aside. Fold the reserved strawberry puree into the remaining frosting. Refrigerate both until slightly chilled and firm, about 20 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake domed-side down on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the strawberry frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake domed-side up on top. Spread the top and sides of the cake with 1 1/2 cups of the white frosting. Smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's okay if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining white frosting on the top of the cake and the upper half of the sides. There should be a band all around the bottom of the cake with the crumb coat exposed. Fill in the exposed area with 1 cup of the strawberry frosting. Use a large offset spatula to smooth the top and sides of the cake. The strawberry and white frostings should blend together during smoothing to create an ombre effect. Transfer the remaining strawberry frosting to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 8 rosettes evenly spaced along the top border of the cake.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the base and sides of three deep, round 6-inch (15-cm) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• To make the cake, sift together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl, and set aside. Mix the milk and elderflower cordial in a small bowl and set aside. Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest for 5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks like it's starting to curdle, add 1 tablespoon (8 g) of the flour mixture. Turn the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture followed by the milk and elderflower. Stir in the remaining flour and divide the batter equally into the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 35 to 37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to firm up.
• To make the purée, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the stems off the strawberries, cut them in half and put them into a baking dish. Toss the fruit with the sugar and vanilla. Roast the strawberries in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once halfway. The strawberries are done once they are soft and fragrant and the juices have turned into a syrup. Leave the strawberries to cool completely before transferring them to a food processor or blender and pulsing until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
• To make the buttercream, add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a heatproof bowl. Make sure there are no traces of grease in the bowl as this will stop the meringue from whipping up. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the base doesn't touch the water. Whisk the eggs and sugar constantly until the mixture reaches a temperature of about 150°F (65°C). If you don't have a thermometer, rub a little of the mixture in between your fingers. The eggs should be hot to the touch with all the sugar dissolved.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and start whisking the egg whites on high speed in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with an electric whisk. Beat until the whites are thick and have doubled in volume. Once the bowl is cool to the touch and with the mixer still running, add the butter a piece at a time. The meringue will deflate and will start to look a little runny or curdled. Don't panic-this is normal. Continue beating until you have added in all of the butter and the mixture is smooth and glossy. If after 10 minutes, your meringue buttercream is still soupy, chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes and then beat again. Add about 1/2 cup (125 g) of the strawberry puree and beat the buttercream for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Leave the buttercream at room temperature until you are ready to assemble.
• Unwrap the cakes from the fridge and if any of them are domed, level them with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. All the layers need to be completely flat to ensure you don't end up with a wonky cake. Brush each cake layer with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of elderflower cordial. Place one layer of cake on a cake board and put this board on a turntable, if using. If your buttercream has firmed up, whip it up again in the mixer until smooth. Add a scoop of buttercream and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula, pushing the buttercream right to the edge (it's fine if it spills over). Place the next layer on top of the first, but this time add about 1 tablespoon (8 g) of strawberry purée on top of the buttercream layer, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) clear around the edge. Place the last layer topside down to give you a perfectly flat top.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Smooth the edges as much as you can with a bench scraper or palette knife. This is the crumb coat layer that will trap any stray crumbs and act as a base for the next layer. Place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up before adding another layer of buttercream on the top and sides. Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle (I've used Wilton 8B) with any remaining buttercream and pipe swirls across the edge to make a wreath. Top the cake with fresh strawberries, a drizzle of any leftover puree and fresh elderflower (if in season).

FRESH STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Beat together cake layer ingredients until well-mixed. Pour into a greased and floured sheet pan and bake at 350* for about 20-25 minutes. (until toothpick comes out clean) Allow cake to cool to room temperature. (I usually do all this the day before.).
• Cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese.
• Fold in whipped cream. (you could use Cool Whip, but I prefer real cream).
• Spread cream mixture over the baked and cooled cake.
• Slice fresh strawberries in half and arrange prettily cut side up over the cream layer.
• Pour glaze over the cut strawberries so that no white cream layer shows though.
• This cake is best served cold, so I always refrigerate for a couple hours before serving. Slice in squares and serve.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Butter and flour 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan.
• Using electric mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, and butter in large bowl until moistened, about 30 seconds, and then beat on medium speed 4 minutes.
• Beat in both extracts.
• Transfer batter to pan; and bake cake at 350 degrees until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 28 minutes.
• Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes; turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.
• Puree thawed berries with syrup in food processor; if using just-picked strawberries, disregard this step.
• Beat cream with sugar in large bowl until peaks form.
• Using serrated knife, cut cake horizontally in half; transfer bottom half of cake, cut side up, to platter.
• Spread 1 cup strawberry puree over cake (puree will soak into cake); again, if using just-picked strawberries, disregard this step.
• Arrange 1 1/2 cups sliced berries in single layer atop strawberry puree on cake.
• Spread 2 cups whipped cream over strawberries.
• Top with second half of cake, cut side down; spread remaining strawberry puree over top of cake or place a single layer of just-picked strawberries.
• Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake.
• Garnish cake top and sides with sliced berries.
• Can be prepared eight hours ahead; refrigerate.