Fresh strawberries are the A-List star in this Fresh Strawberry Cake.
When it comes to strawberry cake, there are many schools of thought. Some bakers swear by strawberry gelatin and other bakers use strawberry extract. Personally I enjoy the subtle natural flavor of fresh strawberries.
Putting fresh fruit in cake batter is always a risky move. Fruit is not the same as adding chocolate, sprinkles, or candies. When baked, the moisture from the fresh fruit leeches out and compromises the dry-to-wet ratio of the cake batter.
Cutting the strawberries into smaller pieces releases just enough moisture to maintain the batter’s structural integrity.
This Fresh Strawberry Cake reminds me of Baked & Wired’s best selling strawberry cupcake. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I am very biased when it comes to cupcakes, I simply have not come across a better retail bakery cupcake than Baked & Wired’s cupcakes.
Both have that perfect vanilla cake base and are studded with just enough fruit pieces.
The only difference is in the flour. The Fresh Strawberry Cake has cake flour, yielding a more tender and delicate texture.
Though the Fresh Strawberry Cake layers are pink, it would be too predictable and boring to frost the cake pink.
In comes some groovy colors—and tons of it!
I love the color combination of pink and teal. Though this color combination can harken back to the late 80s, the drippy ganache finish makes for a contemporary cake design.
All together the fresh strawberries blend with the fresh funky colors and cake design.
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- For the Fresh Strawberry Cake:
- 3 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Red gel food coloring
- 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, diced into small even pieces
- For the Classic Cream Cream Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine salt
- 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Teal gel food coloring
- For the White Chocolate Ganache:
- 10 ounces white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Fuchsia gel food coloring
- For assembling the Fresh Strawberry Cake:
- ½ cup strawberry preserves
- 4 to 5 fresh strawberries
- Confetti sprinkles
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 4 8-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on a medium speed until soft peaks form. Add ½ cup of the granulated sugar. Raise the speed to high until stiff peaks form. Pour into a separate bowl.
- In the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on a medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl down and cream the butter with the remaining 1 ½ cups granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until well combined and creamy. Add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredient mixture with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Tint the batter to the desired shade of pink. Give the batter a few folds by hand before folding in the chopped strawberries.
- Stir ¼ of the egg whites by hand into the batter too lighten the batter. Fold the remaining egg whites into the batter.
- Divide the batter between prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway. Once done, immediately invert cake layers onto a wire rack to prevent over baking. Cool completely before frosting.
- Put the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on a medium-high speed until pale in color and lump free. Add the vanilla and salt. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer’s speed on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping the bowl as needed. Add a pinch of salt. Beat again on a medium-high speed for a final 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove about 1 cup of frosting and tint the remaining frosting with teal food gel. Refrigerate in containers until ready to assemble.
- Place the white chocolate and heavy cream over a double boiler, stirring frequently until the chips are melted.
- Remove from heat stir in the oil before adding the food gel. Let color before assembling.
- If the cakes have domes, use a serrated knife to create even cake layers. Place a dollop of frosting onto a cake board or plate and secure the first cake layer.
- Use an offset spatula to apply the strawberry preserves. Apply an even layer of the White Cream Cheese Frosting. Repeat this step with the second layer and third layer. Top with the fourth and final layer.
- Press a thin layer of the Teal Cream Cheese frosting into the cake, creating a crumb coat. Place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes. Apply a thicker layer of frosting and chill for a final 20 minutes.
- Use a pastry bag to control the White Chocolate Ganache drips. Smooth the ganache on the cake’s top. Cool in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once the ganache has set, pipe the remaining White Cream Cheese Frosting with a shell tip around the cake’s top border. Finish the cake with fresh strawberries and sprinkles.
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