With rustic good looks, the strawberry cake batter, a fresh strawberry layer, and creamy sweet icing this homespun sweetheart is a sure winner for cake fans and strawberry lovers.
Note: Because the frosting for this cake uses fresh whipped cream, the cake must be refrigerated.
Before you start baking your cake, you have to decide if you want to add artificial coloring. As red as strawberries are, they will not turn your cake red (or even pink). The pictures above show one layer of strawberry cake with food coloring (Wilton’s Gel Coloring, Rose) and one without any added food coloring. There’s absolutely no difference in taste between the two layers, just appearance. Coloring may be added at any time while making the batter.
And no, I don’t usually bake the layers in two different colors… that was all for you.
Easy Strawberry Cake Recipe Instructions
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure all dry mix is incorporated.
Mix at medium speed for an additional two minutes.
Use baking time and temperature listed on box (varies dependent on size and type of pans you use)
While the cake is baking, prepare the strawberries for the middle layer.
Fresh Strawberry Layer Preparation
4 – 5 fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
Soak strawberries in sweetened water.
Slice strawberries as thinly as possible. The sliced strawberries are placed between the two layers of cake and the thinner the slices, the better the overall texture in each bite of cake.
In a medium bowl, combine sugar and water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place thinly sliced strawberries in the sweetened water. Cover and refrigerate until needed (or a minimum of 30 minutes).
Creamy Confectioner’s Frosting Ingredients
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 oz unsalted butter (2 “sticks”) at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Creamy Confectioner’s Frosting Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine whipping cream and granulated sugar.
Using a wire whisk (either mixing by hand or with an electric mixer), whisk the cream and sugar until it forms thick soft peaks.
Refrigerate whipped cream while you prepare the next portion of the frosting.
In large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the vanilla (for electric mixers, use the paddle or “beater” attachment)
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, cream thoroughly. Repeat until all of the powdered sugar has been added.
Add the milk, beat at medium speed for 4 minutes.
By hand (no electric mixing), gently fold the whipped cream into the powdered sugar mixture. Do not overmix — this is not a smooth textured frosting.
Add layer of sweetened strawberries to cake.
Once the cake has cooled and the frosting is ready, drain and discard the liquid from the thinly sliced strawberries. Use a paper towel to gently pat the strawberries dry.
Frost the bottom layer of the cake and place the sliced strawberries on top of the frosting. Place the second layer of cake and frost entire cake. Don’t bother with trying to smooth this frosting — just add some homey swirls and blips with the frosting knife.
Strawberry cake with white frosting.
Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour and serve. Keep leftovers (if there are any!) refrigerated.
If you’re thinking strawberry purée is just about throwing a bunch of strawberries in a blender and letting it run until there are no strawberry solids left… well, you’re pretty much right. But don’t let the simplicity fool you — a strawberry purée makes a great topping for pancakes or ice cream, the base for a summer sweet cake filling, or add it to cake batter and you have a fabulous strawberry cake.
Strawberry Purée can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries and once made, it last for 3-4 weeks in the freezer.
Strawberry Purée Supplies
16 ounces of strawberries
1 tablespoon water
Sugar (optional)
Cheesecloth (optional)
Wash strawberries.
If you’re using fresh strawberries, wash them thoroughly. If using frozen strawberries, thaw thoroughly (keep the liquid that gathers in the bowl).
Removing leaves and stems from strawberries.
If using fresh strawberries, a quick pinch removes the leaves, but not the stem. Use a small sharp knife to remove the stem (this called “hulling” the strawberry).
Strawberries in blender.
Strawberry purée can be made in a food processor or a blender. If using fresh strawberries, add one tablespoon of water. If using frozen strawberries, use the liquid collected when thawing.
If you’re using purée as a sauce or topping, add 2-4 tablespoons of sugar. If you’re using purée as an ingredient in a mixture that is already sweet (such as cake batter), no added sugar is needed.
If making purée in a blender, you’ll inevitably run into a point like the one pictured — where part of the strawberries are puréed, but the blender blade is just spinning in the liquid. If this happens, turn off the blender, lift the carafe and give it a good shake. Replace the carafe on the blender base and re-start. Repeat as needed.
At this stage, you have a perfectly usable strawberry purée. But I like to make the purée a bit smoother by removing some of the seeds.
Pouring processed strawberries into strainer.
If you don’t happen to own a chinoise (a very expensive strainer), you can still remove a lot of the seeds from your purée by lining a standard metal strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and pouring the purée onto the cheesecloth.
Straining strawberry mash.
Gather the corners of the cheesecloth in one hand and use the other hand to gently squeeze the purée through the cheesecloth. This will leave the majority of the seeds in the cheesecloth and the metal strainer will catch more.
Strawberry puree.
This recipe yields approximately one cup of Strawberry Purée.
I didn’t intend to create a microwave cake recipe. But I was looking for a way to “bake a cake” in a plastic container (more on that at another time) and naturally, I started experimenting with some of the microwave cake recipes I found online.
I quickly discovered that many microwave cakes have a rubbery texture and/or more than a hint of “poached egg” flavor. Another big difficulty with microwaved cake is how quickly they dry out — which is quickly. Very, very quickly.
So I started experimenting. Approximately sixty microwave cake recipe experiments later, I had this cake.
Gathering microwaved cake supplies.
Microwave Cake Ingredients
1 box cake mix
I strongly recommend using one of the Betty Crocker “SuperMoist” mixes. I tried several different brands/flavors and the Betty Crocker “SuperMoist” was the standout every time.
IMPORTANT: Avoid dense cakes like “fudge cake” or “pound cake”. Those are just hockey pucks waiting to be nuked.
1 box (3.4 size) instant pudding in a similar or complementary flavor
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon meringue powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/3 cup milk
Additional Supplies
Non-stick cooking spray
2 – 9″ glass (or other microwave-safe material) pans
Your favorite easy-to-spread frosting
The Not-So-Secret ingredients: meringue powder
The Secret Ingredient
Eggs are a vital ingredient in most cake recipes… but when you microwave a cake with eggs in the recipe, you can easily end up with cake that has a hint of “poached egg” taste and the texture of a rubber chicken. I tried a variety of alternate recipes including: eliminating egg (good for making cake crumbles), substituting egg with applesauce (not bad if you like applesauce cake), substituting egg with prepared pudding (good for a burnt candy flavor), and a host of experiments not worthy of mention.
I know that Meringue Powder isn’t a standard ingredient in a lot of kitchens, but it’s the secret to making a moist “non-eggy” microwaved cake. Meringue Powder can be found in most cake supply stores or craft stores with a cake decorating section. I buy it at the local Michael’s Arts & Crafts store.
Batter will be lumpy -- it's okay.
Microwave Cake Instructions
Combine box of cake mix (dry), pudding mix (dry), and meringue powder in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix ingredients. Break up any large clumps.
Add oil and milk. Mix by hand for approximately one minute.
Don’t worry about small lumps in the batter.
Batter spread in pan
Spray two 9″ x 9″ microwave-safe containers with cooking spray.
Spread 1/2 of the batter in each pan. Spread evenly. Or as evenly as humanly possible. Don’t worry about those few little bits of dry mix — it’s part of the microwave’s magic to make those disappear.
Watching cake in microwave.
Place one batter-filled pan in microwave. Now here’s the dicey part: Cooking Time. As you likely know, microwave ovens vary greatly in “power and efficiency” and that means there are no absolutes when it comes to “just how long” you should microwave your cake.
My microwave is ten years old and lists “wattage output” at 1100W. The perfect microwaving time/power setting with my microwave is 3 minutes and 45 seconds at Full Power. If your microwave has a lower wattage, you might need a longer bake time. If your microwave has a higher wattage, you might need a shorter time (or less than full power).
When the first layer is finished “baking”, cover tightly and then microwave second layer. When finished, cover second layer. Allow both layers to cool before frosting (but keep tightly covered). Covering the cakes helps keep them moist — as mentioned earlier, one of the biggest difficulties with microwaved cakes is how quickly they dry out.
Finished microwaved cake.
Finished Microwaved Cake
And here’s the unfrosted cake — in just over seven minutes of “bake” time, you have moist, delicious cake!
“Lumpy?” Yes, it does look a bit lumpy, but it doesn’t taste lumpy at all. And I’ve not found a solution to the visual problem that doesn’t sacrifice taste… so always remember: frosting is our Cakey Cosmetic friend.
Frosted microwaved cake -- good enough to eat.
Frosting the Microwaved Cake
Microwaved cake is more fragile than an oven-baked cake and requires a “soft” frosting. Homemade buttercream frosting works well. If you’re selecting a “canned frosting”, select one of the whipped varieties as the standard canned frostings will be nearly impossible to spread on microwaved cake without shredding the cake.
Suitable for Company?
The taste of this cake is certainly suitable for company, but because you can’t make this cake too far in advance and then the cake has to cool before frosting, it’s a difficult dessert to prepare without abandoning your guests.
But it’s the perfect quick and easy treat for casual gatherings and lazy family weekends.
