Easy Strawberry Cake

Pfoinkle — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:49:39 +0000

Strawberry cake with white frosting.

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.

Easy Strawberry Cake Ingredients

1 Betty Crocker White Cake Mix (SuperMoist)
4 egg whites
1-1/4 cup milk
1 box White Chocolate Pudding Mix (1 oz size)
1/3 cup strawberry puree
1/3 cup oil
Food coloring (optional)

Artificial color vs. natural strawberry coloring.

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.

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Strawberry Purée

Pfoinkle — Sat, 30 May 2009 08:13:28 +0000

Strawberry puree.

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.