Triple Layer Strawberry Cake With Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipes

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Make the reduced strawberry puree and allow it to cool completely. See note. You can make it a few days ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator or cover and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw before using in the recipe.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in 1/2 cup of reduced strawberry puree, making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Stir in food coloring, if desired. (I use 1 small drop.)
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup crumbs. Set aside. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, strawberry powder, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if needed. Yields about 3 cups of frosting.
• First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting- it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM RECIPE

Steps:

• I recommend making this reduction the day before you're ready to make your cake.
• Place fresh or thawed, frozen strawberries into a medium saucepan. Optional: blend strawberries with an emersion blender if you prefer a smoother texture of strawberry reduction.
• Heat on medium-high and add in sugar (if desired), lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
• Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly reduce until berries begin to break up and the mixture has reduced by about half. This will take about 20 minutes. If your mixture has reduced by half and is still watery, continue to cook until all of the liquid is out.
• Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning. You should end up with about 2 cups of thick strawberry reduction that looks like tomato sauce. Transfer to another container and let cool before use.
• You will use some of the reduction for the cake batter, some for the frosting and the rest for filling between the cake layers for extra moisture. Leftover reduction can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for 6 months.
• NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and not cold or hot.
• Make sure to take your strawberry reduction out of the refrigerator 1 hour before making your cake so that it comes to room temperature.
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC.
• Grease three 8" cake pans with cake goop or preferred pan release
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink food coloring.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add room temperature butter to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
• Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the egg whites one at a time, beating 15 seconds in between. Your mixture should look cohesive at this point. If it looks curdled and broken, your butter or egg whites were too cold.
• Mix on low speed and add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If it looks like ice cream, you did it right!
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
• Bake cakes at 350ºF/176ºC until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 30-35 minutes.
• Place pans on top of a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then flip your cakes onto the racks and cool completely.
• Once cooled, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze before assembling your cake.
• Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Attach the whisk and combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes
• Place pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the whisk attachment and combine ingredients on low, then whip on high for 5 minutes.
• Add in your softened butter in chunks and whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. It may look curdled and yellow at first, this is normal. Keep whipping.
• Add in strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping until incorporated.
• Optional: Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles.
• Place your first layer of strawberry cake onto a cake plate or cake board. Trim off the dome if needed with a sharp knife so the top of the cake is flat.
• Add a very thin layer or your cooled reduction over the cut surface. This helps soak into the cake and adds moisture and strawberry flavor.
• Add a layer of strawberry buttercream, I shoot for about 1/4". Smooth it with your offset spatula until it's flat.
• Frost the outside of your cake with the leftover buttercream and decorate with some fresh. strawberries if desired.

TRIPLE-LAYER STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH FRESH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine fresh strawberries and two tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Pulse until strawberries are reduced to a pulp. DO NOT blend until smooth. (You will use ½ cup of the puree for the cake. Reserve the remaining puree to use in the frosting.) Set aside and allow to macerate further while you perform next few steps.
• Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
• Whip eggs whites until they form medium peaks. Set aside.
• Combine sifted flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• Whisk together milk, strawberry puree, lemon zest, and vanilla. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, dry strawberry Jell-O®, and salt. Beat in eggs yolks one at a time.
• Stir flour mixture into batter alternately with strawberry-milk mixture.
• Gently fold in whipped egg whites.
• Pour batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
• Allow cakes to cool in their pans over wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Carefully tap out onto wire rack to cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high until light and fluffy.
• With mixer on low, add powdered sugar to the whipped butter alternately with ⅓ cup pureed strawberries. Combine thoroughly into a soft, creamy mixture that will hold its shape. Cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, or until it has firmed up slightly.
• Spread the top of the bottom layer of cake with frosting. Add the middle layer and refrigerate again until the frosting has firmed up a bit. Add the top layer and frost sides and top of cake. For a cleaner frosting, apply a crumb coat first to keep the crumbs out of your final frosting. If you are spreading the frosting on thick, you may want to refrigerate the cake after you apply the frosting between each layer until the frosting has firmed just a bit; about 10-15 minutes for each layer. (If you are frosting it thin, you probably won't need to do this.)
• Decorate with fresh strawberries if desired.

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans that are at least 1 1/2 inches high.
• Sprinkle strawberries with sugar in a bowl and let sit for at least 20 minutes, or until juices accumulate.
• Puree strawberries in a blender until smooth and set aside.
• Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add 1 cup strawberry puree, oil, strawberry extract, and food coloring. Mix well. Add flour, gently folding until well mixed. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 30 minutes.
• Make the frosting while the cakes cool. Combine confectioners' sugar, butter, heavy cream, 4 tablespoons of strawberry puree, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whip thoroughly, adding more puree to color and taste as needed.
• Sandwich cake layers with frosting. Cover the top and sides with remaining frosting.

REAL STRAWBERRY FROSTING

Steps:

• Place strawberries in a blender; puree until smooth.
• Transfer strawberry puree to a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring often, until puree is reduced by at least half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
• Beat butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat 1 cup confectioners' sugar into butter until just blended.
• Beat 2 tablespoons strawberry puree and vanilla extract into butter mixture until just blended.
• Repeat with 1 cup confectioners' sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons strawberry puree two more times.
• Beat last 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into mixture until just blended.

TRIPLE-LAYER STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix cake mix, gelatin, eggs, oil, sugar, strawberries, milk, and flour for cake together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and increase mixer speed to medium; beat for 3 minutes. Pour cake batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, make frosting. Beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until it's pale yellow and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and strawberries and beat at low speed until well combined and creamy. Set in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm it up slightly (you just don't want it to be runny).
• Spread one of the layers of cake with frosting then refrigerate. Frost the second layer and refrigerate until the frosting on both layers has firmed up a bit. Assemble all the layers and frost the top and sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.