Strawberry Layer Cake
Calories:
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 3¼ cups cake flour*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces butter softened
- 2½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- ⅔ cups good quality strawberry jam**
- For the strawberry buttercream:
- 8 ounces butter softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup diced strawberries packed
- 2 tablespoons half and half or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray three 8-inch*** cake pans generously with baking spray (make sure the sides of the pan are well greased).**** Cut circles of parchment paper to fit pans and place one in the bottom of each pan. Spray again, lightly.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. (I use a fine strainer for sifting, just hold strainer above a clean bowl, add flour mixture and tap gently on one side to sift.)
- Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beating until smooth after each addition.
- Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes (a bit longer if you use 9-inch pans) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes; then invert cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Slice domed tops off cakes to level them, if needed.
- Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Add ½ cup icing and spread to cover. Spread ⅓ cup strawberry jam over layer of icing. Add another cake layer and spread with another ½ cup icing and ⅓ cup jam. Top with final cake layer. Frost entire cake with a very thin layer of icing. This is the crumb coat. The crumbs will be trapped and will keep your final icing layer crumb free. Place cake in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes until crumb coat is dry and set/
- Place a generous amount of icing on top of cake. Spread icing over top and down sides to cover completely, adding more icing as needed. Decorate icing with a swirly pattern as you proceed. Allow icing to set. Serve and enjoy the rave reviews.
- For the strawberry buttercream, place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat till light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar, strawberries and half and half (or milk) and beat on lowest speed until powdered sugar is incorporated (otherwise powdered sugar will fly everywhere). Increase speed to high and beat for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl a couple times during the 5 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and beat for another 30 seconds or until well incorporated.
- Check icing, it should be fluffy and easy to spread. Strawberries vary in juiciness and this can affect the consistency of the icing. Add a bit more milk or powdered sugar if needed to achieve desired consistency.
Notes
Cake flour is lower in protein than regular flour. It has a fine texture which gives cake a meltingly tender texture. It's sold in the U.S. in most grocery store in the same are as regular flour. Look for a red and white box. Most of the cake flour sold in the U.S. is under the name Swans Down. If you can't find cake flour, it can be made by combining all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Here is a recipe for cake flour.
** I like to use my Strawberry Freezer Jam for this cake. Look for jam that has a pretty red color and one whose ingredients are berries and sugar. If I'm using purchased jam, I like to use Bonne Mamam
*** If you don’t have 8-inch cake pans, you can use 9-inch. The finished cake won’t be as tall, of course, and it will be wider in circumference but it will work fine.
**** Don’t use cooking spray. Baking spray has flour and shortening which will prevent sticking. If you don't have baking spray, grease pans thoroughly with butter or shortening, then add a teaspoon of flour to each pan. Tilt pan to coat with the flour, then dump out any excess.
** I like to use my Strawberry Freezer Jam for this cake. Look for jam that has a pretty red color and one whose ingredients are berries and sugar. If I'm using purchased jam, I like to use Bonne Mamam
*** If you don’t have 8-inch cake pans, you can use 9-inch. The finished cake won’t be as tall, of course, and it will be wider in circumference but it will work fine.
**** Don’t use cooking spray. Baking spray has flour and shortening which will prevent sticking. If you don't have baking spray, grease pans thoroughly with butter or shortening, then add a teaspoon of flour to each pan. Tilt pan to coat with the flour, then dump out any excess.