fresh strawberry layer cake
Four stories of strawberry sugar-infused vanilla cake filled and capped with a lemony blush-hued frosting. No weird food colorings needed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup high-quality strawberry jam
strawberry lemon buttercream
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberry powder
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- milk or water to thin, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans generously with butter or oil.
- Add the freeze dried strawberries to a food processor and blitz until reduced to fine crumbs. Sift 1/2 cup of the powder with the sugar. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and strawberry sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing each until fully combined. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whip until just combined. Slowly stream in the buttermilk and mix until thick. Be careful not to overmix. With a spatula, swirl in the strawberry jam.
- Divide the batter between the cake pans. Tap a few times on the counter top to bust any air bubbles. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges clean. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. If the sides are a bit sticky, run a knife around the edges to loosen. For a quicker cooling, pop layers in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
- With a serrated knife, carefully cut each layer in half. Don't worry if the layers aren't perfect. Close enough really is good enough here.
- When the cakes are ready to frost, make the buttercream. Beat the remaining strawberry powder with the powdered sugar, butter, and lemon zest until fluffy and spreadable. Add milk or water as needed to thin the frosting if it seems too stiff.
- Level the cake layers as needed and set on a plate or cake stand. Frost the top of one layer with about 1/3-1/2 cup buttercream, then set the second layer on top. Repeat with the two remaining layers. Coat with a thin layer of frosting and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes. Swirl the remaining buttercream all over the cake until fully coated.
- Garnish the cake with fresh strawberries and serve!
Notes
*To store: Cake keeps covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, and in the fridge for up to 5. You can also wrap the cake up and freeze for up to a month.