A moist vanilla cake with strawberry whipped buttercream frosting!
I don’t know about you but I love fresh strawberries. Especially in warmer weather. This beautiful cake has 1 HEAPING cup of fresh minced strawberries.
The berries will be whipped into homemade buttercream frosting and the flavor is simply divine. A good amount will be used to fill between the two layers of cake for a scrumptious and sweet bite. I like to cut the cake into four layers sometimes too but for this one I just did 2 fat layers.
Fresh strawberries sliced and placed on top of the frosting really adds that lovely finish to bring home that strawberry flavor. That being said, the vanilla cake the strawberries do not overwhelm. I’d say its a good balance of both. Just look how pretty it is.
Now you do not need any fancy supplies to make this cake but I do have a few bakers tips and must haves if you want to use some specialty tools.
- A (cardboard) cake board really helps keep the cake in place for decorating and transporting the cake around. Whether that is to a decorative stand, fridge, or to a different location outside of the kitchen. You can buy the cake boards in a pack from the local craft store or of course online.
- A piping bag is not necessary but it does help cover the cake quicker to frost and can make some fun designs for decorating. Again, you can find in a craft store or online. They can be found at a pretty inexpensive price and a good thing to have on hand. I did a very basic frosting decoration on this cake.
- Icing spatula. These come in handy to get the full surface of the cake and also to make designs in the frosting. You can get them in a pack with a few different sizes and they are really great.
- Cake pans. I recommend having a good set (2) of pans. 8″-9″ are a good size to have and can be used to for many different cakes/events. Fat Daddios is my go to. They are a quality brand that produces even cooking and durability. I have a few different sizes/shapes that have lasted me 10 plus years. Some kitchen stores carry the brand or you can get online.
- Cake stands. This is purely optional and for decoration only. I love a good presentation and would say when picking a cake stand go for a wide bottom stem. This will ensure the stand will not tip over when being bumped and they look very nice. There are SO many different designs and colors available. Just pick what you love and will use the most. Side note- cake stands make great decorations in the kitchen/buffets/china cabinets.
I hope some of this helps you feel more confident in baking. It really just takes practice. Before you know it, you will be making show stopping cakes at home too!
Okay, let’s get baking!
Fresh Strawberry Cake
A beautiful moist vanilla cake with buttercream frosting whipped with fresh strawberries. Perfect for Summer!
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
- 1-2 cake pans 8-9 inch pans
- piping bag w tips optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup salted and room temperature butter
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Frosting
- 1 cup minced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 16 ounce bags of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Spray 1 deep 8" pan or 2 8" pans with non cooking spray. You can also butter and flour the pan(s) instead. Be sure to dump out excess flour.
- Moving on to the cake.
- In large bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
- In a large mixing bowl or standing mixer add the butter. Whisk on med-high for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugar. Whisk on medium speed for 4 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl and set the speed to low. Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing well in between.
- Now on med-low speed alternate mixing in the flour mix and the buttermilk.
- Scrape down and pour into prepared baking pans.
- Cook for 30 minutes. Some pans take longer or less so just keep an eye on them. The center should not move and the best way to test is by sticking a toothpick or butter knife in the center. It should come out clean with no raw batter.
- Let the cake rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. If the cake will not come out, loosen around the edge carefully with a rubber spatula.
- Now let the cake fully cool. This can take up to an hour.
- After the cake has cooled carefully cut the cake in half. I like to level the very top by cutting the mound off as well.
- Let's whip up the frosting.
- In a standing mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, add 1 cup room temperature butter and mix until creamy Then add the powdered sugar. Mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the strawberries.
- Whip until well combined.
- Now lets assemble.
- If you are using a cake board spread a small amount of frosting on the board. This will hold the cake steady.
- Start with the bottom part of the cake. Place on board or cake plate. Add a heaping amount of frosting in the center and spread to the edges.
- Turn the top cake upside down and place on top of the frosted bottom half.
- Next we will begin frosting. You can use a piping bag or frosting spatula/spoon. Start with the sides and spread a thin amount of frosting around the whole cake. Cover the top and spread all around. Clean up any excess frosting and refrigerate the cake. This will make the cake easier to add a second layer.
- Usually the cake only needs to be refrigerated for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, Add a second layer and get as even as possible.
- You can leave as is or use a piping bag and decorative tip to add details around the bottom and top.
- To finish add sliced strawberries to the top.
- Cut into slices and serve.
- ENJOY
