Description
This delightful Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream features layers of tender, moist cake infused with real strawberry reduction and a touch of lemon, all frosted with a luscious strawberry buttercream. This recipe brings out the true flavors of fresh strawberries in both the cake and the creamy icing, making it the perfect centerpiece for birthdays, celebrations, or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction
- 32 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
- 4 ounces sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
Fresh Strawberry Cake
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 ounces granulated sugar
- 6 ounces egg whites, room temperature
- 4 ounces milk, room temperature (whole milk preferred)
- 6 ounces strawberry reduction, room temperature
- 2 ounces vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons strawberry emulsion or extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pink food color (gel preferred)
- 14 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 16 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces strawberry reduction, room temperature
Instructions
- Make the Strawberry Reduction: Place your thawed or fresh strawberries into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour the strawberry puree, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the mixture has reduced to about 2 cups and is very thick, similar to tomato sauce. This typically takes 40-60 minutes. Set aside to cool; refrigerate if making a day ahead. You’ll use portions for both the cake and the buttercream.
- Prepare for Baking: Take all room temperature ingredients, including the strawberry reduction, out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking or microwave the reduction for about a minute to bring to room temp. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). Grease two 8″ cake pans with your preferred pan release.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion or extract, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and food coloring. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter on medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy and nearly white, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Egg Whites: Add egg whites one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. The mixture should be cohesive; if it looks curdled, an ingredient may be too cold.
- Combine Batter: On low speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, followed by a third of the milk mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Repeat this process two more times, finishing with the dry ingredients. Stop when the batter is just blended and smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. The batter should resemble ice cream in texture.
- Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350ºF (176ºC), or until the cakes feel firm in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cool the Cakes: Transfer pans to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before carefully turning cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and chill or freeze before assembling.
- Make the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting: In a stand mixer bowl, combine egg whites and powdered sugar with the whisk attachment. Mix on low briefly, then whip on high for 5 minutes until glossy. Add softened butter in chunks and whip on high for 8-10 minutes until the mixture is very white, light, and shiny. It may look curdled and yellow initially—keep whipping until smooth. Add strawberry reduction, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix until evenly incorporated. For an ultra-smooth texture, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for an additional 15-20 minutes to remove air bubbles.
- Assemble and Frost: Optional: Spread a thin layer of leftover strawberry reduction between layers for extra moisture and flavor. Frost the chilled cake layers with strawberry buttercream and decorate as desired. Serve at room temperature for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for both the cake and frosting to prevent curdling and to ensure the best texture.
- Weigh your ingredients for the most reliable results—converting to cups may cause issues.
- Adding a touch of pink gel food coloring helps maintain a beautiful pink hue, as natural strawberry color fades during baking.
- Use only egg whites in the batter to avoid a peachy or grayish cake color.
- Leftover strawberry reduction can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
- If your buttercream looks curdled, it’s likely too cold. Soften a small amount of buttercream in the microwave and mix back in until creamy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 603 kcal
- Sugar: 50 g
- Sodium: 222 mg
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated Fat: 24 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 102 mg
