For Stephen’s birthday I knew I would have to do something different. He does not fancy your typical birthday cakes. His favorite has always been Strawberry Shortcake. So for this year, I decided to find one that was from scratch and do it up right this year for him. It is not overtly sweet, however, it is divine!
INGREDIENTS:
White Cake:
- 2 cups cake flour, I used all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Whipped Cream:
- 3 cups heavy cream, cold
- 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 T sugar
Strawberry Filling:
- 2 cups strawberries, macerated with a touch of sugar (make ahead of time to have enough liquid)
- 3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, saving a couple of whole ones for decoration
DIRECTIONS:
Vanilla Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake rounds and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and 1/2 cup of sugar, set aside. In a larger bowl, whisk together oil, water, vanilla, egg yolks and salt. Add dry mixture in three additions to wet mixture. Fold to combine.
In a stand mixer, combine egg whites and cream of tartar with a whisk attachment on low speed until mixture is foamy. Increase to medium speed slowly adding remaining sugar. Once all sugar has been added, increase speed until stiff peaks form. Next, add this mixture in three additions to the cake batter. Fold to combine. Divide the batter evenly in the round cake pans.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not be alarmed if your cakes do not have a golden brown on top – this is normal. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife gently around the edges and remove the cakes to let cool in a wire rack.
Whipped Cream:
Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand held mixer, add cold heavy cream and vanilla whipping on medium speed until it thickens. Next, add the sugar and continue to whip until you have almost stiff peaks.
Strawberries:
Macerated Strawberries: Take 2 cups of strawberries and mash with a masher adding 2 T of sugar, chill till ready to use. You want to use all the strawberries and juice letting it overflow on the sides.
Strawberries: Take 3 cups of strawberries slicing all but a few for your top decoration.
Assembly:
Place one of the cooled cakes on your serving plate and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, next spread the macerated strawberry mixture and then about half of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Next add the second cake layer on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Add remaining whip cream spreading it all around and then add your sliced strawberries. I also put a dollop of whipped cream in the middle and added extra strawberries on top of it. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Tips:
- Make sure the cream is very cold; if you have time, chill the whisk (or beaters) and bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will help the cream whip quickly and will increase its volume.
