Layers of strawberry shortcake are topped with swirls of seven-minute frosting for a gorgeous early summer cake worthy of any weekend brunch with friends and family.
Growing up, my best friend’s birthday was always strawberry shortcake. It’s the only time I’ve eaten it a year, and it was delightfully innocent and guileless at the same time — an integral part of the annual slumber parties, which included marathon sessions with Barbies. There was a lot of pink going on.
This cake is reminiscent of an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. I used strawberry jam to enhance the berry flavor and layered the filling with sliced ​​strawberries to give you a fresh strawberry flavor in every bite.
Use jam for extra strawberry flavor
I wanted a super-duper strawberry flavored cake. When developing this recipe, I tried every conceivable combination. Plain pureed strawberries didn’t come through. Cooking the puree by half before adding it to the batter helped, but not enough to justify the extra steps.
I ended up going with store-bought strawberry jam. You’ll get the strawberry flavor you want without having to do any extra work. Strawberry jam would also work, but I love the little blobs of strawberry that come with the jam.
To make the cake extra pink
How do you get the cake pink? The jam alone isn’t enough – the cake layers will bake up a pale pink tan. For that birthday party pink hue, you need to add 1/8 teaspoon of red gel food coloring for an ultra-pink cake. It’s a small cheat that really increases the attractiveness of the cake. You can skip it, but I say go big or go home.
Extra strawberry goodness
The better the strawberries, the better this cake will be. We’ve all come across pale, crunchy strawberries at some point. It’s best to make this cake when strawberries are in season, late spring to early summer, so you get juicy, ripe strawberries.
Frosting a cake with seven-minute frosting
Our seven-minute frosting is like a light, spreadable meringue—shiny and super sweet.
It’s a quick and easy recipe, but you must glaze the cake immediately after preparation, before it rises, and you must serve the cake within 4 hours of frosting. When it comes to frosting a cake with 7 Minute Frosting: one layer and you’re done.
If you prefer to frost the cake a day in advance, I recommend Cream Cheese Frosting or Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
Follow these tips and tricks to glaze a cake with 7-minute frosting:
- Use lots of frosting!
- Place a mound of frosting on the cake and work it to the sides with a large metal spatula.
- Try to only go over the cake once with the spatula so you don’t drag crumbs into the frosting.
- Once the cake is fully coated, go back and make some pretty swirls of frosting. Strive for billowing clouds that aren’t entirely smooth – charming imperfection is the goal.
How to store fresh strawberry layer cake
Serve the cake the day you assemble it. Plastic wrap will stick to the top, so leave it uncovered – this cake isn’t ideal for transporting. If your kitchen is hot, put the cake in the fridge after decorating. Otherwise store at cool room temperature.
Leftovers, loosely covered with foil or plastic wrap, will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days (if it’s quite hot in your house, you can store the cake in the fridge). The cake will look a little like a wreck, with the frosting depleted and sticky, and some of the frosting may stick to the plastic or foil, but it will still taste delicious.
Get ahead
You can bake the cake a day in advance, removing the circles from the mold and wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. Store the layers in the fridge for easier cutting; You can also keep them at room temperature if that’s more convenient.
Or freeze the rounds for up to 3 months by following the instructions in our helpful cake freezing guide.
CONTINUE READING:
More luscious layered cake recipes
- Chocolate Layer Cake
- Vanilla Buttermilk Pie
- Three-layer white cake with orange curd filling
- Black forest gateau
- Red, white and blue layered cake
Old fashioned strawberry layer cake
It’s best to bake the cake the day before serving and glaze the cake a few hours before serving when using the seven-minute frosting recipe I recommend. Seven-minute frosting is nice, but it doesn’t keep overnight, so it’s best made and served the same day.
ingredients
For the cake
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1 1/4 cups (433 grams) Strawberry jam or jamdivided
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2/3 Cup buttermilk
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2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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5 drops of liquid 1/8 teaspoon gel red food coloring (Optional)
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2 cups (270 grams) all purpose flour
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1 tablespoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon table Salt
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted buttersoftened
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1 3/4 cups (380 grams) sugar
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3 big eggsat room temperature
For filling and garnishing
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1 lb strawberriesdivided
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1 recipe seven minutes glaze
method
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Preheat the oven and insert the oven rack:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a wire rack in the center of the oven.
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Grease, flour and line cake tins:
Grease and flour the sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper. Put aside.
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Combine the wet ingredients:
In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of the strawberry jam, plus buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring (if using) until smooth.
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Sift and combine the dry ingredients:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Put aside.
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Beat butter and sugar until fluffy and add eggs:
Put the butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula and beat again for about 30 seconds.
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Add alternating wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture:
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add half of the strawberry and buttermilk mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the remaining flour mixture, beating until incorporated, then add the remaining strawberry and buttermilk mixture and beat until smooth. The dough should be stiff but not dense.
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Portion cake batter into cake molds:
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, using a metal spatula to smooth the tops.
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Bake the cake:
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the edges of the cake are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 35 minutes.
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Cool Cakes:
Let the cake cool in the molds on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then turn the pans over, peel off the paper linings and cool completely.
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Prepare strawberry filling:
While the cakes continue to cool, peel and thinly slice about 5 large strawberries and place in a medium bowl. You will save the remaining strawberries to decorate the cake however you like. In the bowl with the chopped strawberries, add the remaining 1/2 cup strawberry jam and 2 teaspoons water. Mix gently to combine and set aside.
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Make the Seven Minute Frosting:
Make the seven minute frosting. Once the glaze is ready, cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.
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Divide the frosting and finish the strawberry filling:
Place about 3 cups of the Seven Minute Frosting into the bowl with the strawberry mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold the frosting and strawberries together. This will be used to glaze between the cake layers. The remaining seven-minute frosting is used for the outside of the cake.
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Cut the cake into layers:
Using a long serrated knife, divide each cooled cake into 2 layers for a total of 4 layers.
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Fill and glaze the cake:
Place 1 base cut-side up on a large plate or round cardboard cake. Top with a third of the strawberry filling. Repeat with the next 2 layers and place the last layer of cake on top, cut side down.
Pile 2/3 of the reserved easy seven minute frosting onto the cake and use a large metal spatula to press down the excess frosting down the sides of the cake. To avoid lifting crumbs, squeeze the spatula instead of pulling it.
Use the remaining frosting to frost any unfrozen areas on the sides. Once the cake is fully coated, use the spatula or the back of a spoon to make swirls and swirls. Don’t worry it will look perfect.
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Garnish and serve the cake:
Garnish the cake with the reserved strawberries, if you like. Cut and serve cake within 4 hours. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator or store at cool room temperature for up to 3 days. The outer layer of frosting will dry out and become sticky, but the cake will still be delicious to eat.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 559 | calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 99g | carbohydrates |
| 5g | protein |
