Description
This Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream is a delightful, moist cake bursting with vibrant strawberry flavor. Made from fresh or thawed strawberries, this recipe features a homemade strawberry reduction that infuses both the cake batter and the luscious buttercream frosting. Light, fluffy, and beautifully pink, this cake is perfect for spring celebrations or any strawberry lover’s treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Reduction
- 32 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed if frozen
- 4 ounces sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
Cake Batter
- 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 from one lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons strawberry emulsion or extract (e.g., LorAnn oils bakery emulsion)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pink food color (e.g., Americolor electric pink gel)
- 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 Strawberry Reduction: Place thawed or fresh strawberries in a blender and purée until smooth. Transfer the purée along with sugar (if using), lemon zest, and lemon juice into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens to a tomato sauce-like consistency, about 40–60 minutes, yielding 2 cups. Cool completely before using. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.
- Prepare Oven and Pans: Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC) and position the oven rack in the middle. Grease two 8-inch cake pans thoroughly with pan release or preferred method to prevent sticking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink food coloring until fully combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly mixed to ensure even leavening and seasoning.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature unsalted butter at medium speed until it becomes smooth and shiny (about 30 seconds). Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3–5 minutes.
- Add Egg Whites: Add egg whites one at a time to the butter-sugar mixture, beating each addition for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be cohesive and smooth, not curdled.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: On low speed, alternately add one third of the dry ingredients followed immediately by one third of the wet milk mixture. Repeat this process two more times, mixing just until ingredients are almost incorporated after each addition. Avoid overmixing. Scrape the bowl and ensure the batter is smooth and uniform, resembling the texture of ice cream.
- Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven at 350ºF (176ºC) for 30–35 minutes, or until the centers are firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Cakes: Remove the pans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto wire racks and let cool completely. For easier handling during assembly, wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
- Prepare Strawberry Buttercream: In a stand mixer bowl, combine pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed to combine, then increase to high speed and whip for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Gradually add softened unsalted butter in chunks, continuing to whip on high for 8–10 minutes until the mixture becomes white, light, and fluffy. It may appear curdled initially—continue whipping. Add strawberry reduction, vanilla extract, and salt, then whip until fully incorporated. For extra smoothness, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15–20 minutes to reduce excess air bubbles.
- Assemble Cake: Optionally, spread a thin layer of strawberry reduction between the cake layers to add moisture and extra flavor. Fill and frost the cakes evenly with the prepared strawberry buttercream. Decorate as desired. Chill the assembled cake briefly before slicing to achieve neat, clean cuts.
Notes
- Using thawed frozen strawberries works well if fresh strawberries are not in season.
- The strawberry reduction can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week or frozen for up to six months.
- Allow cake layers to cool completely before wrapping to prevent moisture buildup and sogginess.
- For best texture, use whole milk as indicated, but other milk types can be substituted with slight texture differences.
- If pink food coloring is unavailable, the cake will still have a beautiful natural strawberry tint.
- Pasteurized egg whites are used in the frosting for safety as they are not cooked but whipped to create a meringue-style buttercream.
- To prevent overmixing cake batter, add dry and wet ingredients alternately and stop mixing once batter is smooth and uniform.
- Keep an eye on the cake during the last minutes of baking to avoid overbaking and drying out the cake.
