A couple of weeks ago, my church book club met at a local tea room called Lola's. The dessert specialty there is strawberry cake, and ever since I ate a piece I have been craving it. I decided today to try to recreate it at home. I thought I had it just about perfect, three tiers and all, until I was doing my final swipe of frosting on the sides to make it look pretty, and I dropped the whole darn thing onto the floor right in front of my black lab. I was pretty devastated, but my hubby came to my rescue. Luckily, Nimbus is very well trained and didn't make a move toward the cake. Eric was able to scoop up the two layers that didn't hit the floor and put them on a cake plate. I had enough frosting left to refrost what was originally the bottom layer of the cake (now the top), and I now have a two-layer strawberry cake. Even though it's not quite the visual picture I had hoped for and it's lacking a layer, it tastes great - just like Lola's!
This was my first time to make a homemade buttercream frosting, and if you decide to make this recipe, don't use a cup of strawberries. It makes the frosting too runny. I used 2 bags of powdered sugar trying to make the frosting the right consistency, and it still was too runny. I would only use a 1/2 cup next time. Luckily, it still tastes fabulous.
Cake Ingredients:
1 (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
Cake Directions:
Beat the cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Scrape
down the sides, and beat at medium speed 2 more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides, if
needed. (Strawberries should be well blended into batter.)
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Spread Strawberry Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Serve immediately, or chill up to 1 week.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh strawberries (I would only use 1/2 cup - 1 cup makes it too runny)
Frosting Directions:
Finely chop the strawberries. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the strawberries. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
This was my first time to make a homemade buttercream frosting, and if you decide to make this recipe, don't use a cup of strawberries. It makes the frosting too runny. I used 2 bags of powdered sugar trying to make the frosting the right consistency, and it still was too runny. I would only use a 1/2 cup next time. Luckily, it still tastes fabulous.
Cake Ingredients:
1 (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
Cake Directions:
Beat the cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Scrape
down the sides, and beat at medium speed 2 more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides, if
needed. (Strawberries should be well blended into batter.)
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Spread Strawberry Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Serve immediately, or chill up to 1 week.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh strawberries (I would only use 1/2 cup - 1 cup makes it too runny)
Frosting Directions:
Finely chop the strawberries. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the strawberries. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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5 comments:
Oh YUM! I love strawberry cake, but I've never tried to make one. This recipe seems pretty easy. I think Linus and I may try to make it during the Easter break.
Amazing dog! Mine is well trained, but I'm not sure she could have resisted that temptation!
That looks really yummy! I'm sure it tasted fine. I would think it would be the amount of milk and vanilla that made your frosting runny. Just my thoughts.
~Liz
That looks delicious. I felt guilty for laughing out loud at the thought of your beautiful cake falling to the ground. Nimbus is such a good doggie. I love her. Millie would have dived right in. I might make this for Easter. Glad you were able to salvage the top two layers since your knight in shining armor came to the rescue. :)
I have a Strawberry Cake recipe similar to this but it's made in a bundt pan. I was going to make it in a layer cake and was looking for a strawberry frosting to go with it and stumbled upon your blog. I'm going to use the frosting recipe and will be back to see what else you have to say..... thanks!
I would suggest... instead of 3/4 milk use the 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and a few stawberries just give color when mixing then fold in the remaining stawberries after you get it to the right consistancy.
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