RECIPE NOTES:
Frosting: This Strawberry Cake recipe, at least the cake part, is my favorite kind of recipe. Dump everything into a bowl and mix. The frosting, however, is a little more fickle. Buttercreams in general can be hard to work with just because butter tends to soften quite a bit at room temperature. To achieve my strawberry-speckled version, you’ll have to take extra care because of the natural juices from the berries. To minimize extra fussing, make sure to completely cool the layers of cake and then refrigerate them for a bit (you can stack them with a piece of wax paper between each layer). The buttercream itself should also be refrigerated for about 10 minutes before frosting your cake. You’ll want to frost one layer at a time, then chill before adding the next layer, and chill again before frosting the sides. Your beautiful masterpiece should also live in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. It really is easy to assemble, but you’ll need some extra patience. As it turns out, patience is NOT a virtue I’m generously blessed with.. Just give yourself plenty of time.
Fresh Strawberries: While I definitely recommend fresh strawberries both for the cake and the frosting in this recipe, you can substitute frozen berries in a pinch. Sometimes you just can’t find them fresh (or ripe), so just do what you have to do to make this recipe. I do suggest chopping the berries before they’re completely thawed to avoid a mushy mess, and make sure you drain them as much as possible.
No more layers: If the thought of managing a three-layered monster is intimidating, you can still enjoy this cake. The measurements here will make approximately 36 cupcakes. Just start checking them during the baking process at around 17 minutes since they’ll likely need to bake a few minutes less. You can also cook this in a 9”x13” pan (you’ll need to watch the cooking time on this one too), with enough batter leftover for about another 12 cupcakes. Either of these options will cut back on the frost-refrigerate-repeat steps too and save you some time.
Substitutions: For all the chocolate lovers, try subbing in your favorite chocolate frosting instead of my strawberry buttercream. The cake is substantial enough – and “strawberry-y” enough – to still shine through. You can even garnish the top with some chocolate covered strawberries. Mmmmm
Serves up to 16