Introduction: Strawberries & Cream Cake
Stawberries & Cream Cake
Fresh puréed strawberries on a bed of made from scratch whipped cream in the center of a silky but light and airy vanilla chiffon cake covered in more whipped cream for a light and soft “Regret Free” cake.
~The perfect cake for that “I’m not a fan of cake-person” in your life. :)
The vanilla chiffon cake is a cake made without butter, designed with oil and whipped egg whites to create an airy but not dry cake. Perfect to use as any "white cake" or simply sub out the vanilla extract for 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest for light but not overpowered lemon cake.
Whipped cream for frosting?? I know you are thinking why not buttercream.. because this is to accent the cake. buttercream can take away from the flavor of the cake and strawberries. Remember the the cake should be in the spotlight not the icing.
Step 1: Gather Ingredients
I'll list the ingredients separate per use so you don't accidentally throw all the sugar in one spot.
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 Cup All purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup White Sugar
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
6 Egg Yolks
3/4 Cup Water - lukewarm
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Egg white mix Ingredients:
6 Egg Whites
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3/4 Cup White Sugar
Strawberry Puree Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Strawberries (use the ugly ones so you can decorate the cake with the pretty ones)
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 fat dollop of the Whipped cream you made
Whipped Cream Puree Ingredients:
3 Cups Heavy whipping Cream
6 + Tablespoons of White Sugar
3+ Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract
Supplies!
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Soft Spoon or spatula to scrap the sides
- Hand whisk or sifter
- Cake pans (I used 2x 9 in)
- Pam or something to grease the pans
- Cake decorating tools
- 3 mixing bowls
- A few extra small bowls for strawberries and more
- Blender if you have one
- Knife and cutting board
Step 2: Mix Dry & Wet Ingredients
Mix Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 Cup All purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup White Sugar
- I use a hand whisk if you don't have a sifter. I recommend using a sifter or whisk if possible because flour sometimes likes to clump and this will allow the batter to come out smoother.
Add Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
6 Egg Yolks
3/4 Cup Water - lukewarm
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- Nothing special just add the ingredients and mix slowly and well.. but not too well if you over mix you can create tunneling when baking. If using a stand mixer low speed and make sure you get all the bottom ingredients.
Step 3: Make Egg Whites and Mix Them In
Let's mix some egg whites! Ok if this is your first time pay attention closely.
- In a separate clean bowl with a hand or stand mixer.
- Add egg whites and mix on high
- Pay close attention and stopping here and there to test and see when the egg whites can hold a stiff peak. The visual consistency will go from a bubbly concoction to a smoother slightly matte sheen. (See first photo)
- Once you have stiff peaks add the cream of tartar and mix low speed just enough to add completely
- Now ramp up to medium speed and slowly.. emphasis on slowly add the white sugar.
- Once fully mixed you may have a silkier sheen to it and the peaks not be as stiff. This is ok. (see second photo)
Egg white mix Ingredients:
6 Egg Whites
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3/4 Cup White Sugar
Now we will add the egg whites into the wet ingredients.
Pay close attention:
- Add one cup at a time to the wet mixture.
- Do not stir! You need to fold in the egg whites. This means taking a soft spoon or scraping spatula to fold the bottom of the wet mix on top of the egg whites gently.
- Keep repeating and slowly mixing.
- Keep adding one cup at a time when each time it looks fully mixed.
- It should go from a thick dense mixture to a soupy pancake mix that looks carbonated with the bubbles forming.
Step 4: Pour and Bake
For this cake I used 2x 9 inch cake pans.
You can use 8 inch pans for thicker cakes or go crazy and use 6 inch to make a super tall cake or multiples!
Now here is the interesting part! I happened to get a second cake pan that was made of a different material than the first one I had. When caking and pulling them out the nonstick thick pan I had cooked faster by a few minutes and came out with a more golden look. The what I think was a cheaper aluminum one cooked longer and didn't come out as golden.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
- When pouring the mix you want to use a greased pan or use PAM in it ideally with a round wax paper cutout at the bottom.
- Bake till the center is no longer jiggly and of course stick a toothpick or fork in the center to see that it comes out clean
- When pulling out immediately move to a cooling rack or even just flip it over onto a couple plates each and chill for at lease 1 hour not stacked on each other.
Step 5: Filling & Whipped Cream
Let's make some whipped cream!
- Simply mix the Heavy Whipping Cream on high till smooth and thick while maintaining form. (see first photo)
- Add Sugar and vanilla extract by taste. You may just want it more mild or more sweet
Whipped Cream Puree Ingredients:
3 Cups Heavy whipping Cream
6 + Tablespoons of White Sugar
3+ Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract
Strawberry Filling
- Dice Strawberries into a bowl and mix in white sugar.
- Set aside for 15 mins and let the sugar breakdown the strawberries a bit
- Now puree in a blender or hand mixer.. If you use a hand mixer just make sure the strawberries are cut smaller so the can be pureed a bit smoother
- Add a fat dollop of the whipped cream to smooth out the tartness of the strawberry mix.
Strawberry Puree Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Strawberries (use the ugly ones so you can decorate the cake with the pretty ones)
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 fat dollop of the Whipped cream you made
Step 6: Decorating!
Grab a plate or a cake board to decorating.
If you don't have any cake decorating tools you can use a butter knife for smoothing the whipped cream and a sandwich bag with a corner cut out for piping.
- Go ahead and cut the take to be flat if you want.
- Layer whipped cream down on top of the first cake layer and add the strawberry puree in the center.
- I used a piping bag to hold in the puree filling. And placed the second layer of cake on top.
- Decorate to your liking. I just used halved strawberries on top and slices around the bottom of the cake.
Because you made the whipped cream from scratch it will hold it's form for decoration of the cake but chill the cake when not eating.