The heat during the summer makes you want to wear light clothes, wear the brightest colours and have refreshing beverages and food to cool you down. This strawberry cake encompasses all of those things, making it the perfect summer desert to serve to your guests at your summer parties. When deciding that I wanted to bake this week I thought about the time of year that we were in. I knew that I wanted to make something that was light and perfect for the summer. It is strawberry season right now so I definitely knew that I wanted to take advantage of the freshly grown strawberries from local markets. With all of these things in mind the decision to make a Fresh Strawberry Cake was made.

When deciding what to bake I think of a number of things. The time of year, what is in season and what I am craving. In this case I also think about what I am capable of. I have not had much experience with making cakes because I find them more difficult and time consuming. This time however I wanted to challenge myself to make this cake successfully.

I gathered up all of my ingredients and set off to work. The important thing to know about baking is that you have to be very precise with your measurements, but don’t let that stress you out. A good tip is to measure all of your ingredients before hand and set them aside until you need them. This will save you time while you are baking, will make you less stressed out and lastly will make the outcome of the cake to be a yummy one!

Although I bake a lot of the time, I am still learning and make mistakes as anyone is. I make sure to keep in mind that when trying anything for the first time it is natural to make mistakes. Before I would get frustrated when things did not work out and would stick to deserts that I have already baked to avoid it not working out. I realized that baking the same things is not fun and there is excitement in making something new and not knowing how it is going to turn out. I challenge you to challenge yourself when baking new things. I promise you will be so proud of yourself when you do!

For this cake I decided to make a white base with cream cheese frosting. I separated the cake batter into two pans and put them together once they were cooked and cooled. When putting the cakes together I put a layer of the frosting in-between them with fresh strawberries in between. This made for a nice surprise when cutting into the cake. It also gave a fresh taste to every bite of the cake you took. The cake was dense but light, the perfect combination in my opinion! Initially I was going to make a wiped creme cheese frosting but after some complications (making butter out of the heavy cream from mixing too much lol) I decided to make a cream cheese frosting. The most important tip that I can give you for making the original frosting for this recipe is not to over beat the heavy cream! I attached both recipes for the frosting for you all to decide which one you want to make, but both taste absolutely delicious.

Everyone loved the cake. They all thought that it was the perfect desert for the summer, as well as for an event like a bridal shower or baby shower. Remember that baking new things is not always easy but it is fun to try and experiment. I assure you that it will work out if you follow the recipe. Your final result will be all worth it when you can share a homemade desert with your friends and family. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, happy baking everyone!

Strawberry Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For cake

• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 sour cream
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk

For the original strawberry frosting

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package of soften cream cheese
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 pounds of strawberries

For the Cream Cheese frosting I used

• 2 packages of cream cheese softened
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Grease 2 9” round cake pans and set aside for later. Preheat oven for 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until combined and set aside.
3. With a mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then one at a time add the eggs, mixing well after each one.
4. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until it is combined.
5. Then add the sour cream, vanilla and half of the milk to the bowl. With your mixer mix on low until well combined.
6. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix on low until well combined.
7. Add the other half of the milk and mix on low until well combined (be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are mixed fully).
8. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 34-36 minutes. To make sure it is baked insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake to make sure it comes out clean.

For the Strawberry Frosting

1. In a bowl, use a blender beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and set aside.
2. In another bowl, use a blender to beat the softened cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined fully.
4. Chop 3/4 of the strawberries into tiny pieces.
5. Add the copped strawberries to the bowl and mix until fully combined and your frosting is a light pink colour (you can also choose to add some red food colouring to make it a more vibrant red).
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the whipped cream. Stir until it is combined.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and butter on medium high with a blender (about 2-3 minutes)
2. Mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the powdered sugar gradually until fully combined.
4. Then increase the blender speed and  beat until smooth.

To Assemble the Cake

1. Put one player of cake on a large plate or cake stand. Then frost the top layer with a thick layer of strawberry frosting.
2. Spread the frosting evenly and place 1/4 of the chopped strawberries on top of the layer of frosting.
3. Place the second later of cake on top and frost the top of the cake.
4. Using a spatula, frost the sides on the cake (it is helpful to put the frosting in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before frosting the sides of the cake).
5. Place the remaining strawberries and garnish the top of the cake.