Growing up in Indiana, I loved the month of June. Not only had school ended, but June also meant that strawberry season had started. I savor even today my Sunday afternoon visits to Grandma Seward’s house where I ate berries straight from her garden.
In South Carolina, where I now live, strawberry season begins in early April, but the sweetest berries seem to arrive in May. By the end of May, we’ve made multiple trips to the market and purchased gallons upon gallons of berries from several local patches.
I’ve learned from my time in South Carolina that families have definite ideas about the best way to serve fresh strawberries as a dessert, ideas that often require the use of a family recipe passed down through the generations. The Cleveland family, for example, insists that the “only way” to enjoy strawberries fully (and, later in summer, peaches) is to sugar them and serve them over pound cake made with Grandmother Taylor’s recipe.
Another approach I learned in South Carolina adds the strawberries into the cake to produce (drum roll!): strawberry cake, a celebratory, crowd-pleasing dessert that features the best of Southern baking traditions (seasonal fruit, vibrant presentation, and recipes passed down through families). Hard to imagine that I never experienced such a wonder in Indiana!
Not coming from a family with such strong opinions as the Clevelands about how to feature strawberries with cake and with no tradition beyond strawberry short cake for inspiration, I decided this weekend to create my own version of strawberry cake. So I ventured out, read a few recipes, and ended up with a delicious dessert.
I came across many versions using boxed strawberry gelatin, frozen berries, whipped frostings, and even three-layer variations—all of them reminding me of a 4-H potluck in the early 80’s. But I craved a cake made with fresh berries and one that would be simple to assemble and, ideally, topped with cream cheese frosting. No food coloring either. Here’s what I settled on.
Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe
Note: When possible, I weigh all my ingredients. It’s quicker and more accurate.
Ingredients
Cake
285 grams(2 ½ cups) cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
170 grams (
3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
350 grams(1 and 3/4 cups) white sugar
5 egg whites,room temperature
75 grams (1.3 cup) whole milk plain yogurt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup reduced strawberry puree (see step 1 below)
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
226 grams (
8 ounces) full-fat brick cream cheese, room temperature
113 grams (8 Tablespoons)unsalted butter, room temperature
255 grams (2 ¼ cups) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
¼ cup strawberry puree (left over from cake)
Dash of salt
230 grams (1 ½ cups) strawberries washed and sliced.
Strawberry Puree:
Fresh strawberries – rinsed and hulled. 1 pound.
Step 1: Strawberry puree – Using an emersion blender or food processor, puree the prepared berries. Place in heavy sauce pan (give your self some room, the mixture will splatter). Just above low, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch simmer the mixture simmer until reduced to ¾ cup (about 20 minutes or longer if extra juicy). Set aside.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper, then flour the pans.
Step 3: The cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites until frothy then increase spead and beat to very soft peaks. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed (2 minutes). Scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Add the sour cream, vanilla and egg whites and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
At low speed add the dty ingredients until just combined and flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
Stir 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree to the milk.
Slowly ass the mixture to the bowl and mix till just combined.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24 minutes or until a toothpick places in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: Strawberry cream cheese icing: Beat the cream cheese on high until smooth. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar. Add ¼ cup strawberry puree, vanilla and a dash of sal and whip until fluffy. If too stiff add a drop of milk.
Step5: Assemble the cake: dry the sliced strawberries on paper towel. Place 1 cake layer on your cake plate. Spread a scant ¾ cup frosting on the cake. Place sliced berries evenly over the icing and cover with additional ¾ cup frosting. Place the second layer on top and spread the remaining frosting to the edges of the cake. Garnish with whole or sliced berries. Refrigerate to set. Let come to room temperature for 45 minutes before serving.
Leftover cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Travis Seward 