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Strawberries & Cream Layer Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Once Upon A Chef: Weeknight/Weekend" by Jennifer Segal


Recipe Introduction

"Strawberry season coincides with my husband's June birthday. Since he is a huge strawberry shortcake lover, I created this lemon-kissed strawberry 'shortcake' layer cake for him. Topped with a few tall sparklers, it makes a stunning birthday cake. This cake will be only as good as the berries you put in it, so be sure the fruit is nice and sweet. I like to leave the stems on a few of the strawberries and use them for decorating the top of the cake."

List of Ingredients

For the cake:
â—¦ Nonstick cooking spray with flour (such as Baker's Joy or Pam Baking)
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¾ cup buttermilk
â—¦ 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
â—¦ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
â—¦ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 3 large eggs

For the filling:
â—¦ 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
â—¦ Pinch of salt
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups heavy cream, cold
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced about ½ inch thick


Recipe

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350° F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-fourth of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another fourth of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another fourth of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give a quick mix to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and spread with an offset spatula. (Note that the batter will only come about ½ inch up the sides of the pan; don't worry—it rises quite a bit.) Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cakes are lightly golden and a tester comes out clean. Set the cakes on a cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the filling:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and salt on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. (If using a stand mixer, now switch the paddle attachment to the whisk.) With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the cream and mix until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until stiff peaks form, a few minutes.

Place one cake layer on a cake platter or pedestal. Arrange about half the strawberries, cut side down, on top of the cake, covering as much of the surface as possible. (For this layer, try to use strawberries of about the same size so they create a level base for the top layer of the cake.) Dollop half the cream filling over the strawberries and spread evenly to the edges to cover the berries. Place the second cake layer on top. Dollop the remaining cream filling over the top cake layer; using an offset spatula, spread the cream filling to the edges in a pretty swirl pattern. Decorate the top with the remaining strawberries. Use a sharp knife to slice the cake. Store any leftover cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves 10 to 12