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Strawberry Naked Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Half Baked Harvest Super Simple" by Tieghan Gerard


Recipe Introduction

"I love a layer cake. It's no secret. They're my specialty, but maybe not for the reasons you may think. As much as I love baking them, I love decorating and styling out cakes just as much. I grew up putting together outfits while sitting on the floor of my grandma's closet, arranging dinner tables like it was my job, and decorating for the holidays like a ten-year-old Martha Stewart. I've always loved to make everything I touch look the prettiest it can�and this especially applies to cakes. I do them up with chocolate curls, berries, flowers, whatever fits the recipe. Here's the thing, though: layer cakes can be time consuming, requiring multiple pans and hours of prep work and cooling. My trick? Doing it on a baking sheet! It's genius and easy and you are going to love it."

List of Ingredients

◦ Butter, for greasing
◦ 1 cup canola oil
◦ � cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
◦ 4 large eggs, at room temperature
◦ 2 cups granulated sugar
◦ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
◦ 1 � cups buttermilk, at room temperature
◦ 4 cups all-purpose flour
◦ 1 � teaspoons baking soda
◦ 1 � teaspoons baking powder
◦ 1 � teaspoons kosher salt
◦ Zest of 1 lemon
◦ � cup high-quality strawberry jam
◦ 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

White Chocolate Buttercream:
◦ 2 cups (4 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
◦ 2 cups confectioners' sugar
◦ 8 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350� F. Grease a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the two long sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper.

Make the cake. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the canola oil, yogurt, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the outside edge to loosen it from the paper. Let it cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the melted white chocolate and beat until combined, about 1 minute.

Assemble the cake. Using the parchment paper overhang, carefully lift the cake from the baking sheet. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the cake evenly into three rectangular pieces (about 13 x 6 inches each)�these will be your layers. Then, using scissors, carefully cut through the parchment paper, leaving the paper intact underneath each layer of cake to help you stack the layers. Evenly trim the edges of the cake.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate with the parchment face down. Using a knife or an offset spatula, spread one-third of the buttercream all the way to the edge. Add half the jam, lightly swirling it into the buttercream. Top with 1 cup of the sliced strawberries, being careful not to overfill the layers. Repeat with the second cake layer. Add the third cake layer and lightly frost the top of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Decorate the top with the remaining 1 cup of strawberries before serving. Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one day.

Serves 16






❧ Let the parchment help you place the second and third layers of cake. Use it as a "handle" to lift and invert the cake layer onto the frosting of the first layer. Once the second layer is in place, peel off the parchment and frost the cake. Repeat with the third and final layer.