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Strawberry Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Strawberry cake is another Southern classic, the layered version being a favorite for wedding showers and ladies' birthdays. Many, many recipes for strawberry cake involve strawberry gelatin, boxed strawberry cake mix, frozen berries in syrup, or all of the above. However, I prefer mine made with fresh, in-season berries. This sheet cake version feeds a large crowd, so it's perfect for funeral gatherings. Buttermilk adds such tenderness and tang to baked goods, I use it whenever I can."

List of Ingredients

For the cake:
◦ 1 pound strawberries, hulled
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
◦ � cup whole buttermilk
◦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
◦ 2 cups granulated sugar
◦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
◦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
◦ � teaspoon kosher salt

For the frosting:
◦ 12 tablespoons (1 � sticks) unsalted butter
◦ � cup strawberry pur�e, reserved from the cake
◦ 2 tablespoons buttermilk
◦ 6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350� F. Spray a 12-by-18-inch half sheet pan thoroughly with baking spray.

Pur�e the strawberries in the carafe of a blender until smooth. Pour 1 cup of the pur�e into a large mixing bowl (reserve � cup for the frosting), then whisk in the eggs, melted and cooled butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in the sugar until combined, then add the flour, baking soda, and salt and fold into the batter until it is just mixed and there is no trace of the dry ingredients in the bowl. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Make the frosting while the cake is still warm.

For the frosting: Put the butter and the remaining � cup strawberry pur�e in a large saucepan and heat on medium-high until the butter is melted. Stir in the buttermilk and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the confectioners' sugar a cup at a time, until you have a smooth frosting. If the icing is too thick to spread, beat in a little more strawberry pur�e or buttermilk, if there is no pur�e left. Pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread it out in an even layer. An offset spatula is the best tool. Cool the cake completely.

Serves 24






❧ Note:
The cake does not bake up to a vivid pink like the one made with boxed ingredients. The icing will be nice and pink, but if you feel you need to, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the cake batter.