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Strawberry Cake

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Entertainer's Cookbook" by Courtney Whitmore


Recipe Introduction

"Southern porches have been used to entertain for years. My grandparents practically lived on their white wrap-around porch dotted with white wicker furniture and ferns. They always had a tea cart pulled up with at least one sweet treat and something cold to drink. This strawberry cake is a porch party favorite."

List of Ingredients

Vanilla Almond Cake:
◦ � cup unsalted butter, room temperature
◦ 1 � cup sugar
◦ 3 large eggs, room temperature
◦ 2 teaspoons almond extract
◦ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
◦ 2 � cups all-purpose flour
◦ 2 � teaspoons baking powder
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ 1 � cups whole milk

Strawberry Jam Buttercream:
◦ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
◦ ⅓ cup strawberry jam
◦ 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
◦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ 1 drop red food coloring (optional)

◦ 1 to 2 cups strawberries


Recipe

Preheat oven to 375� F. Spray two 8-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper rounds.
In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix in extracts.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add � cup milk and mix until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk, then mix until batter is combined. Do not overmix.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack to cool. I often freeze cake layers at this stage so they are easier to frost on the day they are needed.

Strawberry Jam Buttercream:
In a stand mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add jam and beat until well mixed. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. For a thicker frosting, add additional powdered sugar. Whip in vanilla and salt. For a deeper pink color, add food coloring.

Frost cooled cake layers, adding strawberries between layers, and serve.

Makes 10 to 12 servings



❧ Note:
Recipe yields a two-layer cake. To make an extra-tall layer cake (perfect for a crowd), double the recipe and divide among either three baking pans (for thick layers), or four baking pans for a four-layer cake.