Strawberry Dream Cake

I get a magazine every other month called Cook's Country.  It's usually centered on recipes that represent the season, and there's always a few desserts I can't wait to try.  The June/July 2011 issue had several winning recipes and when I had a craving for strawberry shortcake, I thought-- why not try the strawberry cake in the magazine for an upcoming June birthday at work? As many know, fruit generally isn't popular with half of my household.  If the strawberry is blended with juice, yogurt and a banana? Maybe it's considered palatable, but fresh sliced strawberries over angel food cake with some whipped cream? Pretty sure I'd have to finish it all myself. 


Lynn Clark's strawberry cake hit the mark.  It was light and moist, had a lovely crumb and packed  serious strawberry flavor. The accompanying strawberry cream cheese frosting made more than enough, and I used the leftovers on toast for a quick dessert at home.  A little labor intensive, but perfect for something fun and outside the realm plain old chocolate or vanilla cake.


My co-worker took a slice home. Her daughter really liked it and requested it for her birthday.  I was stoked! So the Friday night before her party, I made the cakes and then frosted and decorated them that morning.  I adapted the recipe for a 1/4 sheet double layer cake, but the recipe below is for two round 9-inch pans.  I have a kitchen scale, so I weighed rather than measured the strawberries,  sugar, and flour-- amounts for both are included. Since I had a smidge of extra batter, I made two little mini cakes in ramekins so Nate could enjoy strawberries in a more pleasing package and I could taste the fruits of my labor.


Strawberry Dream Cake
From Cook's Country, no. 39, June/July 2011
Recipe by Lynn Clark


Tools: the usual suspects: measuring cups & spoons, spatula, whisk; 2 9-inch cake pans; a fine mesh strainer; one or two large bowls; parchment paper; 1 medium microwave safe bowl; plastic wrap; small saucepan; paper towels; knife & cutting board.


Ingredients:
For the cake-- 2 cups of frozen whole strawberries (10 oz), 3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature, 6 large egg whites at room temperature, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9oz), 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4oz), 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 12 tbsp unsalted softened butter cut into 12 pieces





For the frosting-- 10 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter, 2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar (9 oz), 12 ounces of softened cream cheese cut into 12 peices, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced (8oz), left-over strawberry solids from the cake





Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and crank it to 350.  Grease and line the cake pans with parchment, then grease the parchment. Flour lightly.


Transfer the strawberries to a bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough to accomodate the strawberries by about half, and that it can take being heated. Otherwise, you could end up with something like this:





Set the microwave to 75% power and microwave for 3-5 minutes until the strawberries release their juices.





Press the strawberries through a strainer, over a small saucepan.  It's gonna take some muscle to press all the liquid out of the strawberries. You'll end up with a lot of strawberry juice and a pulpy mash of strawberry flesh. Set the pulp aside and turn the heat on the stovetop up to medium.  Bring to a boil, and cook - stirring occasionally - until the liquid becomes syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup.  This is going to take roughly 7 minutes.


 


Whisk the strawberry syrup into the milk until combined, let stand for a few minutes to cool.  Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla and set aside.





In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low.  Add the butter, one peice at a time and mix until you've got pea sized butter and the rest of the dry looks like coarse meal.





Add half the milk mixture, increasing the speed to medium high, and beat until it's light and fluffy.  This will take about a minute or so, and then decrease the speed, add the remaining milk mixture and beat for roughly 30 seconds to incorporate.  Turn off the electrics, and give the batter a final few stirs by hand.





Divide the batter equally into your prepared pans, and bake until a toothpick comes out nice and clean- about 23 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through baking (YES, THIS IS IMPORTANT. DO IT.)


Remove from the oven, and cool cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove, gently, discard parchment and cool completely.





Once it's cooled, you can get onto the frosting.


Remember those strawberry solids?  Well, they're going to come in handy now.  Gather your ingredients for the frosting.


I like to use a grapefruit spoon to hull my strawberries.  Hull and slice the berries and lay out on paper towels, patting dry.  Mix the butter and sugar together on low speed until combined, about thirty seconds. Then increase the speed to medium high and beat until fluffy.





One at a time, add the pieces of cream cheese and beat until incorporated, about a minute.  Make sure it's smooth, and then add the reserved strawberry solids.





Spread 3/4 cup of frosting over the top of one cake round. Press sliced strawberries in a thin layer over the frosting and top with more frosting.


 
(sorry for the bad photos, wrong settings and unsteady hands!)


Add the second cake round, spread remaining frosting evenly and decorate or garnish with the remaining strawberry slices.  Serve at room temperature.





The birthday girl:







OMG YUM.