The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add to the best white cake batter.
This strawberry cake completely blew me away. After years of mediocre from-scratch strawberry cakes, my expectations were pretty low. It was time to taste test my efforts. Biting into the first pastel-pink forkful was the moment of truth…
I cried tears of joy. Or were those actual tears because I just dirtied every dish with all this strawberry cake recipe testing?
I find it challenging to pack real strawberry flavor into cake without the crutch of fake strawberry flavoring. My goal was to create a strawberry layer cake made entirely from real strawberries. We’re talking strawberries inside the cake and in the frosting as well. With the help of freeze-dried strawberries, I tackled strawberry frosting. I’ll get to that below. But for strawberry cake? Things have always been pretty lackluster in the flavor and texture department.
Strawberry Cake Problems
- Chopping up strawberries and folding into cake batter works, but then you’re just eating vanilla cake with chunks of strawberries.
- Pureeing strawberries and folding into cake batter has potential, but the texture is always off. There’s too much liquid. How about adding more flour to make up for that liquid? Then your cake is too dense. And the flavor is always lacking.
- Strawberry jam could work, but I prefer to start with real strawberries.
So how can we pack real strawberry flavor into cake batter without adding too much liquid? REDUCE THE STRAWBERRIES DOWN. Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
How to Pack REAL Strawberry Flavor Into Cake
- Puree fresh strawberries.
- Reduce down on the stove.
- Let cool.
- Stir into cake batter.
Puree 1 pound of ruby red strawberries. You’ll need a food processor or blender for this step, and again when you make the frosting.
Take that strawberry puree—don’t add anything else to it—and reduce it down on the stove. This, my friends, is where all the magic happens. Like I mention above, you want a lot of concentrated flavor within a little amount of liquid. We also do this with champagne in my mimosa cupcakes and champagne frosting. And with Guinness in Guinness chocolate cake, too.
You’ll begin with 1 cup of hot pink puree and reduce down to 1/2 cup. After 30 minutes, it will be very thick and very red. Add this thick and highly concentrated strawberry flavor to your cake batter, instead of the thinner strawberry puree.
The reduced strawberry puree will go into the cake batter. No need to strain the seeds first—they disappear when the cake is baked.
Because the reduced strawberry puree needs to completely cool down, I suggest getting started the day before. Just let the reduced strawberry puree sit in the refrigerator overnight and make the cake batter the following day.
Strawberry Cake Batter
The cake batter starts from my white cake. This vanilla-flavored cake proved to be the best jumping-off point for a strawberry cake. I kept the majority of the recipe the same, but I removed some of the wet ingredients to make room for 1/2 cup of reduced strawberries. The cake is light, springy, soft, and fluffy.
The reduced strawberry puree will tint the cake batter a lovely pastel pink and, if you want, you can add a small drop of pink or red food coloring to brighten that hue. Not necessary, of course. (I added a single drop of pink gel food coloring.) Expect a velvety and slightly thick cake batter.
- No artificial strawberry flavor.
- Nothing from a box.
- Just pure strawberries.
The Strawberry Frosting
You can taste the fresh strawberry flavor in the baked cake, but the flavor is REALLY brought out when you combine it with strawberry frosting. Like strawberry cake, strawberry frosting has always left me feeling a little defeated. Fresh strawberries were the issue. The frosting would always curdle from the added moisture. And no amount of fresh strawberries could get me the strawberry flavor I craved. Instead of settling for artificial strawberry flavoring, I took a trick from Sally’s Candy Addiction: strawberry dust! Grab some freeze-dried strawberries, grind them up, and mix that magic dust into the frosting.
(I actually added freeze-dried strawberries to cake batter as one of my test recipes. This was an awful decision and an epic fail. The cake was atrocious. Texture, taste, and appearance. Just… no. But freeze-dried strawberries are a YES for frosting!)
- Where to buy freeze-dried strawberries? I find freeze-dried strawberries in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. I’ve also seen them in health food stores. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Target all carry them, as well. Or, you can order them online.
- Baker’s Tip: Do not use “dried strawberries” which are like raisins, dried apricots, and dried pineapple. They have a gummy texture and don’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed. They’re the same strawberries you use in strawberry and cream cookies.
Instead of a thicker strawberry buttercream, I used my silky cream cheese frosting recipe. Added in the freeze-dried strawberry “dust” and milk and was left with a frosting so pink, Barbie would be jealous!
Let’s Review
The tricks to homemade strawberry cake and frosting made with real strawberries? (1) Reduced strawberry puree in the cake batter and (2) freeze-dried strawberries in the frosting. Have fun baking!
PrintHomemade Strawberry Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Reduce fresh strawberry puree down and add to the best white cake batter.
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup reduced strawberry puree (see step 1)
- optional: 1–2 drops red or pink food coloring
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries*
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the reduced strawberry puree first, and let cool: Puree 1 pound of rinsed and hulled strawberries. You should have a little over 1 cup. Stirring occasionally, simmer the puree over medium-low heat until you’re left with 1/2 cup or slightly more (you need 1/2 cup for the cake). This takes at least 25–35 minutes, but could take longer depending on your pan or how juicy your strawberries were. Allow to cool completely before using in cake batter. I always make the reduced puree the day before so it has plenty of time to cool down. I cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Allow it to come back to room temperature before adding to the cake batter. (See Notes for further make-ahead instructions.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in 1/2 cup of room-temperature reduced strawberry puree, making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Stir in food coloring, if desired. (I use 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring.)
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24–25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup crumbs. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if needed. Yields about 3 cups of frosting.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting—it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly and stored at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See How to Freeze Cakes for instructions. You can also make the reduced strawberry puree ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw, bring to room temperature, then use in the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Pink Food Coloring | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Cake Flour: I strongly suggest using cake flour in this recipe. If you can’t find it, try this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Whole Milk: If needed, buttermilk works in its place. I don’t recommend a lower-fat milk.
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I always find them in my regular grocery store in the aisle with the dried fruit. Target, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s carry them, and I’ve also found them in some health food stores. You can also buy them online. Do not use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You need FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind into a powder. If you can’t find them anywhere, just leave them out of the frosting and add another 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar.
- Can I use frozen strawberries for the puree? You can use frozen strawberries, but they will take longer to reduce even if you thaw them first.
- 9×13-Inch Cake: Simply pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake pans 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20–22 minutes. Makes 30 cupcakes. For 14–15 cupcakes, follow my strawberry cupcakes recipe, which is adapted from this strawberry cake.
- Food Coloring: If you want, you can add 1–2 small drops of pink or red food coloring to deepen the pink color of the cake. I add 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring.
- No Cream Cheese in Frosting: If you’d like to skip the cream cheese in the frosting, use my strawberry buttercream recipe instead. You’ll have enough for a thin layer of frosting, or you can 1.5x the recipe for a thicker layer.
The recipe itself is fantastic, however I didn’t think it was sweet enough. Tasted like a biscuit but I whipped up your chocolate cake and will still use the strawberry frosting. I can’t win ’em all. I learned how to puree and reduce thank you!
My family and friends loved this cake a lot! It turned out to be so fluffy and light. I’ll be doing it again and I’ll definitely try other recipes of yours. Thank you so much
Wow, you were NOT kidding about the strawberry flavor in this cake! My son-in-law said it was the best cake he has ever tasted. My granddaughter wanted a strawberry cake for her thirteenth birthday, and I found your awesome website. It not only turned out beautifully moist and delicious, it was gorgeous, too! We topped it with hot pink “pearls” and lots of fresh strawberries sprinkled with pink sugar. The major attraction was the delightfully intense burst of flavor. It’s like biting into fresh, ripe, fragrant strawberries. I’ll be checking out your website going forward because this cake was a total winner! Thanks!
I’m so happy that you all enjoyed this cake so much, Andrea! I hope your granddaughter had a great 13th birthday.
Hi Sally!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it yesterday and my family loved it. I appreciate all the time you put in developing your recipes. I wanted to ask why made you all all egg whites instead of whole eggs. The cake was great as is but rat was an interesting part of the recipe since I’m so used to making cakes with yolks too. Thanks again!
Thank you for your positive feedback, Mai! Using only egg whites ensure that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. This works in many of my recipes including Favorite White Cake (which is where this strawberry cake recipe started!).
I love strawberry so much. Thank you for doing this one. I cannot wait. My question, how much purée do you think I need to put in your white cupcake recipe? I use that to make the 6 inch cakes. Thank you Sally.
Hi Cindy! Use my strawberry cupcakes batter for the 6 inch cake.
Hi Sally
The recipe is so beautiful and easy to understand. I am planing to bake this strawberry cake for my babyshower along with making blue buttercream flowers on sides of cake for decoration since its a boy..:) What do you think?
Today I started the trial. Just made the reduced strawberry puree and baked the 2 parts of cake in round pans. I used pillsbury white cake flour instead of cake flour in your recipe and rest of the ingredients remained same. Added 1 cup of sugar instead of 1 3/4 cup. I will let you know how it tastes after I do the icing. But it looks good so far. I had few questions regarding the methods used:
1. When you say spoon and leveled, did you mean use a spoon to put the flour into measuring cup (1 cup ) and level it and do this again for 2 cups of “spoon and leveled flour”?
2. I have a hard time greasing the pans with butter and then dustin with flour. Is there an easy way you could suggest?
3. Sides of the cake have a crispier and darker color crust than rest of the cake ( not a big deal though since it will be frosted tomorrow ) but still wanted to ask if I did anything wrong here.
4. I used the whip installment of kitchen-aid as shown in your video but when I did the first step of mixing room-temp butter and sugar, most of the butter got stuck inside the whip. I waited for more than a minute while it was doing its work, but had to manually take out the butter from the whip to start it again. I understand that we need to scrape the sides of the bowl but in this case I had to scrape off a lot from whip also. Could this be done in a better way.
Hi Prerna! Sounds like a fun cake. When testing recipes, I always recommend trying the recipe as written first without making changes. That being said, I’m happy to answer your questions. (1) Spoon the flour into a measuring cup then level it off with a knife. See my Measuring 101 Guide. (2) I usually use nonstick spray. Works like a charm for this cake. (3) The cake could either be over-baked or it could have been the reduction of sugar since there isn’t as much “dry” to soak up the wet ingredients. (4) That’s how I always do it too! You can use a paddle attachment if that’s easier too.
Also with the pillsburry white cake flour I used, the cakes didnt rise at all. The taste was pretty good. I am planning to bake it exactly as your recipe this week, hope they rise..:)
Love this cake! I didn’t have cake flour so I made my own, and I also pureed the strawberries way down which gave it a darker color leaving my cake not pink. BUT it still was so moist and full of strawberry flavor. I added a little lemon to the frosting for a strawberry lemonade feel. Also delicious! Thanks Sally ❤️
The cake’s own strawberry flavor was excellent. It’s better the second day, and that’s even without the strawberry frosting.
I made a crazy number of changes like 3 whole eggs for 5 egg whites, substitute cake flour, bundt pan, etc. It still turned out very well. So this is probably a forgiving recipe. Did not have freeze-dried fruit for the icing so I just used a plain cream cheese icing. The only problem was it stuck to the pan and broke apart, but maybe that was bad pan prep or I didn’t let it cool enough. No problem for in-house consumption but next time I’ll be more careful.
I reduced the strawberry in a non-stick skillet because everyone was saying how long it took. I covered it to avoid splatter, but left a gap for steam to escape. It went so much faster than I expected, and I wasn’t paying attention, so I was lucky to check on it just before it got burned! But it sure got done fast that way.
I made this for my daughter’s 20th birthday cake. She is vegetarian and wanted strawberry cake so I was grateful when I found this recipe without Jello!! I used frozen strawberries since none of the fresh strawberries smelled strong. They did take quite some time to reduce, but it was worth it!! She said it was amazing and everyone at the party loved it. Since I was decorating it, I made a cream cheese frosting and used sliced strawberries in the middle.
I’ve made this cake about 4 times. It’s outstanding. I’ve also replaced strawberries for mango, and replaced the dried strawberries for dried mango. Also a big hit. The reduction time on the mangos is shorter because they don’t hold as much water.
Hi Sally. Thank you for your prompt reply. I made this cake in 2 loaf pans and baked in 40 min at 325°. BEST strawberry cake ever! I used about 10g less sugar as my family doesn’t like too sweet desserts. I froze the loaves. Then one loaf I made it into an ice cream cake. Chocolate ice cream on top of the cake and used the ground up freeze dried strawberries in homemade whipped cream frosting with fresh strawberries on top and birthday sprinkles all around the cake . The other loaf was cut in half to make a square cake and frosted with the same strawberry whipped cream frosting with strawberries on top and sprinkles. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll be making it again for another birthday in December for my aunt who loves strawberries.
I had tried a recipe prior to this one and the cake came out way to dense, moist and honestly gross. I found this one and read the reviews, I went with it. And oh my gosh I’m so happy I did! I had a customer request strawberry cupcakes with cherry frosting so I used this recipe and cut it in half, it yielded approximately 13 cupcakes if I would’ve actual baked the last one. You can actually taste the fresh strawberry flavor, I added a drop of red food coloring to make them pinker, they had a slight pink hue but I enhanced it. The texture, moisture and taste are insane. All around this is a phenomenal recipe and I’m keeping is at the “one”. Thankyou!
You have truly found the secret to strawberry cake. Perfection!
Hi Sally! I have a question. I’m currently making this cake and cooking it in 8″ pans. The first cake I made didn’t look quite done after 25 minutes so I ended up baking it for 30 and when I took it out, it’s super dense. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it doesn’t bounce back up as nicely and it’s pretty moist? I did the toothpick test and its cooked but it just doesn’t have a very right consistency. Do you know what I did wrong? Should I bake it longer?
Hi Trinity! Did you follow the recipe exactly as written? Yours seems a little wet or under-cooked. 8-inch pans are smaller than the called for 9-inch pans, so yours could simply need a little longer in the oven to cook through.
I made this cake over the weekend for my son’s birthday. He wanted strawberry cake and I didn’t want to use a store bought box mix. I didn’t make the icing but hope to make it the next time I make the cake. It is a delicious cake recipe! We really like it and I will make it again. Thanks so much for sharing it with us all! Love it!
So much love and care into this recipe. I love it so much. Thank you for posting this. I followed it exactly and it was amazing
This cake was so so yummy! I’ve made the cake and the cupcakes for work events. Everyone raves over them. I just want to say thank you for your thorough recipes. I appreciate the tips, the videos, and the weighted measurements in each recipe. I have absolutely loved every recipe I’ve made from your blog and I can’t wait to make more!
OMG! I absolutely Love this strawberry cake and so has Everyone who has eaten it! It’s my Go-To strawberry cake recipe from now on! Thank you So much for sharing!
Wonderful turn out.
This is cake is sheer perfection, Sally! Followed the recipe precisely. Very easy to follow too! I look forward to trying more of your recipes now.
I have some questions about the cake! It unfortunately didn’t turn out the exact way I wanted it to. My cake was dense and not as strawberry forward as I had hoped. It was moist though!
My questions are as follows:
Could I add more strawberries to the puree (like an ounce or two more) and just spend longer reducing it to a half-cup to get more strawberry flavour?
My sad dense cake was probably due in part to old baking powder and soda, but I also have a tendency to reduce sugar as much as possible (too much sugar makes me twitchy– I’m not even kidding). I have always wonder if reduced sugar affects the creaming process with the butter. Could this be a factor in dense baked goods and something I have to adjust other things for in the future? Or does it only affect sweetness?
The freeze dried strawberries were an amazing tip for the frosting by the way. Even though I was under in my quantity of powder the frosting still tasted like strawberries.
(BTW for any Canadians here, Superstore also carries the freeze dried strawberries but as part of a mix with bananas. It costs about $5 a pack. You’ll need to get at least two packs though– bananas weigh more than strawberries, that’s how I got caught out with too little strawberry powder. Just another option for us besides online and Walmart.)
Hi Therese, For the best strawberry flavor it’s more important to use fresh sweet berries than increasing the amount. The better the berries, the better the flavor of the cake! You do need to make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh, old leaveners can certainly lead to a cake that doesn’t rise. Cutting the sugar can contribute to this also – sugar does more than add flavor, it is responsible for moisture, texture, and hindering too much gluten formation. This is a great article if you wish to learn more: https://www.thekitchn.com/why-can-t-i-reduce-the-amount-of-sugar-in-a-cake-226760
I am so sad to be leaving this after seeing so many wonderful reviews! I never leave reviews but I’m hoping for some guidance. I was excited about this cake because I stray away from artificial flavors and colors. I followed the cake recipe fully and the cake baked beautifully. But once cooled and I tried it, there’s no flavor at all. I thought it was just me so got the whole family to try it and they agreed with me. I did not use the strawberries in the icing but I feel like the cake itself should’ve had a flavor alone. Any tips, please share!
Hi Brooke, Did you happen to taste the strawberries before you made the puree? When they are in season, sweet summer berries will give you the best flavor, but they are nearly impossible to find this time of year where I live. The better the berries, the better the flavor of the cake! And while you will be able to taste the fresh strawberry flavor in the baked cake, the flavor is REALLY brought out when you combine it with strawberry frosting, so I recommend you try it next time!
So I just made the cake as stated in the recipe. My strawberries made an almost purple purée and it got even brighter when I reduced it. My batter was a lovely shade of dark pink. When I pulled them out of the oven however, they were about the color of spice cake. A nice shade of tan. I was hoping for a pale pink color… any idea what may have gone awry? I really would like to not use artificial coloring.
Hi Mary! Unfortunately strawberries tend to lose their vibrant color when baked. The most successful fix to brighten up the color is a little gel food coloring. How did it taste?
Awesome cake! If you love strawberry flavor, then this is the cake for you! So moist and flavorful! I made it for my father’s birthday and it was a huge hit! This is one I can’t wait to repeat in the spring when strawberries are in season.
Just made this recipe. Happy b’day, Me! It’s pink, it’s sweet, fluffy and tall, but can’t really taste the strawberries (dah! They aren’t in season! How could they taste yummy? So really not the time for this recipe), I knew that before hand and tried to humor my daughter. So, a recipe to try again during strawberry season or if in winter use cooked frozen berries and add some lemon juice because it was a little sweet for me. I didn’t do the frosting bit! It was a winner here 🙂
Happy birthday, Mel! Yes, the sweeter the actual berries the more flavor they will bring to your cake. You will be able to taste the fresh strawberry flavor in the baked cake, but the flavor is REALLY brought out when you combine it with strawberry frosting, so I recommend you try it next time!
This was my first time doing any cake from scratch! And even more a two layer cake! And I have to say, I’m excited with the results! It turned out perfect! (At least for me and my expectations ) The only thing that I changed (not by choice) was the freeze dried strawberries; instead, I bought a strawberry smoothie mix that comes in a small package already in powder form, and it work out just fine! ❤️
I really appreciate all of your tips and videos!
I made this cake for my little girls birthday. I did change it up a little in that I used the reverse-creaming method because I just like the texture of the cake better that way. It was Divine!
Now I’m going to use the same recipe only with raspberry for my son’s birthday.
Hi Sally, I really enjoy your recipes. Thank you so much. Can I use a Bundt pan for this stawberry cake.
Hi Debra, Yes it should work. I’m unsure of the bake time so just remember to not fill your pan more than 2/3 and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
There is no reason this recipe should be anything but 5 out of 5 stars!
The combination of freeze dried strawberries and cream cheese are the perfect secret to giving the frosting a juicy, strawberries & cream finish! Who would have thought? Thanks, Sally!
✨ A few variations I used:
-Buttermilk instead of whole milk in the cake batter! It’s so worth it! This yielded moist, rich layers that maintained their moisture.
-Double the frosting. I make a double recipe of frosting, this was to allow for extra taste testing, adequate frosting on the sides, but most importantly, decorative piping on the top around the edges! I had some frosting left over, so 1 1/2 times the frosting recipe would probably suffice.
-Don’t overcook the layers! I took mine out right at 24 min, and leveled the layers by gently trimming the “dome” off.
– I used a food scale to ensure the batter was equal in both the pans and moistened the bottom layer with simple syrup before applying icing to help seal in the moisture.
-I looked everywhere for freeze dried strawberries! My local Walmart and Ingles did not carry them, so I checked CVS and found them. I guess the moral is to check your local drugstores if all else fails and you can’t wait to make this cake, like me!
* I noticed comments about the cake looking “tan”. This could be due to the strawberries themselves, as they can range from pink to deep red depending on their quality and ripeness. However, Sally suggests adding a drop of red food coloring as desired, and that worked for me!
Using quality, adequately ripened strawberries could help give the cake a more defined pink hue and a stronger, natural flavor.
I reduced my strawberries down after processing them in a Ninja and they started off kind of frothy pale pink and only darkened a little. They didn’t get the super deep color you have, but they reduced fully. Could I have some something wrong? Did I over blend them (if that is a thing???)? I’ve made jam but I’ve never just reduced berry purée.
Hi Matney! Nothing you did wrong. Depending on the time of year and region (or simply the brand/box of strawberries), the strawberries may not have been as vibrantly red.