Strawberry Dream Cake, From Scratch!

This is the third recipe that I made, last Saturday.  If you've read my last two posts on Carolina Red Slaw and Boston Baked Beans, I've talked about how  great the June/July issue of Cook's Country Magazine is.  For some reason, I've been on a cake baking kick.  I had a dozen egg whites, left over from my ice cream making phase.  Not being one to waste food, I was pondering making a Pavlova or a white cake. Then, I spotted the Strawberry Dream Cake recipe! Perfect!

These are organically grown strawberries, from the Salinas Valley.  These were freshly picked, that day.  How I wish that more people could experience the sweetness of these beautiful berries. I'm fortunate to live 2 miles from the local farm that grows these. I pay $2.50 a pint!

I've seen several versions of this cake on different websites. Many of them used boxed cake and jello, to create the pink cake and artificial strawberry flavor.  Cook's Country created a version of this cake, using real strawberries and scratch cake batter.  That got my attention. To make the cake, we begin with frozen strawberries. Why? Apparently, the recipe author wanted this cake to be made any time of year.  Strawberries are sacred in our kitchen.  If I can't finish eating strawberries in their fresh state, I hull and freeze them. 

Place the  strawberries to a bowl, cover, and microwave until strawberries are soft and have released their juice, about 5 minutes.Place in fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan. Firmly press fruit dry (juice should measure at least ¾ cup); reserve strawberry solids.

Bring juice to boil over medium-high heat and cook...  (By the way, I just purchased this All-Clad Saucier pan, and I am so pleased with it!) 

...stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to ¼ cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk milk into juice until combined. Whisk strawberry milk, egg whites, and vanilla in bowl. Set aside.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.

Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.

 Scrape equal amounts of batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and cool completely, about 2 hours.

For the frosting:

Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix butter and sugar on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
Increase speed to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.Add reserved strawberry solids and salt and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.

FROSTING TASTING NOTES:  Bomb!  I'm not the biggest fan of cream cheese frosting.  This recipe has changed my mind. The ratio of butter to cream cheese is perfect.  The strawberry flavor really shines through. It's a pretty color, and the consistency would pipe really well.  This is my new favorite frosting!

Let's get our last step finished, before frosting the cake:

Wash and pat dry some fresh strawberries. Slice them nice and thin...

When cakes are cooled, spread ¾ cup frosting over 1 cake round. Press 1 cup strawberries in even layer over frosting and cover with additional ¾ cup frosting. 

 Top with second cake round and spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake.

Garnish with remaining strawberries, if desired. I chose not to, for fear that the strawberries would turn to mush.  Let's cut into the cake!

NOTE TO SELF:  I should have chilled the cake a bit, as the frosting was very soft. Time to taste!

TASTING NOTES:  I was a bit disappointed that the cake wasn't as pink as I thought it would be.  If you're not afraid of some Red Dye-40, and you want a true pink, you might add a drop or two of red food coloring.The cake was a bit denser than I prefer; I also felt that it wasn't as moist as I had hoped. I'm a true fan of very tender white cake.  The frosting was the star of this cake.  I served a slice of this to our guests, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They loved it!  Sure, there are several steps involved.  The end result is worth it, and it's a very pretty cake!

For me, the real joy I have is in the challenge of making a new recipe.  I'm amazed at the restraint I've had-- I only ate a 1/2 slice of this cake.  The remaining cake was carted off to my husband's office, where it was eaten and appreciated by his co-workers. The next cake I plan to make is my favorite white cake with Swiss Buttercream and a lemon curd filling.  This is where I could find myself in a lot of trouble-- it's my favorite cake of all time!  That will happen in a couple of weeks, as I've promised this to a group of friends that I swim with at my sports club. You can bet I'll share the recipe with all of you.

A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.