Does anyone have a reliable recipe for Strawberry Cake?
I want to make a strawberry cake not using a cake mix nor jello. I have tried two different recipes before that were total disasters and I really want to make a good one. Thanks!
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Did you try any of the recipes above?
I hate it when someone asks me to make a strawberry cake. I try to gently steer them away from that option by suggesting a strawberry shortcake instead. There are people who are insistent, however, even when I tell them that my strawberry layer cake is just so-so. So I grudgingly make one but happily take their cash for it.
I'm afraid this is the best I can do: Allow 2 cups of frozen strawberries to partially thaw. While they are still icy, slice them into a food processor or blender or use a blender stick to puree them. Measure 1 1/4 cups of puree and use it to replace the milk or buttermilk in Dorie Greenspan's or Nick Malgieri's recipe for Perfect Party Cake. (If you don't have Dorie's or Nick's baking book, the recipe is all over the Internet.) If you want the batter to be pinker, add a few drops of red food coloring or beet juice. A frosting of cream cheese or mascarpone whipped cream works best with this cake.
My favorite strawberry cake when strawberries are out of season is a hybrid of an Eton Mess trifle and an American shortcake made from biscuit dough baked in 2 round cake pans. I split both layers in half and put the bottom of one layer into a trifle bowl, then spoon some lightly-sweetened strawberry puree over it until it's wet but not soaked, and I repeat that with the other layers, all cut-side up. It gets covered in plastic with a weighted plate on top and goes into the refrigerator for a couple of hours before being served in tulip glasses with mascarpone whipped cream between the layers and a drizzle of strawberry jam on top. It's about as close to summer as you can get in February.
P.S. they're also wonderful in the morning with marmalade.