A creamy vanilla buttercream meets strawberry-studded cake layers for a wow-worthy strawberry-vanilla cake.
Ingreadient
- 1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (about 9 3/8 oz.) bleached cake flour (such as Swans Down), plus more for pans
- 2 Tbsp. strawberry-flavored gelatin (from 1 [3-oz.] envelope)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- 1 cup whole buttermilk
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 2 cups (1 lb.) unsalted butter, softened
- 7 cups (about 28 oz.) unsifted powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- Whole and halved fresh strawberries
Direction
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla until combined.
- Stir together flour, gelatin, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
- Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with butter, and line pan bottoms with parchment paper. Grease parchment with butter, and dust insides of pans with flour. Spoon batter evenly among prepared pans, and smooth tops.
- Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cakes comes out clean, 26 to 30 minutes.
- Beat butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place 1 Cake Layer on a serving plate or a cake stand. Top with about 3/4 cup Vanilla Buttercream, spreading over top to edge of layer.
- Decorate with whole and halved strawberries.
