Strawberry Cake recipe? No mixes, please!!!

[amyamelia]

HI all
My husband and I picked and processed 95 pounds (!!!) of strawberries this July and (even after giving jars of jam to practically EVERYONE we know on EVERY occasion) there are still lots of berries in our freezer in various states of preparedness. We love our freezer jam, so we have tons of that. We also have gallon bags of sliced and barely sweetened berries as well as gallon bags of mashed/sweetened berries.

SO, for his birthday at the end of this month he has requested a strawberry cake with vanilla icing. Not strawberry shortcake (we've had A LOT of that this year already) but cake with strawberries IN the batter. NOt sure if he pictures whole berries, slices or just a pink cake made with strawberry puree, but I can't find recipes that are made without the ubiquitous box of white cake mix (and many call for jello mix also!!).

Anyone have a T&T recipe that would save the day? I'm especially interested in a recipe that would allow me to use some of our hand-picked berries instead of buying those flavorless things that come out of California this time of year.

If only my gramma was still alive...I think she used to make a cake like this.

thanks.

aa

[HillJ]

This is the closest I have to a strawberry cake recipe. When I have a bounty of fresh strawbs, this is my go to recipe.

You could easily adapt the frosting and/or fold your wonderful berries into the whipped cream/frosting. Enjoy!

Strawberries and Whipped Cream Cake

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups milk
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 quarts fresh strawberries,
halved lengthwise

2 (8 ounce) packages cream
cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and milk. Warm until butter has melted, but do not boil. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups sugar. Stir in the warmed milk and butter and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the batter just until blended. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
4. In a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour the heavy cream in a slow steady stream while the mixture is whipping until the mixture has fluffed up and can hold a stiff peak. Don't let it get grainy looking though. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula occasionally to remove any lumps.
5. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into three layers. Arrange strawberries on the bottom layer with the top ends facing outward. Fill in the remaining space with more berries. Spoon some of the whipped cream over the berries and spread evenly. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat the process. Place the top layer on the cake and cover with the remaining cream. Arrange remaining berries over the cream.

[amyamelia]

This looks great. I love the icing recipe, it looks fluffy and not too sweet. I was headed in this direction (vanilla cake with fresh berries between layers) but he REALLY wants the OUR (frozen) berries IN the cake batter. I'm going to save this recipe for next summer, though...we will surely be out picking again (although maybe with a little more self-restraint this time).
thanks again!
maybe another chownd will know how to cook the berries into the cake?!

[HillJ]

Yes, I hope a recipe is posted-I would be interested a well.

Another thought, strawberry cheesecake! Folding the berries in would work beautifully.

[amyzan]

You might try experimenting with banana cake recipes, substituting strawberry puree for the mashed bananas. You'd need to alter the spices, nuts, etc. and perhaps reduce the amount of other liquids, as frozen strawberries are probably more liquid than mashed bananas. This might be a good jumping off point, though.

[MeffaBabe]

I was thinking the same thing. By making a puree of the strawberries you could incorporate them into the batter (altering the liquid measurements). I would allow the berries to thaw before pureeing them to allow most of the water to evaporate out first. You can then either use some whole defrosted berries in the middle of the cake or some of your jam with a pastry cream filling. I would then just do a 7 minute fluffy white frosting to top it all off.
Wow- I am now craving this cake myself!

[lintygmom]

I am craving it made with raspberries and with a bitter chocolate icing. I think I will go rub up against my freezer... =)

[DebL]

Here's one from A World of Baking by Dolores Casella. I tried it once, and my notes say, "Easy, but a heavy cake."

Fresh Strawberry Cake
2-1/4 c sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c butter
1-1/2 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c fresh crushed unsweetened strawberries.

Sift flour with salt and baking powder. Combine butter, sugar eggs, and vanilla, and beat for 3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl a couple of times. Then add flour mixture alternately with strawberries. Blend into the creamed mixture, then beat for 2 minutes. Turn batter into 2 8-inch round layer pants that have been buttered, lined with parchment, and buttered again. Tap pans to release excess air, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cook in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks. Remove parchment while layers are still warm. When cool, frost with Uncooked Fruit Whip, using fresh strawberries, or whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

Uncooked Fruit Whip
1 c strawberries
1 c sugar
1 large egg white

Mach the fruit to a pulp, add sugar and egg white, and beat until light and thick. Use immediately.

[lintygmom]

Whole Foods Strawberry Cake
Use fresh strawberries to decorate the top of this decadent cake.

Serves 12
2 cups unbleached organic flour*
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted organic butter, melted
1 cup pureed strawberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup organic milk

Icing

1 box powdered sugar
4 TB unsalted organic butter, melted
4–6 TB puréed fresh or frozen strawberries
fresh strawberries for decoration
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter (or spray) and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13 cake pan. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together. Add to dry, beating with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

To make the frosting, sift powdered sugar into melted butter. Add strawberry purée to spreading consistency. Frost the cake and decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries just before serving.

* If desired, you may substitute part of the unbleached flour with whole wheat pastry flour or white wheat flour

Nutrition Info
Per Serving (140g-wt.): 410 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 1g dietary fiber, 5g protein, 71g carbohydrate, 100mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium

[sweetTooth]

I concur with amyzan. Just last night I baked an Apple Spice Loaf/Cake from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It was easy, delicious and had a nice crumb. So my first thought when I read your question was that maybe you could substitute the applesauce in that recipe with your mashed berries and reduce the sugar a bit. You would probably want to replace the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cardamom) with something more complimentary to strawberries. Maybe lemon or orange zest. In general, I think you could try any cake recipe that involves applesauce, mashed bananas or other mashed fruit for flavor and replace with mashed strawberries. And, since you have such a surplus, you could make a trial cake or two first! ;)

[amyamelia]

YES! I knew you guys could help!!

These both look good at first glance, and though I had thought about fiddling with a recipe for banana or apple cake (great minds...), I would VASTLY prefer one that I can just make and enjoy. Although I would love to do the playing around and taste-testing thing, I try not to do too much baking. My husband just does not have the willpower to resist, and I want him to be around for a long time.

thank you, hounds!
aa

[lollya]

YUM!

[amyamelia]

Hey! I forgot about this post! I should report:

I ended up making the whole foods recipe from above and frosting with Krissywat's buttercream/pudding icing that I had been wanting to try (forever!).
the cake was really good, dense and buttery and not too sweet, and the icing was SO creamy and fluffy. Yum. I only wished that the cake tasted more strawberry-y, so I might fiddle with adding more puree next time and reducing the other liquids. I printed out all of the offered recipes and will try them all at some point or another...they all look so good and I certainly do have enough strawberries!

aa

[eduncan]

Another way to enhance the strawberry flavor is to add a little citric acid (although I'm not 100% sure how that will react with the baking powder). It will make the flavor pop! You could also use zest.

[DanaP]

Here is a cake recipe to die for. My mother in law makes it alot.

Strawberry Cake

2 cups Self rising Flour
3 eggs
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Sugar
1 Pkg. Strawberry Jello
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 1/4 cup of Strawberries , Pureed

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 in round pans. Sift flour into a bowl , set aside in another bowl beat eggs then add oil, sugar, gelatin, and buttermilk. stir untill well blended. Add flour to the mixtureand blend.
Drain 1/4 cup of juice from berries and save for icing. fold in berries . pour in pans and bake for 25 to 30 min, or till browned. Turn out on a rack to cool.

Icing

1/4 lb. butter, softened
1 pkg. (8oz) Cream cheese
1/4 cup berry Juice
1 1 lb box Powdered Sugar

Mix all until creamy and well blended.

Enjoy!!!!!<><

[kmajka]

Have you heard of the "Hummingbird" Cake? The recipe is from a restraunt in Dade City, Florida. I have made it many times and it is a "moist, rich, fresh fruit cake". You can use sliced fresh or frozen whole thawed strawberries, crushed pineapple and chopped bananas. It is made with oil in the same way a carrot cake is made. The frosting is the quintessential cream cheese variety which you could add smashed berries.

[laverill]

You might like this one. 350 degrees in a greased/floured 13x9x2 pan - 30 - 35 min.
20 oz strawberries
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cream butter, sugar and egg well. Mix flour, salt, soda, bk. powder. Add alternately to creamed mixture with sour cream. Gently fold in strawberries.
Pour half into pan.

Topping - 1/2 cup chopped nuts (toasted if desired) 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2tbsp. white sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle half of this mixture on cake and top with remaining batter.

If you opt to ice this cake - use all of the "topping" in the middle. It makes for a very moist, delicious cake.

Fresh strawberries are best but I have used canned and frozen and they work just as well.

[aliciad54]

Hi, here is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make the recipe just below mine, the post starts out with, "this is the closest I have to a strawberry recipe." I'm going to put half the batter in the bundt pan then pipe in a line of the strawberry syrup recipe, then add remaining batter and bake and ice as directed. I've a feeling it will come out well.

The following recipe for the sauce I snatched from another recipe and what they're calling syrup is the juice that is remaining after using the frozen strawberries. That might want to be sweetened to taste. I will let all know what I come up with and how it turns out.

My dear stepson's birthday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and that is his request. A strawberry cake. So at least he'll know I'm trying!

# Sauce:
# Reserved strawberry syrup
# 4 teaspoons cornstarch
# 2 teaspoons lemon juice

[Floridavelvet]

I am just laughing my rear off!!!!!! I was looking online for the SAME recipe as you requested. Here is the link I found..... a GREAT recipe for Strawberry cake: www.thebakingpan.com/Cake/freshstrawb...
Hope it helps you!!! I already tried the recipe and it is SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!

[marimae]

hope you get this e-mail .am new to this site.found the recipe you are talking about . it says to use 3 9in. pans . what if i were to us 1 springform pan ? i have a 10in.11in. ans13in. pan .i was thinking of just having one cake and than frosting it and putting fresh it. . my main concern is about the size of the pan does this cake come out light in texture ? thanks for replying . am new to baking and want to make a big birthday cake for a friend. having 20 people over.

[danna]

Lots of times cake batter will leak from a springform pan, depending on how thin the batter is. i wouldn't do that.

honestly, if you're a new baker, I wouldn't try to tinker too much with any recipes just yet. Do you have any pans that aren't springform? If you have normal cake pans that are in other sizes, you can use some basic math to determine how to adjust the amount of batter, but you have to be very careful to convert everything quickly, and then you will not be able to go by the written baking times.

[slcook]

Agree with Floridavelvet. Just made this cake. Really delsh if you are looking for a cake made without a mix or Jello. Posted on my blog yesterday...
http://www.abountifulkitchen.com/2010...
Abountifulkitchen.com

[amyzan]

I finally found a recipe using fresh strawberries in one of the COTM from last year. It's in Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, and is for cupcakes, but will bake up in 9 inch rounds as well. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[HungryinBmore]

3 sticks of butter for the cupcake frosting recipe?? I am going to go with you have NOT tried this recipe and cannot TRULY vouch for it. Wow..

[amyzan]

I didn't make the recipe recently, but rather had the cookbook out from the library when it was the COTM in September last yearhttp://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6549... I made the cake recipe directly from the book, cut in half, to make 12 cupcakes. Honestly, I don't recall the quantity of the frosting I made. I may have used a third or even a quarter of the frosting recipe, keeping the same proportions of cream cheese and butter. They were delicious, and the frosting was soft rather than stiff. I copied the recipe out and do not have the original cookbook at home to check the online recipe, but it's a reputable site. I would not intentionally lead a fellow cook or baker astray for some pitiable jollies. That's reprehensible behavior. It's too bad you weren't here in October to interact with Ms. Foose herself, Hungry.

[chef chicklet]

That is a strawberry cake if ever there was one! How beautiful it is, I want this for my birthday cake, I love strawberries. My birthday is in June and the berries will be goregous then, I can't wait!

I also love a swiss cake with fresh strawberry filling, and whipped cream for frosting. I generally opt for that one since I've never been able to find what I want. Thanks!

[danna]

Thanks for posting. I made those this weekend. I made 1 1/2 times the recipe to make an 8 inch 2 layer birthday cake and about 9 cupcakes. It's a very light and moist cake. The batter was a pale pink so I added a tiny drop of food color. Not a great idea, it turned slightly violet, but not enough to be a problem...I would just let it be pale if I made it again.

I did not use the frosting recipe.

[Mattkn]

Danna,

Just for clarification, which recipe did you use? Just wondering....

[danna]

The one Amy Zan posted on April 9, from seriouseats.com. It's called Ponchatoula Strawberry cake.

[amyzan]

Oh, good, I'm glad they turned out! I found them delicate but delicious. I hope the 8 inch layers weren't difficult to frost? That's smart, making them a bit smaller than standard to give them more structure. Did you have to line the pan with parchment? I'm always curious about details, if you have time.

[danna]

I always butter, line w/ parchment and flour any layer cake. No reason not to take out the insurance.

I'm not really sure what you mean about 8 inch layers being difficult to frost, but no, they were easy. Now...i did screw up by making my magnolia bakery recipe frosting w/ light butter, so the piped decorations all melted flat and the vertical sides of the cake started to wilt, but that was strictly the frosting's problem.

i needed frosting because it was a birthday cake, but the texture was so light, it was kind of a shame to frost it. I made a few cupcakes too, and I just put a dab of frosting on the middle of the tops. I liked that better than the cake. My husband really liked it and my Dad (birthday boy) served himself another slice.

Full disclosure, I separated 2 of the whites and whipped and folded them in at the end, so I imagine that added to the lightness a bit.

[amyzan]

I just meant that an eight inch cake has less cake between the crusts than a nine inch. Thus, more structurally sound for a cake recipe that yields a particularly delicate crumb. I'm afraid I get lazy about parchment sometimes, and pay the price in pieceing a layer back together, not smart!

[kookiegoddess]

There is a pink strawberry cake on the smitten kitchen blog - I made it for my niece's 4 th bday as she'd requested a pink cake and it was very good. Serve with lots of fresh strawbs. It's quite sweet but shouldn't a girly cake be all that and more?