Homemade Yellow Cake with Strawberry Frosting ~ simple, homey, and fresh, this strawberry cake makes such a nice finish to an early spring meal, and it would look adorable studded with birthday candles.

Homemade Strawberry Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Equipment

• two 8-inch cake pans
• blender or food processor to puree the strawberries
• stand mixer (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 pint or about 12 strawberries
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

cake

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 sticks (or 1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (you can use almond if you prefer)
• 1 1/4 cups cultured buttermilk (you can use half & half, or milk)

frosting

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 5 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans with a round of parchment paper.
2. Trim the tops from the strawberries and add them to a high speed blender like Vitamix, or a food processor. Blend until they’re smoothly pureed. Put the puree and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to medium and let the puree boil for about 15-20 minutes until it is thickened to 1/4 cup. Watch carefully and stir often so it doesn’t scorch. Scrape the thick puree into a jar and refrigerate until completely chilled. This is going to be the strawberry componant of your frosting.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. To make the cake, cream the sugar and butter together in a stand mixer for a solid 5 minutes, scraping down the sides a couple of times to get everything well incorporated. You can use a hand held electric beater, but be sure to cream until light and fluffy. This step helps create a lovely texture in your cake.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat well in between each egg, and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg as well. Blend in the extract.
6. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, and then, when it is almost all the way incorporated, add the buttermilk. Mix just until combined. Finish mixing the batter by hand to blend in everything from the bottom of the bowl.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, or until risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick should come out clean. Let the pans cool on a rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pans to cool completely before frosting. Note: do not frost the cakes until they are completely cool.
8. While the cakes are baking, make the frosting, I like to chill it in the refrigerator to give it a chance to firm up before I use it. I use my stand mixer again for this, but you can use electric beaters if you prefer.
9. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and strawberry puree (1/4 cup) together, then start adding the sifted sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. You should end up with a creamy thick frosting. If it seems too thin, beat in the cornstarch and/or a little more sugar. If it seems too thick, add a bit of lemon juice. Cover with plastic and refrigerate. The frosting will thicken up a little bit as it chills. When you’re ready to frost the cake, give the frosting a fresh beating.
10. After frosting the cake, keep refrigerated.

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