Southern Strawberry Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.
• Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
• Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.
• To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

Steps:

• For the puree: Pulse the strawberries in a food processor, scraping as needed, until a smooth puree forms. Add the strawberry puree to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the puree reduces by half (to about 1 cup). Transfer the puree to a bowl and set aside to cool.
• For the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment rounds; lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla in another bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the whole eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cooled strawberry puree. Reserve the rest of the puree for the frosting.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the butter, beating until smooth. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Remove 3 cups of the frosting to a medium bowl and set aside. Fold the reserved strawberry puree into the remaining frosting. Refrigerate both until slightly chilled and firm, about 20 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake domed-side down on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the strawberry frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake domed-side up on top. Spread the top and sides of the cake with 1 1/2 cups of the white frosting. Smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's okay if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining white frosting on the top of the cake and the upper half of the sides. There should be a band all around the bottom of the cake with the crumb coat exposed. Fill in the exposed area with 1 cup of the strawberry frosting. Use a large offset spatula to smooth the top and sides of the cake. The strawberry and white frostings should blend together during smoothing to create an ombre effect. Transfer the remaining strawberry frosting to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 8 rosettes evenly spaced along the top border of the cake.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
• Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
• Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the mixture till crumbly.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg and half-and-half and beat till well blended, then add to the flour mixture and stir till thoroughly moist.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead very briefly. With your hands, pat out the dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness, then, using a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 biscuits.
• Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on the upper rack of the oven till slightly brown on top, about 12 minutes.
• While they're still hot, split open the biscuits, spread lightly with butter, and arrange close together on a crystal cake plate.
• Spoon the berries and cream onto the biscuits and serve while still warm. (For attractive individual servings, prop one biscuit half at an angle on the other on small dessert plates and spoon berries and cream over the tops.
• Note: I've used Bisquick Mix for the biscuits when I don't have the time to make the real deal, and in my opinion they are quite acceptable, too. Just be sure to use only the freshest, ripe, sweet strawberries, and serve the biscuits warm with butter.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Smear or brush a bit of butter onto the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper (either cut to fit the bottom, or leaving some hanging over the edges for easy removal).
• Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer and a large bowl), beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla together on medium-high, periodically scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything incorporates, until the mixture is pale, light, fluffy and creamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend between additions. (This is a good time to scrape down the sides again.)
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully add half the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, beating just until no large lumps remain.
• Using a spatula, gently fold in half the strawberries and transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Scatter with remaining strawberries and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
• Bake until cake is puffed, deeply golden brown on the top and pulling away at the sides, 45 to 50 minutes. (It should spring back slightly when pressed in the center and appear fully baked where the strawberries meet the cake.)
• Let cake cool completely before removing it from the pan (either by inverting or lifting with the parchment lining). The cake can be baked up to three days ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature, or refrigerated.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Grease cake pans (2 OR 3- 8 inch or 2- 9 inch) with crisco.
• Use two or three tablespoons of cake mix to dust the greased cake pans.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin and salt.
• Add oil and start mixer, slowly adding strawberries then the eggs 1 at a time and mix until well blended.
• Divide cake mix equally between two or three cake pans.
• Quickly place cake pans in the oven and immediately reduce heat to 350º.
• Follow cooking chart on cake mix box for pan size you choose, checking at shortest cooking time and watching carefully to prevent scorching.
• Cool in pan, on wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Remove from pan.
• I like to place the layers on wax or parchment paper or paper towels for easier handling to prevent cracking.
• For frosting: Mix butter on low speed for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add 1/2 the sugar and mix then the remaining sugar, strawberries and a dash of salt to the butter and mix until well blended.
• About 4 minutes.
• When cake is completely cool, place one layer on cake plate and put a thin layer of frosting on top.
• Place the second layer on the first and put a thin layer of frosting on it.
• Top with the third layer and frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
• If you only make two layers use a thicker layer of frosting between the two layers.
• Allow cake to sit for at least four to six hours before serving.
• Overnight is much better.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
• Mix pureed strawberries, milk, eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract together in a small bowl; transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Beat flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt into strawberry mixture on Low; add butter and continue beating on Low until evenly combined.
• Stop mixer, scrape sides, and beat again for about 30 seconds.
• Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes; transfer to wire racks to completely cool, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat confectioners' sugar into cream cheese mixture until creamy and fluffy; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Spread about 1/2 the frosting on top of 1 cake. Place second cake on top of frosting layer; spread the remaining frosting on top of second cake and around sides of both cakes.