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Strawberry Cream Cake

Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Servings: 16

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1¼ cups cake flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp table salt
  • 1 cup sugar separate out 3 tbsp
  • 5 large eggs room temperature, 2 whole, 3 separated
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Strawberry Filling

  • 2 lbs fresh strawberries washed, dried and stemmed
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp kirsch
  • pinch table salt

Whipped cream

  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch table salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325° and move rack to lower-middle position. Grease and flour 9x2" cake pan or 9" springform pan and line with parchment paper.

Cake

  • Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tbsp sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks, butter, water and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium low speed until frothy, 1-2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tbsp sugar, increase speed to medium high and whisk until soft peaks form 1-2 minutes.
  • Stir ⅓ of whites into batter; add remaining whites and fold until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then invert on rack, peel off and discard parchment; invert again and allow to cool completely, approx 2 hours.

Strawberry Filling

  • Halve 24 of the strawberries and reserve.
  • Quarter the remaining berries, toss with sugar and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (should have about ½ cup).
  • In a food processor, pulse berries to chop.
  • In a small saucepan, simmer reserved juices and kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tbsp, 3-5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated, chopped berries add pinch of salt and toss to combine. Set aside.

Whipped Cream

  • When cake is cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt in bowl of the stand mixers with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in a slow stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until it holds stiff peaks, 2-3 minutes more, scraping down bowl as needed. Should have 4½ cups of whipped cream.

Assembly

  • Slice the cake into 3 layers. Place bottom layer on cake plate and arrange a ring of 20 strawberry halves around the edge with wide (stem) edge facing out. Pour ½ of the strawberry puree in center, and then spread to cover exposed cake. Gently spread with ⅓ of the whipped topping, leaving a ½" border from edge. Place middle layer on top and press gently. Repeat process with halved berries, puree and ½ remaining whipped cream. Top with top layer and spread remaining whipped cream over top and decorate with remaining strawberry halves. Chill up to 4 hours or serve immediately.