Strawberry Cream Cake

As I mentioned in my previous post, I made 2 desserts for our Easter family get-together last weekend. I figure you can't have a spring get-together without including some kind of strawberry dessert. Have I mentioned my deep love for strawberries?

This cream cake is a bit of a twist to the traditional strawberry short cake. The buttery cake, although rich, is a wonderful "partner" to the strawberries and cream. This cake was served up and gone in a flash. I'm glad that I had the carrot cake as a back up for those who didn't get a big enough piece of this strawberry deliciousness!

Strawberry Cream Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar (divided)

2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole milk

1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour paper and sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in 3 parts and milk in 2, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally; place bottom half, cut side up, on a serving plate.

Make topping:

In a large bowl, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form.

Arrange half of strawberries over bottom cake layer; top with half of whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover with top half of cake, cut side down. Top cake with remaining whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Just before serving, spoon strawberries over cake.

Yield - 12 servings