pink lady cake
Alas, they left us with no dessert, and more poignantly, no pretty pink princess birthday cakes (the nerve!), and so when the call arose on Monday to make one for Liz’s (of spaghetti and meatball photography fame) birthday, I jumped in with two feet.
Because everyone has a pretty pink princess in their life, be she four or 34, and when that pretty pink princess has a birthday, you need a cake that is appropriate. And there is nothing more darling and swell, more coquettish and eyelash-batting, than a pink lady cake. Simply nothing.
Of course, the process of getting from “my favorite cake growing up was called a Pink Lady Cake” to the recipe you see below, was surprisingly difficult. You see, the Pink Lady Cake my friend knew and loved, as outlined by AllRecipes and a dozen other sites, is a white cake mix with a box of strawberry Jell-O and bag of frozen strawberries mixed in. And while I do not judge you if you wish to put such things (oh, there I go being all passive-aggressive again) in your birthday cakes, I was bent on finding a more natural way to approach things.
I looked in The Joy of Cooking. I checked out Martha. I Googled until the letters “P” and “L” on my laptop were worn down to nubs. I begged some of my Monday lunch dates for leads. And then? Then I opened my favorite cake book in the entire world (yes, I know I sound like a broken record but if you like to bake birthday and celebration cakes, step to it, get this book) and le voila! A white cake with pureed strawberries.
Like every recipe I have tried in the book, the cake was surprisingly easy to make and tasted better than every white cake I’d tried previously–richer, and more buttery. It also has a tremendous “ta-da!” effect, clocking in at easily six inches tall, knocking into the lid of the cake box, so eager to make its entrance, so like a princess.
Oh, and it tasted so very darling, and pink, if such a thing is possible.
Not the Celebration Cake you were looking for? You’re in luck! We have a whole index of other ones over here.
One year ago: Pumpkin Butter and Pepita Granola
Two years ago: Spinach Quiche
Thanks: Be to Ms. Pixxiestails.com for letting us hijack her camera when we forgot ours!
Pink Lady Cake [Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling]
The cake recipe is adapted from Sky High, and the only thing I would change next time would be to add a drop or two of red food coloring because when cake is called Pink Lady, well, it should really be pink.
The cream cheese frosting is not from the book (which has a swiss buttercream-based one I am eager to try when I am not rushing to finish) but a classic, standard recipe. I have upped the amount of cream cheese frosting from what I used, which you can see is spread a tad thin. Pretty pink princesses should never be deprived of fluffy vanilla cream cheese frosting on their birthdays, you know?
For the cake
4 1/2 cups cake flour
3 cups sugar
5 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pureed frozen strawberries*
8 egg whites
2/3 cup milk
1 to 2 drops red food dye, if using (to make the pink color pop more)
For the cream cheese frosting
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Make the cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350»F. Butter three 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; the batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point. (Deb note: I must warn you not to try the batter at this point. Not even a smear of it. How unbearably good it is will shock you, and lead to more dipping. Only you can stop this from coming to pass.)
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and red food dye, if using, to blend. Add the whites to the atter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorperate after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.
4. Bake the cakes for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn out onto wire racks and peel off the paper liners. Let stand until completely cooled before assembling the cake, at least an hour.
Make the cream cheese frosting
5. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.
Frost and assemble the cake
6. Place one cake layer on a cake board or platter. Tucking scraps of waxed paper under the edges of the cake will protect the board or plate from any mess created while frosting the cake. (I forgot, as can be clearly seen above.) Spread about 2/3 cup frosting over the layer, spreading it to the edge. Repeat with the second layer. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, reserving a small amount if you wish to tint it and pipe a decoration on the cake. If not, you can decorate the cake top with thinly-sliced strawberries. Remove the waxed strips to reveal and neat, clean cake board.
7. Serve with pink candles on pink plates to the sort of person who dreams in pink. I suspect you know at least one.
* Huntsman notes that it may seem surprising that frozen strawberries are used here, but they’re always available and their quality is consistent. I suspect you could swap fresh ones, but given that the ones in the store in October are so lackluster, and cruelly unlike the astounding ones we had in Paris last week, I went with her suggestion. This will be from about half a one-pound bag.
Gorgeous! One of the reasons I check your site everyday is to look at the pretty pictures of food – they say so much more sometimes than just the recipe. And I haven’t had pink cake in years – looks yummy!!
I got Sky High for my birthday after seeing all your beautiful cakes here on SK. I wonder how many copies have sold thanks to you? :)
I can’t wait to dig in–unfortunately there aren’t many celebration cake-worthy events coming up for us. My birthday’s the last one in our family until February! I think I’ll have to make one for Thanksgiving in lieu of pumpkin pie… Hmmm….
I am filing this one away for when *fingers crossed* I get to have a girl. I’m already fantasizing about how I’ll serve it at a princess birthday party someday…
Just today i was thinking to myself that i really want a pink, girly, tiered cake for my thirtieth birthday! Perfect timing, can’t wait to try it out.
We’ve never even gone near boxed cake mix in my family. Even the mention of it and jello is painful to me. This though, sounds lovely.
Pink makes everything taste better!
I need to make more friends, if only to have more people for which to bake cakes. This is LOVELY.
Did you use the couple drops of food coloring in that cake? It looks so natural, light, and delicious! I know just the girly girl I want to bake this for!
I love the tip to use parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pans. I tried that method on a cake last weekend (just so happens it was the chocolate peanut butter cake!) and it worked wonders!
I’ve definitely got to pick up a copy of that book. :)
I love this girly cake! The combination of flavors sounds perfect, and I love the addition of pureed strawberries.
Awesome recipe:
“5 1/4 teaspoons baking power”
A little touch of magic to match the princess, huh? ;)
I didn’t use the red food dye but I would next time. It’s pink, but I wanted it to be pinker.
I also grew up eating this wonderful cake, and it was also the box version that you described. My great, great aunt always made the cake for us, and it was so wonderful! However, instead of making a cream cheese frosting, she made regular vanilla cake icing and poured in the extra juice from the frozen strawberries to make an absolutely delicious strawberry frosting. Next time I make this cake, I think I might try making your homemade cake with her version of the icing. YUM!
Since I have those same dessert plates from Rosanna, I guess I’ll just have to make this cake!
Deb, I must know. Does it TASTE like strawberries? I have searched high and low for a strawberry cupcake recipes (complete with strawberry cream cheese frosting) that doesn’t taste like cooked jammy nastiness. Love at First Bite Cupcakery in Berkeley, CA has one that I heart (and was my wedding cupcake) but I can’t figure out how to reproduce it. Could this pink lady be it??????
What a beautiful cake! It looks like the perfect cake for a celebration! After seeing several cakes on blogs from this book, I decided that I just have to buy it!
Oh, yay! When I saw your Tweet looking for a pink-lady recipe, I searched all my old cookbooks from my aunt. When I came up with nothing I thought “oh man, I’m kinda sad to think that pink lady cake won’t be posted on smitten kitchen.” I guess I figured you’d give up or make it with the boxed stuff (and of course not post it) But you are a more persistent girl than I, Deb!! :D
Looks so pretty!
What a beautiful cake. I’ve never come across a cake with pureed strawberries in the batter, but it sounds absolutely delicious!
Instead of (expensive) parchment to line your cake pans, try 2 layers of (free)newspaper, cut to fit fairly close (but not necessary to be perfect). I’ve done it at least 5000 times in my decorating career, and never once had a problem removing the cooled cakes. (The inner, unused sections of the paper are virtually sterile, at least as clean as any parchment, and besides never touch the baked cake since a thin skim of crumb is removed with either type of paper.)
I love this, it is so pretty in pink :)
gorgeous. i bet it’s delicious too.
When I was young I always wanted a pink cake for my birthday. I think my mom just made it from a box. That book looks awesome. I’ll have to get it. Beautiful cake for princess.
Your photos make me want to eat my computer! LOVE it!
What a gorgeous cake. There’s always room for something pink in everyone’s lives :)
Oh dear this looks dangerous. Cake and it’s pink! I need to leave your website now.
Wow, this looks so good!! I can’t resist anything with strawberries. I bet the recipe would make some adorable cupcakes too. I might need to experiment over the weekend…
Hey Deb, firstly thanks for several years of delicious entertainment, I lurk and drool, and lurk and drool some more.
Secondly a question for you, one I’ve been meaning to ask for ages. You strike me as a lady who likes precision. How do you cope with the rather imprecise nature of the cup measuring system used for baking in the US? I’m of the British persuasion, and as you know we weigh baking ingredients using the metric system, so the quantities are always pretty much spot on (bar variations in scales’ accuracy). This consistency isn’t the case with cups and spoons, where you can get quite wide variations caused by all sorts of factors, and I find that when I do bake using the US system, results can be variable in quality. Do you find this? And if so how do you deal with this?Is it a case of practise making for more consistency? Apologies for long and nerd like question, but I am curious about this.
Pretty!!! It reminds me of the movie “A little princess” when Sara says, “All girls are princesses.” Indeed, we are.
Tomorrow is my birthday and I want this for my birthday cake.
How beautiful!! I love it – “Because everyone has a pretty pink princess in their life, be she four or 34.” Hate to think where the world would be if there weren’t pretty pink princesses to brighten our days!
I loved the chocolate peanut butter cake but i was still debating on whether or not to buy the Sky High cookbook, but now i’m completely sold..
this cake looks super cute and really delicious, but what if your (my) favorite color is purple? pureed bluberries, perhaps? i think my next birthday cake will be Crazy Purple Lady Cake! :}
This is gorgeous and sounds wonderful!
It really is precious. And looks so sweetly delicious.
i have the book now and have baked a baby shower cake and two birthday cakes using the recipes and the results were fantastic. thanks for the recommend and the pink lady cake is beautiful!
While I completely DISagree about and thus question your statement about the ubiquitous existence of “pretty pink princesses” (ugh! can we say stereotypes about females?!), I do think this cake looks delicious. I, however, would make it look a little less pink. I never did like that color nor the idea of being a stereotypical princess, but that is just me hehe.
I don’t think the concept of pretty pink princesses reinforces stereotypes about women; I have plenty of gay male friends that would be utterly delighted to have pink princess cakes on their birthdays!
Deb, I salute you for transforming the jello cake into something quite spectacular.
Okay, I can dig the newsprint-in-place of parchment, but for artists out there with pads of tracing paper, hear me: tracing paper is parchment paper! You can use it!
This cake is the girliest. Next girly birthday I bake for I will make this!
Your timing could not be more perfect. My best best best friend in the whole world is celebrating her 21st birthday this weekend, and she is the only 20-something girl I know who still lives and dreams in various shades of pink, haha. I pretty much have to make this now. =)
Kudos for persevering! This cake is adorable! I had never heard of a Pink Lady cake before. Now, I want one too!
Ahhh that’s really lovely. And I don’t even like the color pink! Usually.
ohmigod ohmigod!!!! pink cake is the only cake I’ll accept for my birthday! How fantastic. I just have to figure who is going to make to make it for me (cause it’s MY birthday and I’ll force people to make cakes for me if I want to).
AND ps Cmoore, I don’t like pink either, except in cakes!
Samphire: THANK YOU for the question! I’ve been wondering the same thing for a long time. I did research awhile ago and came up with a variety of answers. I use a weight of 140 grams per cup of all-purpose flour and 130 grams per cup of cake flour.
Yay you did it! We knew you would. It looks perfect.
Hurray, perfect timing! My daughter turns five on Halloween and asked for a pink cake, but I didn’t want to just drop in food coloring; I wanted that real strawberry flavor, too. Thanks, Deb.
Goodness, this cake is lovely! I am a lover of all things pink, especially sweets. Yum!
Gorgeous! That cake looks fantastic! Perfect, as always!
Cheers,
Rosa
Does it have a nice strawberry flavor or is it just pink? I bet one teaspoon of strawberry (or cherry or raspberry) jello would give you enough pink color if you don’t have any food coloring. I never seem to have it anymore.
The cake looks luscious. I know ‘they’ say box cake mixes are so easy, but what is so hard about measuring out some butter, sugar,eggs, flour and milk? You have to measure oil and water for a cake mix..what’s a few more ingredients for a scratch cake! They are SO much better.
I’ve never heard of a Pink Lady cake….but, ohhhhhh, methinks I might have to make it now…seeing as how I, too, own the same book! Thanks so much for sharing as always and I’m so glad you had a wonderful vacation in Paris!!!!!
Deb, I would NEVER think such a thing – have you seen all the sweets that I feature on MY blog???? I think I may have you beat, haha ;-)
LOOOVE that cake!! So lovely!!
What a lovely girly sweet!! The only pink ladies that I’ve ever had were the kind made with gin ;)
Re, the strawberry flavor: It is present, but not very, very strong. The contrast with the cream cheese frosting brings it out even more.
Samphire — Ack! I find it so annoying actually; your hunch is correct. Not only is measuring by weight more accurate (especially with these little digital scales–so precise! so quick!) it is so much easier than shoving flour into measuring cups (five different scoops for this recipe!), hoping you don’t pack it harder or less hard than the person who wrote the recipe. Not everyone measures the same, too; most use the “fluff, scoop and level” technique, but I’ve also had cooking teachers that use a “fluff and delicated drop spoonfuls of flour in” method which leads to a lighter cup. American cups can range from 4.5 ounces to almost 7 ounces of flour in weight, depending on the way they were filled. It is not wonder that between this–and the fact that most people don’t have their ovens calibrated (I sure don’t!)–that people can have wildly different results when using the same recipe.
I do wish that more U.S. cookbook publishers would let the authors put in weight measurements as well. I cannot imagine that someone like Huntsman–the person who wrote the Sky High book featured here–doesn’t herself prefer using weights in the kitchen.
What a fun cake! Just looking at it makes me smile.
Hmmmm…. My God… Wonderfull!!! :)
anyone have any good ideas to make this cake when you have (people like me) who are allergic to strawberries…sad. I know.
hello…verygood.
Hi Deb!!
Thanks for the great response to Samphire. Following that thread (and maybe a really dumb question): I looked at your “cooking tools” page. If I want to begin measuring my flours out rather than using untrustworthy scoops: do I use the volume equivalents you’ve listed? Is 1 Cup of Flour 8 oz of flour; or is that only in the case of liquids?
Thanks so much!! I love your site- LOVE IT- always recommending it to friends. Sometimes I think we might have the exact same taste buds. Seriously. I think there was a brussel sprout post that actually made me yell: “Get out of my mouth!” at the screen. But you know, don’t get out. :) Just keep doing what you do- you have such a gift!
@Kelly S. – raspberries? cherry jam? use the strawberry jell-o, which I doubt has any relationship whatsoever with actual strawberries.
Hi redengine — No, that would just be liquids. I know, Americans have to make everything so confusing. A cup of white flour is usually about 4.5 ounces, but other flours vary in weight. Believe me, I think this system is as whack as you do!
Kelly — I don’t see why it would work with another pureed fruit, either tropical or berry. Of course, the caveat is that I haven’t tried it with that, but again, I don’t see why in theory it couldn’t work just as deliciously.
I’ve noticed lately that more and more recipes from professional kitchens are giving the flour measuring technique that was used in the test kitchen, in the recipe. Current recipes are also designating where to place the oven racks for baking as well.
My GE electric oven has an adjustable temperature knob. Many ovens have this feature. If you pull the temp knob off the oven, on the underside of the knob, there is a little notched thingy that can be reset so that when you set the temp for baking, it will be accurate. You have to use an oven thermometer to get an accurate heat reading, compare it to where you set the temp knob, then reset the notch in the proper position so that the temp knob, when placed back on the oven, reads the same as your oven thermometer. Check your oven manual or online for instructions, if you can’t figure out how to use the adjusting feature. Or go to any appliance store, and get the sales guy to show you.
sweet! I LOVE strawberry cake, but I’ve only had the mix variety and not tried to make my own, mostly because my mother and sister both say all the strawberry cake recipes suck. Now that can’t be true, because why else would strawberry cake exist in the first place (someone had to make it first to be a cake mix, after all!) so maybe I will try this version. Also, just for clarification’s sake, were the frozen strawberries thawed before they were pureed? I didn’t see any mention of thawing in the recipe so I am guessing “not” here.
I am in awe, Deb. On the extremely rare occasions I bake, it’s usually some kind of loaf thing, and icing [if I bother] is something you drizzle over the cake—most likely lemon juice and powdered sugar. This is architectural and stunning.
Hi Jill — So, the strawberries are supposed to be thawed. In baking cakes, the best results always come from room-temperature ingredients. But I am a renegade, no wait, I mean that I was totally rushed when I was making this and had the strawberries in the food processors just minutes after returning from the store. Thus, my pink batter not only looked like ice cream, it had the temperature of it. [Hangs cake-baker head in shame.] Fortunately, it still worked (albeit with some extra baking time). But do as I say, not as I do! Defrosted berries are best.
Why does it have to be for a girl? My son loves strawberry cake, and asks for it almost every year. But what to do if you’re trying to get rid of artificial colors from your diet, and every recipe you see has jello in it? In short, thanks for the recipe! I will file it away for next year. I might play with it to give it a stronger strawberry flavor, or at least put strawberry filling between the layers. It looks wonderful!
I am going to have to make this for my mother-in-law’s B’day next month AND order that book! I am a cake freak and always trying new recipes. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!
Okay, I had just sworn off Amazon due to excessive kitchenware purchases, and then I had to go and visit your site today. I’m powerless before your photos, and now the book is on its way. Hope you get some kind of commission from the sale. :)
The “pretty pretty princess” references, I hope everyone knows, are quite tongue-in-cheek. That said, I probably know more boys than girls who would enjoy this cake, though that is really neither here nor there…
what fun! this would make me very happy on my birthday
Wow, this cake looks amazing and delicious and suddenly my tastebuds are screaming “sugar, I need sugar”! So, I will be making cake today! Thanks for the recipes( all of them) and the gorgeous pictures.
Wow! This was good. I especially liked the cream cheese frosting. I could have ate a whole bowl of it.
really, people would make a cake with a box mix and jell-o? just the thought of it, gross!
I will have to give this a try for the next princess i know.
THANK YOU! Finally. I have been hunting for a strawberry cake for ages. I have only found two options. 1) Cake mix and Jello-O. Um. Okay. But no thanks. I mean, why wouldn’t I just buy strawberry cake mix? Same thing, right? 2) White cake with strawberry jam between the layers. Well, that’s not right either.
It’s settled. I HAVE to buy this cake book. It’s worth it for the chocolate peanut butter cake and this cake alone. I think I’ll try some pureed strawberries in the frosting for a little extra pink strawberry goodness kick. Mmm…
Oh Hallelujah! I only wish that you’d posted this two weeks ago. My son insisted on a strawberry cake for his birthday (I do ALLLL from scratch), and I’d never heard of them before. I searched and searched until I finally gave up and bought some white cake mix (my first ever) and Jell-O and fresh strawberries and a lemon. Yes, I still doctored it. I HATED making a white cake but I had only one shot and time slot to make it and couldn’t risk the ratio of liquids and solids and burning, etc. I have been told this is the new standard birthday cake for just about everyone in my family now, so I’ll be holding on to this one (thanks Debbie for passing me this link!). I will say, also hugely yummy with a baked fudge frosting. Think chocolate covered strawberries!
I love that book, too – have been making cakes from it for everyone’s birthdays. :)
That cake is so pretty I’m saving it for my sister’s birthday, next year.
LOVE the gathering of pumpkin and soup recipes together. Brilliant! A great gift to your readers. (P.S. can’t say enough about how great that pumpkin bread pudding is. Easy and delicious.)
You talked me into buying the book. I saw this post last night and bought it on ebay. Birthday present for myself!
Dumb question – Is it 1 1/2 caup of berries, pureed? Or 1 1/2 cups of puree? I want to try this with either cherries or rasberries. Looks amazing
Oh – I cannot wait to make this for my daughter’s birthday – she is a pink princess. Love your site!
Not only super yummy lookin’ but BEAUTIFUL!!
Oh my! So pretty! I think this will be making an appearance at my Christmas party this year. I’m thinking some red and green sprinkles would be quite festive on this. In reference to the parchment/newspaper issue… does anyone but me use wax paper? Mom learned to use that from an old baker friend of her parents and I’ve always used it in my own cake baking with great results.
This cake is absolutely adorable!! Such a feminine little cake. :)
They’re in the oven right now — my 3yo daughter & I were perusing birthday cakes online and when she saw this one she said, “We need to buy dat one. I want dat.” Princess party at 1!
Who knew there was a cake out there that shared my namesake? As a representative of the Boston Chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, I recommend digging into that cake with one of these:
Pink Lady
1-1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz applejack
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine (homemade)
1 egg white
Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously without ice.
Add ice; shake continue vigorous shaking.
Strain into your favorite vintage cocktail glass.
Grenadine
Combine equal parts pomegranate juice (Pom, par example) and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp orange flower water for every 1/2 cup pomegranate juice used. Cool.
Cin-cin!
Thanks for a fabulous cake recipe! Made it yesterday for mom’s birthday. Took it down to two layers and used the rest for cupcakes! I’ve been passing them around town as I run my errands today. My hair stylist loved em! Cupcakes make great random acts of kindness gifts! :-P
I must say, Deb is not only an immensely talented woman, but an incredibly generous friend! Thank you Deb for making my birthday so special! Please make this cake for anyone who loves amazing cake, and who is totally girly of course. xo EB.
I’m glad to hear your thoughts on the messed up measuring habits of this here country. And this could be a stupid question (I just memorized in math class and didn’t really learn), but is there an easy way to determine what the weight should be of a particular dry ingredient? So many recipes don’t list that. You said that a cup of flour weighs about 4.5 ounces, but what about other things? Is there any easy way to calculate that, or are we just at the mercy of recipe writers who don’t like scales? Bummer. And the cake looks divine. I might make it for my own birthday this year. Wow, that sounds extremely depressing.
This. cake. looks. amazing.
I can’t tell if I like the pretty pink or the tall layers or the gorgeous frosting most, but WOW all around.
I love this recipe but do agree on a few drops of colour … perhaps Wilton’s rose pink. Thank you
i think i love you.
i always thought that i might.. but now i’m almost certain..
pink lady cake..
o.m.g.
This cake is absolutely fabulous. I love it! :)
this is perfect timing. it is pink ribbon day tomorrow in Australia, and everyone is supposed to wear/eat/do pink things to raise money for breast cancer awareness/research. this cake looks like a beautiful and delicious way of doing so…if only it wasn’t 12.40 on the day of!
It looks absolutely delicious. I am so afraid of baking!
This cake looks absolutely scrumptious! I’m looking forward to making it :)
Strawberry cake was my favorite when I was little. I’ll have to check my recipe and see if it’s like this. If not, I’ll try this sometime soon. Mmmm!
I made this cake today and had enough cake batter left over for 2 jumbo cupcakes. It was a bit sweeter than I was expecting. I then took the sweetness over the top when I filled it with strawberry preserves and used a swiss buttercream to frost it (I don’t much like cream cheese).
My coworkers are going to fall over when they see it tomorrow.
My daughter requested a strawberry cake for her birthday and I found the same Jello recipes. Whole Foods had posted a recipe which I used but was disappointed in. One tip I did use though was to substitute some of the strawberries with strawberry jam. It definitely had a strawberry-E flavor. I am going to try this one this year for sure!
Hey Deb-
I’m a huge fan of smitten kitchen, but had to share that this cake didn’t work for me. I was a bit concerned about mixing the puree into the dry ingredients, and perhaps I did something wrong because the mixture got so thick it almost burned the motor out of my kitchenaid! I found the cake to be dense, and dry- kind of a like a scone? Thank you so much for sharing, and I’ll hit the archives to try another.
Many thanks-
Fabulous looking! Must try…
I was planning on making this lovely cake tomorrow but something is bothering me.. is it 1 1/2 cups of strawberries which are pureed or 1 1/2 cups of strawberry puree? Sorry if its a dumb question.
thank you.
It is 1.5 cups of frozen strawberry puree. About half a one-pound bag of strawberries which you can whirl in the blender or food processor.
this cake looks like heaven! i’m wondering if i can do a “blue gentleman” for my husband’s birthday with blueberries? hmm…
Hey Deb,
I am a huge fan of your site, but a first-time comment-poster. I just made this cake and had the exact same experience as Kristen (comment #96). I don’t know if they’re dry, but I did nearly burn out the motor of not one, but two handblenders! Any ideas what we might have done wrong? This cake sounds so wonderful, and I’m making it for my Aunt’s 60th Birthday on Saturday. I would even be willing to try again tomorrow, if you have any ideas what I did differently from you… Thanks!
Hi Kristen and cacaye — My batter, before I added the egg/milk mixture was crazy thick, too, almost like chocolate chip cookie dough thickness. As I added the liquids, it became more of a batter. It certainly didn’t burn out my KitchenAid motor (!) but it was thick. Is that what you experienced?
Hi again,
Yes, that was my experience. I was concerned that I overmixed the batter once the egg whites/milk were in, though … I was trying to compensate for not doing a good job mixing before I added them.
The cakes are now cooled and I think they will turn out! Thanks for your help!
Oh my God, you are a LIFESAVER. My daughter is turning 3 this weekend and has informed me that she wants a pink strawberry cake and the only thing I could find was the one with the Jell-o and box mix. Thank you thank you thank you. What timing!
wow! lovely cake, faschionable, so white and irresistable.. i have to translate cups in grams and then.. start it! waiting to taste it.. have a nice day!
I really loved this cake! I did a double-take on the part of the recipe that said to blend the puree into the flour, so I just did it the other way around — I whipped the butter and strawberries together, THEN added the dry ingredients, and it worked perfectly. I didn’t have round cake pans, so I just halved the recipe and made it into one sheet cake. It turned out moist and fluffy and so deliciously pink, and some strawberry cream cheese frosting (with the leftover puree) made a perfect first birthday dessert for my daughter!
I had the same experience as Kristen & Cacaye–the batter was so thick it practically burned out the kitchenaid mixer. When the baking time was up, it was nowhere near ready (the toothpick I inserted was far from clean) so I gave it another few minutes. After cooling, it is soooo dense and too chewy. Tastes more like a scone.
Huummm!!! wow yum…triple layer cake just my lucky …so beautifully decorated.
Just found ‘Sky High’ in perfect condition at Half Price Books for $15! Who could be crazy enough to sell this book? It’s gorgeous.
Thanks for the recommendation. I can’t wait to gluten free/veganize it:)
I like that you are willing to just slather on the frosting and up the recipe for it! Cake and frosting are a must.
#96, 101 and 107 – I did blow up my hand mixer. I talked to the cake lady at my work and she agreed with Bethany #106. I will try it again, once I buy a new mixer, with these adjusted instructions.
Thanks!
if you want a naturally brighter pink color, try frozen raspberries instead of frozen strawberries. i just made this cake yesterday and it was AMAZING! my only disappointment was that, upon opening the bag of frozen strawberries, i saw their color was in the pale pink/grey family, which i had forgotten is standard for frozen strawberries. frozen raspberries, which i am much more familiar with, are always stunningly ruby red plus, in my opinion, retain more of their fresh berry taste. so i havent tried the cake with raspberries yet, but this is my hunch and also the way i will bake the cake next time around.
I made an 8″ triple layer cake for a dinner party and had enough left over batter to make the most adorable 3″ triple layer cake for another party. I cooked up the leftover berries with some lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch and put it on top. I could not physically add the butter to the flour/sugar mixture, all my insticts went against it. Instead I creamed the butter and added the dry mixture and strawberry puree in batches. My mixer is fine and happy and the cakes came out beautifully.
I did some crazy kitchen math to make this cake even bigger for a baby shower for 40. I wanted to make this in 12″ layers, so I got out three 9″ pans, filled them each about half full of water and measured that volume, then figured if I 3/4′ed the entire recipe, I’d get enough for one 12″ cake round. And it worked (after having to bake each round for over an hour and later trimming off all the brown bits)! I did 2 – 12″ rounds sliced in half for 4 layers.
I too would add more food coloring for even more pinkness. I really had to double and triple check the way the ingredients were added to the batter and I think next time I try this cake (delish, by the way), I’m gonna whip the egg whites before adding. Just think this could use a bit more air and lightness.
reminds me of when i was little
oh… were you not meant to whip the egg whites? i assumed you were but that the direction had been mistakenly left out. maybe THAT’S why it was so light and fluffy?
I made this for my daughter’s 10th birthday which, this year, is on Thanksgiving! It was the highlight of the Thanksgiving Dinner! Believe it or not, it needed more frosting (to do the decoration), so I made 1/3 of the original recipe to do the decoration (with a bit leftover). I have just made it for the second time in two days because she wanted it for her sleepover party tomorrow night. We made it into cupcakes (it makes 36), and I think the girls will love it.
I’ve made this twice now, and both times it was a hit. The first time, I made cupcakes with it for a baby shower. Oh so good! I made the cake again this weekend for Christmas party. I dropped about 3/4 cup of the sugar, since I found it a bit sweet – I think the fresh strawberries I used were sweet enough to compensate. I used the cream cheese frosting between the layers but made a light, fluffy frosting from one of my mom’s old recipes for the outside. It was a nice contrast to the richness of the cake and cream cheese filling and I think it really worked well. I had no problems with the batter being too thick, but then again, my brother bought me the honkin’ big Kitchenaid Pro last Christmas and I haven’t yet met anything it couldn’t handle (though it did choke a little on the pasta dough I made last week).
I just made this last weekend and it was a hit! My suggestion, is to strain the pureed strawberries before mixing into the butter – that way there wont be any seeds i the batter. Also instead of the cream cheese frosting I made 7-minute frosting and I think it complemented the cake very well!
Does this recipe double, or triple well? I would love to make this for my daughter’s request of a pink princess cake for her third birthday but I am making a tier cake with a base of a 14×2 inch round cake .
There is no reason not to scale the recipe to whatever size you want to make it. However, a common concern from home cooks when doing so is that their bowls/mixers aren’t big enough to handle the extra batter. If space is a limitation for you, you might want to make the batter in batches. Good luck.
I made this pink beauty today in 3 – 8″ round pans with no problem. It has great strawberry flavor and is a lovely pink. I debated but decided to add one drop of the red coloring, I don’t know if it did much to deepen the color. I like it a lighter pink. I drained the juices from the strawberrys before I pureed them and used it in the frosting. I also added 4oz of mascarpone cheese to my buttercream. It is delicious and also a lovely pastel pink. What a pretty cake..and so tasty too. My batter was also cookie dough thick before adding the milk and puree, but my good old KA plowed right through it, no sweat. Thanks for this, Deb.
Hi Deb – I’m making this pinkalicous cake for my upcoming 4 year old daughter’s birthday next week – can’t wait! I think I may substitute rasb for strawberries for color – but we’ll see. Because it is for a bunch of young kids, I’m tempted to switch out the heavier cream cheese frosting for a lighter one -maybe something closer to a whipped cream frosting or the swiss buttercream one — what do you think? I’m also making a few of your yummy party appetizers for the parents (Flat Bread, Feta Salad & the White Bean dip) so it will be a SmittenKitchen party!
I just made this cake in a three tier barbie version for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. it was a hit. by far the most delicious birthday cake i’ve had. i took the idea of putting some strawberry puree in the cream cheese frosting and it added just the right touch. i also covered the cake in marshmallow fondant icing. that was so easy (HA HA). it was my first time, but persistence paid off and the end result was amazing. thank you so much for this recipe, i have been using your site for 6 months now and it is truly inspiring.
I am planning on finally making this cake this weekend (after returning a countless number of times to this particular page to see the pictures one more time) and I have a small question. Since the recipe calls for the cakes to be baked in three pans, do you rotate the pans in your oven during the baking? I know that this is what you are supposed to do for multiple cookie sheets. I’ve never baked a layer cake before so I am a little bit nervous.
It is always a good idea to rotate pans, as most ovens bake unevenly — back to front and switching racks halfway through.
I am going to make this for my sweet Valentine’s (hubby & daughters) Can’t wait to try it. I have had a similar version. My friend made one for my birthday with coconut and nuts added to the batter.
Oh, y’all, do not use newspaper as a substitute for parchment! The ink has all kinds of nasty chemicals in it. And I am no crunchy granola girl.
How many people will this cake feed? I’m tempted to make it for my friend’s birthday party tonight, but we will only be seven people and from the amounts of butter, flour and cheese in the recipe I imagine this cake to be… enormous?
I’m having trouble finding cake flour at my usual stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and my local farmer’s market. Do you have a recommended substitution?
You can make your own cake flour by swapping each cup of it with 3/4 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted together.
Btw, cake flour is easier to find in a generic grocery store. In NYC, I use Gristedes or whatever is nearby. I find that the nicer and specialty stores are less likely to carry it.
Hello Deb. I want to make this cake for my friend’s birthday, but I’m not sure about the egg white part. In some white cake recipes, you have to beat the egg whites til its thick and foamy. Do you do this for this recipe?
It is not neccessary in this cake.
I made this cake this weekend with raspberries instead of strawberries, because frozen raspberries were what I had. The raspberries gave it the most beautiful pale purple color, and the cake tasted heavenly. It’s the first triple-layer cake I’ve ever made, too. Your site is great. Any suggestions for recipes that will use up the eight egg yolks now languishing in my fridge?
Yay! What a wonderful cake! I made this for Easter yesterday and it was a hit. I did what Bethany in 106 suggested, beat butter and puree then add dry ingredients. I also added one tsp of almond extract to the frosting and layered sliced almonds on the outside. I added fresh strawberry slices between the layers which helped add more strawberry flavor to the whole cake. It was delicious!
cake flour= wad kind? Self raising or..??
1 1/2 cups pureed frozen strawberries* you but a star(*) to it, means Must or not necessary?
Just cake flour. If self-rising was needed, I’d have indicated it. You can always make your own cake flour at home: For every cup of flour, add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, whisk together very well and sift the mixture. Measure your self-rising flour from there.
The asterik goes to a note at the bottom of the recipe, explaining why frozen were indicated.
How long do you think this cake, in cupcake form, will last? I have been tasked to make pink cupcakes for a very special birthday party- the guest of honor is turning 2! She likes all things pink and sweet- so this is the perfect cake. Unfortunately, the party is going to be on a Monday, and I can only get cupcakes to her mother on Friday. Will the three days totally ruin the cupcakes? I was considering baking them, wrapping well, and delivering them with the icing in a separate container. But then again, that still amounts to some work for an overworked mom. So frosted cupcakes it is.
And what frosting do you think would last the longest on these cupcakes? Mom suggested cream cheese frosting, but I was thinking that 7-minute frosting, tinted pink would just be over-the-top cute. Will the 7-min icing last well?
You should check out my cake tips in this post. I don’t like to make cakes in advance unless I am going to freeze them — even the most moist ones begin to dry out quickly. You can make the cupcakes weeks in advance, if you wrap them well in the freezer. Seven-minute frosting, in my opinion, is more of a last minute thing because it crusts. I wouldn’t do it more than 12 hours in advance.
Deb, everything turned out perfectly and just the way you described it prior to baking the cake. For some reason, it’s taken over 1 hour and a half to cook the cake at 350 F and it is still not done. I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with it. Any ideas why it’s taking so long? :/
Sounds like an oven issue! No reason the cake (at the thickness I showed) wouldn’t be baked in way less.
Hey Deb, I upped the oven at 375-400F and baked it for 30 minutes and turned out perfectly. :) I think my oven is just slightly cooler than others. But, phew, thank goodness it baked. It’s my birthday today and yes, I’m making my own cake. I figured I’d rather have a cake that I slaved over than get a cake I don’t want to take home and have secret rendezvous with in the kitchen. :P
Thanks!
I love this recipe and plan on using it for a breast cancer fundraiser in July for 100 cupcakes! However I am a little nervous about burning them. Any advice on how long you would bake this recipe in cupcake form? I am notorious for cooking cakes to perfection and burning the heck out of cupcakes. Jessica
Wow! I have a cake-of-the month calendar, and get together with a friend to make each cake. April’s cake was a strawberry cake from a box! We decided to find a homemade strawberry cake, and I found this one at the last minute. What a great decision! I used all purpose flour because this poor college student can’t afford cake flour. I simply reduced the flour to 4 cups and ended up with a dense, moist, biscuit-y cake-delicious! I just made the cake again for my sister’s birthday. I put it in a 9×13 pan (had plenty of leftover batter for cupcakes). I made a few alterations to the recipe this time, eliminating the lemon, adding a bit of vanilla, and beating 4 of the egg whites until stiff. I folded these beaten egg whites into the batter at the very end. I also added nearly 10 drops of red food coloring. I ended up with a light, fluffy, moist, lightly pink cake with a subtle strawberry flavor. Perfect! Thanks Deb!
I made this cake for our Memorial Day BBQ this weekend (the coloring was appropriate because it was also our friends’ one year wedding anniversary, and hot pink was their wedding color) and it was fantastic! Next time I think I want to try adding even more strawberry puree, as the flavor was there but not super-pronounced. Or maybe using the puree as a jam-like layer between cakes. But the cake was moist and delicious and everyone loved it. Thanks!!
I’m making this right now. They’re puffing up a bit. Did you have to trim them to get them to lie flat. I’m hoping they’ll deflate as they cool.
You are right about the batter. Absolutely fantastic. I got batter on my nose like a kid licking the beater!
My plan is to freeze them today and frost tomorrow using one to cut up and look like a butterfly like this http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/butterfly-cake and then saving the other two to frost as a standard cake. I didn’t feel up to a multiple layer butterfly!
I level cakes when necessary, definitely a good idea or the layers on top will crack if resting on a curve. You might want to check out some of my other layer cake tips in this post.
I just made this cake yesterday for my 3yr old daughter’s birthday. It turned out WONDERFUL. Everyone raved. Thanks for the great recipe. I’m holding on to this one. I want to share with your readers, however, that lightening traditional cream cheese frosting with whipped cream and marscapone makes it even better. I find regular cream cheese frosting too goopey and cheesy…but if you whip up about a cup of heavy cream (in a separate bowl, with a little sugar and vanilla of course) and gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture along with one 8-oz tub of marscapone cheese, you will get a lighter, fluffier, fabulous frosting. I got the idea from The Joy of Baking (http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html) – this recipe makes a great red velvet, by the way.
Quick Question:
I just bought THE book, and I noticed Sky High’s version of this cake uses a White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. Any particular reason you didn’t go with that, I mean other than personal preference of course? I’ll soon be trying my hand at this recipe, and wondered which way I should go.
Thank you!
I’ll be making this cake for my best friend’s sweet sixteen! =]
hi
do you defrost the strawberries even before pureeing, or just defrost the puree?
and do the egg whites need to be at room temperature?
the cake looks nice – i like the way you decorated it! I just made your peanut butter chocolate cake with great success -wow that cake is rich. will leave a comment on that post too. thanks for the great recipes
They can be pureed still frozen. That said, most bakers will tell you that everything should always be at room temperature when you bake, eggs included. I didn’t bother. I never do.
I have been testing strawberry cka recipes for my sisters’ wedding cake with no success!!
My recipe looks similiar to yours (an offshot of martha stewart’s yellow butter cake).
For some reason, it is just not rising properly.
The only thing I can think of is that I am using egg yolks in mine (which doesn’t seem like it would be an issue) or that I skimped on the sugar and that it why is it not turning out. I am loosing my mind (and confidence).
Any suggestions?
I made this cake for my birthday. Since strawberries are in season and are quite delicious here in California, I knew I had to use as many strawberries as I could. Instead of cream cheese frosting in the layers, I spread sliced strawberries! I sliced 2 pints of strawberries, threw them in a bowl with a few T of lemon juice and a 1/3 cup of sugar, let it marinate for a few hours, drained the berries and put them between the layers. They were the perfect consistency. I then iced the cake with the cream cheese frosting (I made a tiny batch of swiss buttercream from the wedding cake entries, but it was too buttery for me, especially since the cake was so buttery. I don’t like American buttercream, and had hoped the Swiss one would be better, but alas it was not the case. I did save it and tint it pink for decoration, tho). It was delicious. There’s a pic on my blog: lazycrafter.com
My mom made this cake for my birthday. I have to say it was soooo good. We ate it with a little lemon sorbet on the side. I wish there was more…
Just made this for my son’s second birthday. “Cake” is one of those words, apparently, that he can learn after hearing (and tasting) once! This was a hit–thanks!
Just baked the cake with Farmer’s Market bought strawberries from today. It is out of control awesome! I’m going to add a layer of chocolate ganache to the cake just to make it over the top. That’s how I roll… thanks for the recipe!
I’m new to layer cakes but I really want to try this cake. I was wondering, would using 8″ round cake pans instead of 9″ make a huge difference? Also, if I separated the batter into 2 pans instead of 3, would that work? Thanks!
I am sure 8-inch round will be fine. Haven’t done it in two layers instead of three, but I’d be wary of the bigger height if you’re only using 2-inch side pans and pans with a smaller circumference.
gained 5 pounds just looking at the photos
This cake looks fabulous :)
And I agree about needing tons of creamy sweet frosting to make someone feel like a princess.. However.. while I have an abundance of strawberries.. not so much w/ cream cheese. Do you think this cake would be just as awesome if I whipped up some of your strawberry coulis and used that between the layers instead of making twice as much frosting?
It might work, but the coulis is definitely on the thin side, and might absorb more than sit on top. You could set it with a little gelatin or trying to cook a little cornstarch into it to thicken it. Or use a strained strawberry jam.
I made this for my niece’s birthday last week and it was fabulous. Everyone raved.
Mine was particularly spectacular because I only have two 9″ round cake pans – so I was forced to use my 8″ rounds, of which I have three. It took a bit longer to bake and boy-howdy was that a tall cake. Leveling was called for, but I didn’t, so the frosting was a bit thick on the sides…
We decided it tasted like a strawberry shortcake.
I made this for my Mom’s 50th birthday party last night. It’s especially special because she has breast cancer and we wanted something pretty & pink! It was delicious- I just wish I had put more frosting in between the layers. Thanks!
Deb – any idea how long to bake these as cupcakes?
I have not made these as cupcakes but most cupcakes bake for about 20 minutes. You should start checking at least 5 minutes before then.
Would your recommend Sky High or Rose B’s Cake Bible for a cake recipe book?
I like to make pretty cakes but they must be delicious as well. A few difficult recipes would be fine, but I don’t want the entire book to be difficult.
Hi Beth — I use Sky High a lot more, but it might just be more to my taste. I’d peek at both of them in a bookstore, see which one makes you want to run home and bake immediately more.
Would it be okay if I omitted the strawberry in the cake batter, and used it as a white cake instead? Maybe adding a vanilla bean…I am topping it with chocolate covered strawberries but my friend is not a fan of pink (what kind of friend is that?!). I’m using a whipped what-your-mom-says-is-buttercream-but-really-isn’t-but-still-tastes-fabulous kinda frosting.
Beautiful! I can almost taste it, thank you for sharing!
I would recommend using an actual white cake recipe, and not taking out a key ingredient. You might Google around for Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake for a solid white cake recipe, or use one of the yellow ones on this site.
Hey Deb –
Love your stuff – and am going to make this cake for my daughter’s 6th bday. Wondering if you have a good recipe for whipped cream frosting? How do you think this would work with whipped cream frosting and actual strawberries between the layers? Also, can I make the cakes on Friday night and freeze them to frost on Saturday morning? Thanks!
Whipped cream frostings are generally not stable enough for overnight or longer storage, and certainly not for freezing. You can try to add a stabilizer however. I don’t usually use a recipe — I just make a lot of whipped cream, maybe one and half times this amount.
Hey Deb, re post 171: I decided to make it with the strawberries anyways, and the cake was probably the tastiest cake I have ever made. In true Deb fashion, I couldn’t leave my moms frosting recipe well enough alone, and I actually made it even better (!)! Thanks for all the tips, and I hope you’re doing something to cool off in all this heat!
Hi Deb –
I was just thinking about freezing the cakes overnight – not frosted. I was hoping to make the cake Friday night and then frost it with whipped cream frosting in the morning…so that it’s fresh for the party. Thanks! Lyla
Hi Deb! I am a new reader to this site, and happened to stumble across this recipe on my lunch break – I am so excited! Iam hosting my sister’s baby shower soon, and all she has requested is a strawberry cake (I have no idea why…mom did not make one growing up or anything!) I just want to ask, will this cake work well in different-shaped pans? I am making a 2 layer cake, the first is a large rectangle, the second a ladybug shaped cake (like a ladybug in the grass…can you tell the baby is a girl?!) Thanks…I am sort of new to baking…and nervous about making a cake for 40 people!!
oh, i should note, i was planning on making a double batch..
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday this week. It was a huge hit! Great recipe. Thanks so much Smitten Kitchen. I did swap in a strawberry buttercream frosting for the cream cheese frosting at his request. Very delish!
Is it possible to substitute the milk required with half and half? I have some left over from another recipe and would like to use it up.
Thanks!
hi! i just made this for my daughter’s 6th birthday. with part of the batter i made mini cupcakes which were delicious. with the rest i made a two-layer cake using 9″ round pans. at 30 mins i checked the cakes. they had risen nicely and were getting brown around the edges and the cake tester came out clean. however, after cooling in the pans, the cakes flopped. not sure what i did wrong. any ideas? thank you. it was so yummy, everyone ate it anyway, but i felt terrible that it didn’t come out right.
I would like to try this recipe in mini bundt pans- is there a different frosting that you could recommend? I just made the lemon cake in mini bundt form (which were amazing), and am now obsessed with little bundt cakes.
Just made this with blackberries instead of strawberries and it was a big hit with my guests – and very purple! I found the cream cheese frosting a little runny – not firm enough to pipe. Might be a problem with me translating quantities into grams though.
Oh, and I used an extra four egg whites for the cake since I had them on hand, and they definitely didn’t flop!
Yummo! We just made this cake. A 10 oz bag of strawberries was perfect with a little amaretto to help those frozen berries blend. The frosting was made with cream cheese, marscapone, and a little lemon juice and zest. It really played off well with the fresh strawberries we served with the cake.
thanks a bunch for this recipe. Made this for my daughters birthday and it rurned out so yummy and congragulations on the birth of baby Jacob. He is such a cutie pie
Hi, did anyone try these celebration cakes without egg? Perhaps, by using No Egg or other sustitutes as a replacement? Does that matter a lot? I plan to make this cake soon for a b’day and have some vegan guests including one who is allergic to egg. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
I don’t think I’ve made a cake since I was a kid, with my mom. I’m a pie girl. So when I was asked to make the birthday cake for a relative, I decided on this one because I like the idea of the CAKE tasting like strawberries. (I went with a simple swiss buttercream frosting instead, and added fresh strawberries in the layers and on top.)
I followed the cake recipe to the T, but I found the cake to be just a bit too dense and thick. It was definitely moist though. I would have preferred the cake to be about 20% lighter and fluffier. What could I do next time make it that way? I’m not a baker…could I whisk the egg mixture rather than simply blending it? Also, I found that when I added the two mixtures, the resulting batter seemed to have a slight curdle to it. Not chunky, just if I looked closely it had that curdled effect.
I really loved the flavor of the cake and would make it again, once I figure out how to make it lighter. :)
This recipe was obviously meant for my soon to be three princess. With 3 older brothers, she is as girly as they come and has demanded a pink cake and pink presents. :-) She is not concerned with what is in the presents, so long as they are pink! This is the first year she is letting us know what she wants & it is so fun to be able to do it for her! Thanks so much! Your site is always my go-to site ~ I always know I can trust anything here!!
I’ve made this 3 times now and am about to head out to pick up strawberries for a 4th (baby shower tomorrow afternoon). I LOVE this cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Your blog has yet to lead me astray.
So excited – I am hosting a baby shower on Saturday and the mama has requested a strawberry cake. I’ll let you know how it goes!
anyone out there, just wondering, what can i do with the 8 egg yolks? any clever ideas on how to use them on another recipe? I don’t want to be wasteful…
Ice cream!
Thanks so much for posting this. I made this cake forever-and-a-day ago, but with fresh raspberries. It was delicious and addicting. I’ve made this cake with raspberries a thousand times over and my family never gets tired of it. <3
My first “home made” cake! I made this last night! Thank you Deb! Your pictures were especially useful when I had to figure out the consistency of the batter (ice cream-like indeed). When I was leveling the cake, I tasted it and it was so moist. I followed all of your layer cake tips and the frosting turned out nicely. It is for my friend’s daughters’ 1st birthday today. Wish my cake carrier some luck. =)
Loved this recipe! I made cupcakes (pink little heavens) for the little girls but the big girls loved them more I think… Your recipes are outstanding and have heard nothing but rave reviews each time I make something. Thanks!
My sister sent me this link last year for my daughter’s birthday. I ran out of time and instead ended up making a cake that had jello in it. Gaaaak. She didn’t mind, she was 4, but this year as she has asked for another Strawberry cake, I’m going with this one. Can’t wait!
I just found your recipe, but had already tried the Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake recipe off Martha’s website last summer. They are quite similar. From prior baking experience, I measure out the milk, butter, and eggs the night before to warm up. I soften the butter and warm the milk if that doesn’t happen. That produces a much fluffier cake, for those who had problems with dense and dry. Due to it being a “cupcake” recipe, they also suggested not to overmix the batter, to avoid tough little cakes. Your recipe uses all egg whites, which makes for a softer crumb (per Cake Bible), while Sprinkles called for 6 whites and 3 whole eggs. Sky High’s also has more baking powder, 1/2c. more puree, and cake flour vs ap flour. Yours wins! Can’t wait to try it with some of the other berries written about, also! Thanks so much:)
Very good recipe, thanks for sharing. I chose to frost my 3 layer 8in cake with the whipped cream cheese frosting. It’s great!
Just made this cake for my daughter’s 10th irthday — big hit with a houseful of very girly girls. My cake batter was also very thick and the cakes took a very long time to bake (as some other commenters mentioned). The end result was delicious but quite dense (as opposed to light). I did not thaw the berries though and mixed everything by hand… I suspect that had something to do with it! Anyway, thanks again for a great cake.
This cake is incredible! My brother-in-law made it this weekend and it was a smash hit. The strawberry flavor was subtle, but right on target. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Okay, this cake is perfect but if you read this I need help! I found out the birthday gathering has gone from 5 to 15+ so I really will need to make a sheet cake. She wants a strawberry cake so I would still like to stick to the basic recipe. I am thinking it should work, I just need to figure out how high up the batter should reach in the pan I’m thinking… If I fill it half way and have batter left over should I stop, 1/3, 2/3? Any help figuring this out will be greatly appreciated! I read my How to Cook Everything book, googled, and still can find nothing that will tell me this. Thanks!