In 2007, when this website was still in its infancy, I shared a recipe for a layered strawberry chiffon shortcake. I’d never made a chiffon cake before, but I brought it to a friend’s rooftop birthday BBQ, correctly assuming that no one would be unhappy with a towering, featherweight cake sandwiched with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, however inexpertly made.
While I could appreciate a chiffon cake back then, I wasn’t a superfan. Chiffon cakes seemed a little stiff and lean. Plus, they’re fussy: there’s sifting; cake flour instead of all-purpose flour; superfine sugar instead of regular granulated; an uneven number of egg whites and egg yolks; cream of tartar; and a minimum of three bowls just for the cake layers. Oh, and chiffon cakes have a tendency to dip in the center as they cool. Gosh, where do we sign up!?
Nineteen years later, when the cake resurfaced in the “Could Use a Refresh” queue, I knew Deb of 2026 wanted to eliminate as much of that rigidity as possible to create a chiffon cake recipe for real life — this one, even. Along the way, late to the game as ever, I fell deeply in love with chiffon cakes. [I’ve told friends I’m now in my Chiffon Cake Era and they were so sweet to wait until I turned around to roll their eyes.] But I get it now, I really do. Not only are they light as air, so glorious as a summer dessert, but the layers keep phenomenally well, as good on day six as they are the day they’re baked.
At my birthday party on Friday night, I blew out the candles on a supersized version of this and walked my mom out to her car. When I came back, only a single piece was out on the tables and the plates were untouched. I panicked. “Where is the rest? Are they still cutting it? Did you get any? Did you?” Apparently, in the minutes I was outside, the cake had been “devoured frantically directly from the serving platters” the moment they were set down, bypassing patience and plates. A friend described it as a “weightless, melt-in-your-mouth dessert.” Another friend told me to make twice as much next time, because she was unable to have thirds. I think we know what needs to be done.
Here are a few of the 2026 updates:
- All-purpose flour instead of cake flour: I found that leaving off a couple tablespoons of flour kept this cake soft and dreamy without requiring a specialty flour purchase, or side formula.
- Granulated sugar instead of superfine sugar: Works just fine here, promise.
- An even number of egg yolks and egg whites: I know this makes you as happy as it makes me.
- No cream of tartar. Do you know what cream of tartar is? It’s a natural acid (potassium bitartrate), that can strengthen the protein bonds in whipped egg whites, helping them resist deflating. Do you know what else is an acid? Lemon juice, and it also goes excellently with this cake flavor. Plus, we were already using the zest and I do love nose-to-tail ingredient usage.
- No sifting: It’s just fine without it.
- Fewer bowls: And you only need an electric mixer for the egg whites.
- Slimmer cake layers: The original cake was fun, but too tall, to the point that I photographed it without its final layer.
- Better whipped cream: Adding a little crème fraîche or sour cream to whipped cream stabilizes it.
- Less baking powder: I was a few retests in when I realized I’d accidentally been using much less baking powder than called for. Adding more didn’t improve the cake, so I’ve left it lower.
- A trick to prevent shrinkage: I learned from King Arthur that as soon as your chiffon cake layers come out of the oven, you can drop them a few times on the counter. This releases some of the trapped steam and leads to cakes that shrink less from the sides as they cool.
- A trick to reduce dipping in the center: As chiffon cakes have a tendency to dip in the center — i.e. don’t fret if yours do — I found mine dipped less and sometimes not at all if I cooled them upside-down, as you might a tube chiffon or angel food cake.
Video
Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake, Perfected
- 5 large eggs, separated
- Finely grated zest of half a lemon
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 grams) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 ml) cold or room-temp water
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/3 cups (550 ml) heavy or whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) sour cream or crème fraîche
- 2 pounds (905 grams) fresh strawberries, trimmed, sliced thin
Cake Layers
Assembly
Heat oven: To 325°F (165°C).
Make the cake layers: Coat the bottom of 2 9-inch round cake pans lightly with nonstick spray and line each pan with a fitted circle of parchment. (The oil is just there to hold the parchment in place.) Do not spray the sides of the cake pan. Lightly coat two cooling racks with nonstick spray, too; you’ll use them later.
In one large bowl, whisk together yolks, lemon zest, and 1 cup of the granulated sugar. It will seem stiff and dry at first, but keep whisking (1 minute) and the batter will loosen and become a pale yellow and thick like frosting. Whisk in oil, then water and vanilla extract. Sprinkle half of flour over batter, then salt and baking powder, followed by second half of flour. Whisk to combine, until smooth. This batter will be very thick for now.
In a second large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until thick enough to hold firm peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar gradually, beating the whole time. Continue to beat egg whites until very thick and holding firm peaks; when you pull the (turned off) beaters away, the tip of the peaks will flop over slightly. Add lemon juice and beat to combine.
Add 1/4 of egg whites to yolk mixture and whisk to combine; you’re just using this to loosen the batter. Carefully fold the remaining egg whites in in two additions, doing your best to not deflate them.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
As soon as you remove each layer from the oven, drop it a few times onto your counter from a few inches above. (Yes, really! This helps prevent shrinkage.) Cool cake layers completely in their pan upside down on the cooling racks you sprayed earlier. (This helps prevent the centers from dipping.)
Assemble the cake: With an electric mixer, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add sour cream or crème fraîche and beat until mixture is thick enough to hold shape, but creamy and not grainy.
When cake layers are completely cool, carefully flip pans back over. The top of the cakes will have stuck to their racks, but less so than if you hadn’t sprayed them. Run a knife around each cake layer, separating it from the sides of the pan, and turn out onto a rack. Using a long, serrated knife, carefully cut each cake layer into two thinner layers.
Place first cake layer on a serving platter or cake stand. Spread one slightly heaped cup of whipped cream over the layer and arrange approximately one-quarter of the sliced strawberries over the cream. Repeat this process three times. You’ll have a small amount of whipped cream left; you can transfer it to a piping bag with a star tip to decorate the top of the cake.
To serve: Serve the cake in wedges — it’s wobbly and doesn’t like to stay upright but that’s half the fun.
Do ahead: This cake keeps! You can make the cake layers even 5 to 6 days before needing them and keep them wrapped at room temperature. (I was shocked mine didn’t get stale at all.) The freezer would work for longer. The fully assembled cake keeps in the fridge for 5 to 6 days (theoretically; we’ve never had one last this long).
Previously
6 months ago: Winter Cabbage Salad with Mandarins and Cashews
1 year ago: Slushy Paper Planes
2 years ago: Easy Basque Cheesecake and Blistered Peas-in-the-Pod
3 years ago: Sliced Egg Sandwich
4 years ago: Summer Ricotta with Grilled Vegetables
5 years ago: Perfect, Forever Cornbread
6 years ago: Beach Bean Salad
7 year ago: Raspberry Crumble Tart Bars
8 years ago: Ice Cream Cake Roll
9 years ago: Strawberry Graham Icebox Cake and Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad
10 years ago: Almond-Rhubarb Picnic Bars
11 years ago: Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, Fake Shack Burger, and Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles
12 years ago: Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crispy Chickpeas
13 years ago: Greek Salad with Lemon and Oregano and Two Classic Sangrias
14 years ago: Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice and Tzatziki Potato Salad
15 years ago: Classic Cobb Salad, Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce and Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits
16 years ago: Asparagus, Lemon and Goat Cheese Pasta and Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
17 years ago: Martha’s Mac-and-Cheese, Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
18 years ago: Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
10 years ago: Homemade Oreos and Cellophane Noodle and Roast Pork Salad
Here here for nose to tail ingredient usage and a cake that keeps! Also, a very happy birthday to you!
Yum!! Perfection on a plate. I can’t wait to make this because I know that if it is a SK recipe, it’s going to be magical and beyond delicious.
Happiest of birthdays Deb! It just occurred to me that I have been reading your words for 20 years at least at this point, and they’re always delightful and appreciated. In my eyes you are THE OG and the only person who I will tolerate a recipe preamble for. I’m trying to convince my husband and FIL that this is a perfect Father’s Day cake (this is not a thing we do) because I want an excuse to make it ASAP!
“Sprinkle half of flour over batter, then salt and baking powder, followed by second half of flour.” I assume I’m supposed to whisk after each addition? I’m not, like, layering? Just checking! Sounds delicious
No, whisk after all three are in. You’re basically tucking the baking powder and salt into the flour.
happy birthday!!! 🎂🎁🍰🎈🥳
Happy Birthday!
Love the cake.
I want to make the larger cake (9″ x 13″ ) for an upcoming summer get together with friends. Do I bake the double quantity cake batter in two 9″ x 13″ baking pans and just follow the assembly instructions? Any tips on how to cut each of the two cakes in half? Afraid of them breaking up.
Also doubling questions: do you double everything, including the salt? When you double, I’m assuming that you can mix everything together (in the manner you would in the original recipe), instead of making 2 separate batches, correct?
Happy birthday!
Double everything, including salt. It takes about 10 minutes longer to bake, but check early to be safe.
Double everything. It’s not hard to cut in half. I use a long serrated (bread) knife.
Deb: just checking, one 9″ x 13″ pan or two?
Just made the doubled version – two 9×13 pans for doubling it. Each layer gets cut in half for four cake layers total.
wait…you can put custard (or pastry cream) between layers of chiffon cake? Sounds like I have a Boston Cream Pie experiment in my future. the only sticking point is the 5 eggs. Because I believe BCP should be one layer, split, not 2 layers stacked. But 3 eggs probably will work.
Yes, you can!
The recipe calls to split the layers! Your Boston cream pie plans sound amazing!
OK, this does look amazing! Your Strawberry Brita Cake is my go-to for whipped cream and strawberries in a cake-is this better, or just different?
Different — the brita has that meringue-like layer on top. I love them both!
Can I use avocado oil? What kind(s) of oil do you recommend?
I was also wondering about avocado oil because that’s what I tend to have besides olive oil, which is probably too rich and flavorful
I use a neutral oil — anything without flavor.
I like to use avocado oil for any kind of baking that calls for oil unless it specifically calls for olive or coconut oil. It’s always been fine. I suspect a light olive oil that you like would also work, but might add flavor and ymmv. My two cents!
I always use the bertolli olive oil for baking/frying and it doesn’t leave a taste in my baked goods.
Omg. My partner is a longtime fan of the strawberry summer cake, and his birthday is next Friday. The timing could NOT be more perfect! Thank you!!!
Also omg happy birthday. Sorry, I saw the photos and started foaming at the mouth and misses the opening paragraphs. Here’s to many more!
Happiest of birthdays!
I love nearly any cake which includes Summer strawberries and whipped cream.
I thoroughly enjoy baking the others on your site and thank you for the chiffon update.
I admit to having a soft spot for the original because I made it with an assortment of berries for my baby’s first birthday, but reportedly my baby is about to turn 6 so maybe we can make the new one together.
Happy birthday! I’ve made your original cake dozens of times so can’t wait to try this update! (Including for the baby shower of a friend whose daughter is now 16 🥹.) With the old recipe I like to make the two layers and freeze one (so a smaller, half-height cake) because the chiffon freezes and thaws beautifully and then you have a future cake tucked away in the freezer. Thanks for the recipe!
How would this do if made GF?
I am wondering the same thing. Hoping Cup4Cup or 1:1 will work!
How pronounced is the lemon flavor? I want to make this with my stepkid but she won’t like it if it tastes lemony.
Very subtle, but you can skip the zest if you don’t want it at all.
Thank you!
deb! i’ve been making that original cake EVERY YEAR for my june birthday since you posted it, way back when. even when i moved to england! i added a lemon simple syrup soak at some point, but otherwise remained loyal to the OG. i am SO excited for this refresh!! happy birthday to you, and thank you! cheers to many more years of this cake :)
Made this today to try before my husband’s birthday next week to see if it beats out my regular strawberry cake. Perfection. Your recipes are always a winner
Happy birthday! And looking forward to making this!
Happy birthday, Deb! Is there any reason not to bake this in four layers – in four cake pans – so each layer doesn’t have to be split? Thanks!
That was my question too! Why do people split cakes when we can just divide the batter into more pans and have thinner layers to start with? I always do this. Obviously it will take a different time to bake. But here is Deb (happy belated birthday, btw), known for genius ways to make the recipe easier, and she is splitting the cake with a knife. Deb, I’d love to hear your thinking!
You can absolutely bake it in four cake pans… if you have them. But this isn’t a great batter to leave resting if you don’t; the egg whites will begin to deflate. I usually prefer thinner layers too but classic layer cakes have batters that rest better than this. Plus, chiffon cakes have a relatively tight crumb so I don’t find them hard to split with a knife.
Happy birthday!
Amazingly helpful tips for working with a chiffon cake. A friend recently learned about and made Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake – a San Francisco delicacy from bygone times – and it was similarly inhaled by the assembled guests. I am going to stir up some excuses to make cake this summer!
Is there a video? I’d love to see how this “unpanning” works…
This is gorgeous. Happy Birthday Deb!! Milestone bday?! Truly looked perfect!
Hi! Wondering if this can be made with gluten free 1:1 flour? Thanks!
Hmm, not to sully a strawberryfest, but if some blueberries were added, at least on top, for a friend’s July 4 barbecue, to represent THE FLAG . . . maybe the world wouldn’t end?
To make a 9 x 13 for a crowd do we double the recipe and bake in a single pan (for two layers?) or two 9 x 13 (four layers)?
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Mainly because I already have it.
Also, you’ve done such a great job simplifying things…but that extra 1/3 c heavy whipping cream…Since the packages only come in 8 oz increments, could I just use 2 c?
The answer is yes to 2 cups whipping cream. I did not adjust any of the other ingredients. I had exactly 4 cups, enough for the layers, but not for the extra garnish. I just put a big perfect strawberry in the center, and it looked great! The WOW factor was off the charts and most importantly, the actual taste was heavenly.
It’s great to hear about your heavy cream adjustment, because in my kitchen, any extra whipped cream is carefully refrigerated for topping coffee.
This was my first attempt at a chiffon cake and turned out great! My layers still sunk somewhat, despite banging the pans and cooling upside down (they just sunk from the bottoms instead of the tops), but it’s quite study during the slicing of the layers so I managed ok. It’s a huge hit— very light and summery!
If I make the cake a day ahead do I wrap and store them at room temperature in the pan or take them out then wrap them?
@susan – I have the same question – how to store when made the day before. Plus do you cut them in half the day before or wait until day of?
I cooled them completely upside down, per the directions. Then I removed them from the pan and put them right-side up on the cooling rack, so they wouldn’t stick. They were kind of wet on top, so I didn’t want to wrap them. I just left them unwrapped on the cooling rack overnight. The next day, I sliced them in half and assembled the cake. It was still so moist and perfect!
I have 24” double wall ovens. I baked them at your suggested 325, but in hindsight, should have used either convection or one pan in each oven. Everything went well until the 24 minute mark timer. The tester came out clean, but when I went to flip each onto the rack, chaos. I banged them just before on the counter top. I lightly sprayed the racks. They went back into the pans into the oven. Instead of 4 layers, they will be two. 25 minutes just doesn’t seem long enough for smaller ovens in which to bake.
Was the color supposed to be ivory or light golden? You never indicated that.
Although this was an updated recipe, you didn’t provide instructions for the whipping cream.
I assembled it as 2 layers instead of the four because it did sink. I like your blog and recipes, but this one just left off some instructions that will make me think twice about this recipe again.
Made the double batch and stuck some straws in it, out of fear the layers would slide apart during transit. Will definitely make this again! I will do the single batch as written but in one 9×13 pan for easier serving and less clean up than two round pans (still splitting the 9×13 into two layers). Baked the cake layers one day, assembled it the next day, served it the day after that, and it was fantastic! My mother-in-law just said this was the best strawberry shortcake she’s ever had in her life!
@laryssa – how did you store the cakes between when you baked them and then did the assembly? And did you wait & cut them in half on assembly day as well? Thanks much!!
Perfect timing! I made this for Father’s Day and it came out delicious.
I made the original for Father’s Day about 9 years ago! Missed this one for this year but made the brita cake which was a hit (my 7 year old said it was the best cake I’ve ever made)! Will have to try the new easier recipe.
I halved the recipe and used 6-inch cake pans. I made the cake layers yesterday and kept it wrapped in plastic in the fridge overnight—otherwise followed the recipe as written. The finished cake was SO TALL, in a fantastic, impressive way! And the cake was so light and fresh (even a day later), plus the additions to the cream make it super luscious. Serving it was a little messy and I had to store the leftovers in pieces. This is not a complaint. Highly recommend, will make again.
Did you use 3 eggs for the half recipe?
I halved the recipe as well, using one 8” square pan as I don’t own 9” circular ones (they’re virtually identical in area).
Split into just two layers, not 4. Obviously not as striking but came out great. Recommend this recipe.
Erin, I used 2.5 eggs in mine, using a scale to remove the equivalent of half of a yolk and half of a white.
I really love the lighter twist with chiffon and how the strawberries are the clear star here.
Fabulous cake. Made it for Fathers Day and will make it again. Was leery about tapping the cake tins but it worked!
I only have one 9″ pan. Will half the batter hold for, say, 30 minutes if I bake in one pan at a time? Or for a longer time so the pan has time to cool before the second batch goes in.
Cake sounds great!
A couple of thoughts:
1. It might be better to use non stick spray on the parchment rounds for the cake tins rather than spraying the bottom of the tin.This would prevent getting spray on the sides of the tin.
2. Do you think putting a sheet of parchment paper on the cooling racks instead of spraying them would work? This would eliminate having to wash the racks of the cooking spray.
Citrus has recently been savagely pulled from my allowable foods. Can I use the cream of tartar instead and if so how much? Such a lovely dessert, I don’t want to miss out. Thanks!
My daughter and I made this cake for Father’s Day and it is a 10/10! One of the best cakes I have ever eaten! Delicious!
definitely saving this recipe to make in the winter when its strawberry season in florida. it looks incredible
This was delicious and beautiful! I made it in two 8″ cake pans because that’s what I had. I put the extra batter into a third 6″ cake pan, and made a mini 2-layer version out of it. This recipe is perfect!
Wait! A layer cake that doesn’t use butter? Sign. Me. Up.
And, HBD!
Absolutely delicious! I made this gluten-free with half Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour as well as half almond flour. It didn’t look as pretty as yours, but it was SO good and you would never know it was GF!
Can you still use the same weights as regular flour?
This is FANTASTIC, so light and fluffy and delicious. I used greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream and it turned out fine. Dropping the cakes in their pans worked out for me, and the tops did stick a bit to the wire racks but no major casualties. Cutting the layers in half was the trickiest part, I didn’t get them super even, but nobody could tell once it was assembled. My guests literally licked their plates after! I love the Brita Cake but this felt like a cloud and how am I supposed to choose which one to make next time?! My husband is already asking me to make this again for a gathering next week. Instant winner, and I could even imagine it with a strawberry sauce or a different fruit instead if you really fancied it, but something about the strawberries just seems right. Thank you Deb!!
Oh yum! If I have cake flour, would I use two cups instead of the 1 3/4th written?
Made this in the 9×13 pan. Did not double the recipe. I left it to cool in the pan on the rack as instructed and there was no sticking to the cooling rack. I left it overnight to cool and it did not dry out at all. It easily fed 12 people with a couple of pieces left over. I needed to make more whipped cream to adequately fill and cover the top of the cake though. All that being said, it was delicious and everyone loved it.
What do you think of using mascarpone instead of creme freche?
Delicious, but a little less smooth.
Hi! Just a quick and very technical question: would melted butter instead of oil work?
Thank you for the best recipe blog on the internet :)
Yes, it will.
” Chiffon cake era ” hahahaha! Thank you for this awesome recipe and happy birthday :)
Can confirm this recipe is indeed perfect. I made this cake yesterday for my birthday and it is so delicious. The cream is just slightly sweetened, and it just provides the most perfect strawberry shortcake bite you can imagine!
I did not use the entire 2 lbs of strawberries, and wish I had. I got too worried about the number of berries between each layer. The leftover berries were served on the plate, so it still worked out, but I think they all could’ve been put in the layers, and it would’ve been fine.
What are the key tips for keeping chiffon cake light and airy while still making it easier for beginners to successfully bake at home?
Ok I only have 3 8 inch pans, can I split things up evenly and bake for a little shorter? 😬 Thank you! Dreaming of making this!
My daughter loves strawberries and angel food cake, so I thought I’d switch it up and make this for her this year. So glad that I didn’t have to buy cake flour or a tube pan. Using the AP flour and baking it in the two 9″ rounds worked perfectly. Cake is perfect for a summer birthday! I was surprised at how much the lemon came through. I thought we had confectioner’s sugar but I was wrong, so just used some superfine sugar and that worked fine. Only trouble I had was splitting the layers but under all of the cream and strawberries, nobody knew. :)
Absolutely delicious.
I only baked the cake in a sheet pan and used it as base for dot cakes. I prepared approx. 40 of them for the summer party at my son’s school :-D
It worked like a charm and the cake is soft and fluffy and tasty and not dry at all!
I hope the kids will like it ;-)
Does this fit the “halve the recipe to make a 6 inch cake” model? If so, what about the eggs? Love everything I’ve made from this site. Thank you!
Yes! It’s going to be tall and wobbly but highly wonderful.
Sorry to be a pain but adjustment for 8″ pans? Or just have some batter leftover?
Since this bakes almost to the top of the 9-inch pans, it might be too much. I’d hold some back or scale the recipe down one egg level.
I halved this & baked in a single 9″ pan (very carefully halving a single egg yolk and egg white using a scale). I should’ve dropped the pan before I put it in the oven because I think there was a big air bubble that caused one area on the edge to cave, but it was otherwise the most successful chiffon cake I’ve ever made (having had a couple of disastrous dense ones in my past)! I would probably increase the amount of whipped cream next time due to personal preference.
I made this for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration and it was such a showstopper!! Not too sweet, endlessly riffable, soft and delicious. I added a tsp of rose extract to both the batter and cream to enhance the floral notes. To take this cake more over the top, it could use a juicy component with the strawberries, so next time I may add sliced grapes, mandarin segments, or do this with just peak summer peaches.
Thanks for reworking this one, Deb! It will be in heavy rotation!
Made this for a 4th of July cookout and it came out perfectly! The effort to payout ratio is insane. This cake is so easy to bring together, gorgeous, and tastes delicious – light, fluffy, perfectly sweet with the strawberries and whipped topping. Don’t sleep on this one.
Would a buttercream icing work??
It will work but I find it a little heavy and sweet on chiffon cakes.
Made this for the Fourth of July, it was transcendent. I diced and macerated my strawberries (which needed a little help in the flavor department), so the final look wasn’t as polished as it would have been per the instructions, but the flavors and texture were incredible. I will make this many more times.
Hi! About to make the cake and wondering if I can mix flour, salt, and baking powder together ahead of time (mise en place) and then add all at one instead if your layering? Does it matter?
THANK YOU!
No, either works; my way just saves a dirty bowl.
Thanks! Cake was fantastic! For those who prefer to weigh vs. volume, it was 200 g of strawberries per layer and 120 g of whipped cream per layer for the first 3 layers
I made this for my daughter’s first birthday party… for 40 people! outside! in July! What was I thinking!? Good news – it went beautifully.
A few learnings that I feel compelled to share (long time listener, first time caller) – I doubled the recipe and used two 9×13 pans. When I added the third layer during assembly, I panicked – it looked way too tall and precarious and I feared the slices would have to be tiny to feed 40 (let alone, provide seconds to anyone). I ended up making two two-tiered cakes, thank goodness because some folks circled back for THIRDS. Two cartons of heavy whipping cream equaled just under the recommended volume of cream, so I scaled back accompanying ingredients and it made plenty (plus extra for decorating… or adding to morning coffee).
I did drop the cakes on the counter – but had them land on a dish towel so the glass pans wouldn’t risk breaking. I only have one baking rack, so I covered an extra oven rack in tin foil and sprayed it and had the second cake rest on that. Both cakes dropped from the pans on their own accord while cooling, making for very very simple removal from pans. I was nervous about moisture gathering under the tin foil, so I flipped the cake over to let it cool top-side up, with the bottom side still ensconced in parchment.
A beautiful recipe, truly easy to follow, and what a delicious cake! Thank you, Deb!!