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This strawberry layer cake is the first dessert of the year; oh and it’s a good one! Tonya (one of the ladies in our church), made this cake for her son’s birthday. While chomping down my second slice; I asked her for the recipe. It was delicious and I’m sharing this goodness with you.
Also, I’ve finally tried the alternate way of making the biskvit cake layers and they turned out perfect (I believe this to be the a more “fool-proof” recipe. Oh and the strawberry/chocolate decorations were ridiculously easy (plenty of oohs and ahhs over the 3D chocolate); see the tutorial here.
Oh oh and one more thing; the beauty of this strawberry layer cake is that you can really easily cut everything in half (6 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour….blah blah) to make a smaller cake and it will turn out just as dang good.
Strawberry Layer Cake Ingredients:
12 large eggs, room temp, divided
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided *measured correctly
Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
16 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling/Decor:
2 lbs Fresh strawberries (1 1/2 lbs to blend and put inside the cake and 1/2 lb to decorate)
Chocolate chips to melt and decorate the top; optional
Baking strawberry layer cake Layers:
If you’ve never made a European Sponge Cake, watch this video for the basic version and see just how simple it is!
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
1. Grease and line only the bottom of a 9×13″ cake pan with parchment paper (line 2 pans if you have 2). I have found that it’s best not to line or grease the sides of the pan or the cake becomes somewhat miss-shaped.
You will bake your cake layers separately so for each biskvit layer:
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together 6 eggs and 1 cup sugar on high speed for 10 minutes and it will be 3-4 times in volume
3. Sift in 1 cup all-purpose flour and use a spatula to gently fold it in just until well incorporated and no more clumps of flour remain. Scrape from the bottom of the bowl to make sure there aren’t any trapped pockets of flour, but don’t overwork the batter or it will deflate.
4. Transfer your batter to the lined baking pan and bake at 350˚F for 17-20 min or until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean.
(While the first layer is baking, start working on your second cake layer repeating steps 1-3 above). Remove baked cake from the pan by running a thin edged spatula around the sides to loosen it, then let it cool to room temperature before removing the parchment paper.
Strawberry Filling:
Cut strawberries into halves or quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor; pulse 15 times or until the consistency of a chunky applesauce; set aside
Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth (1 min). Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and beat on high speed until fluffy (3 minutes)
Assembly:
1. Cut each cooled cake layer in half. Place the first layer on your serving dish (this cake is too big and heavy to transfer so put it on the dish you’re serving it on).
2. Spread the first layer with 1/3 of the strawberry puree. Spread just a thin layer of frosting (just a thin layer or you won’t have enough to frost the sides in the end) on the second half and place it over the first layer so the strawberries and cream are hugging. Repeat with the next layers.
So the order from the bottom up is: cake; strawberry; cream; cake; strawberry; cream;cake; strawberries; cream; cake; cream (frost the top and sides with remaining frosting)
Decorate the top with fresh strawberries and chocolate (see chocolate decorating tutorial here
Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 12 large eggs, room temp, divided
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling/Decor:
- 2 lbs Fresh strawberries, 1 1/2 lbs to blend and put inside the cake and 1/2 lb to decorate the top
- Chocolate chips to melt and decorate the top; optional
Instructions
Baking the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Grease and line only the bottom of a 9x13" cake pan with parchment paper (line 2 pans if you have 2). I have found that it's best not to line or grease the sides of the pan or the cake becomes somewhat miss-shaped.
- You will bake your cake layers separately so for each biskvit layer: in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together 6 eggs and 1 cup sugar on high speed for 10 min. it will be 3-4 times in volume.
- Sift in 1 cup all-purpose flour and use a spatula to gently fold it in just until well incorporated and no more clumps of flour remain. Scrape from the bottom of the bowl to make sure there aren't any trapped pockets of flour, but don't overwork the batter or it will deflate.
- Transfer to lined baking pan and bake until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean 17-20 min.
- (While the first layer is baking, start making your second cake layer repeating steps 1-3 above)
- Remove baked cake from the pan by running a thin edged spatula around the sides to loosen it, then let it cool to room temperature before removing the parchment paper.
Strawberry Filling:
- Cut strawberries into halves or quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor; pulse 15 times or until the consistency of a chunky applesauce; set aside.
Frosting:
- Beat together cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth (1 min). Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and beat on high speed until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
Assembly:
- Cut each cooled cake layer in half. Place the first layer on your serving dish (this cake is too big and heavy to transfer so put it on the dish you're serving it on)
- Spread the first layer with 1/3 of the strawberry puree. Spread a very thin layer of frosting on the second half and place it over the first layer so the strawberries and cream are hugging. Repeat with the next layers. So the order from the bottom up is: cake; strawberry; cream; cake; strawberry; cream;cake; strawberries; cream; cake; cream (frost the top and sides with remaining frosting).
- Decorate the top with fresh strawberries and chocolate (see chocolate decorating tutorial below)
I made this cake for our daughter’s 21st birthday, it was a huge success and our daughter keeps requesting that I make it again so I shall this weekend, thank you for this lovely recipe.
You are most welcome 🙂 I’m so glad your daughter loved it!
Made the cake! Its amazing. The only issue I had was cutting the layers. is there anything I can do to make the cake leaven more? Making four layers proved to be very difficult!
Mixing the batter for less or more time to help it leaven more…or add something to it maybe?
I would say mix less when adding the flour. If you overmix, you can de-flate it. I’d tried adding different things and they strangly enough, they don’t seem to make it rise more. The key is not to overmix when adding the flour.
Quick question, (and it might be a dumb one) but is all that is to the cake just eggs and flour and sugar? I baked a test cake in a round pan and it came out very egg-y and thin. Perhaps it was because I didn’t blend for the full 12 minutes. But anyways, is the egg, flour and sugar all there is to it?
looking forward to trying this recipe out! thanks!
It’s likely because you did not beat it long enough. Also, if you overblend it, it can become flat because the batter relies on the volume of the eggs to rise and be fluffy. Also, don’t wait to bake it or you may lose volume on the counter.
I made this recipe for my daughters 21st birthday, thank you very much as it was a huge success.
Yay!! I’m so glad it was a huge success 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for this wonderful, delicious recipe. I made half the recipe in two 9 inch round cake pans, half the strawberry puree and a full recipe of the frosting. This turned out beautifully and the frosting is so wonderful to work with – I think it would be great piped (that is for next time).
Another plus is that this is one of the quickest cakes I have made – done and dusted in an afternoon! Everyone one loved the way it looked and loved it more after tasting it. Again, many thanks!
Dasha
Here are my photos:
I love that you included pictures. It’s so nice to see people’s creative genius 🙂 I’m really glad you loved it 🙂
I actually had a LOT of issues with this frosting. It was falling apart, and would not stop melting off no matter what I did. It was in the freezer for 6 hours, and STILL wouldn’t solidify. :/ I added(another) 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to it, and it seems to have solved the probably.
It’s such a thick and creamy frosting that I’m not sure why it would be melting?? I updated the recipe to say that after adding the heavy whipping cream, you should beat it on high speed for 3 min until fluffy. I haven’t had any issues with this frosting so I’m not sure what could be happening, sorry :(. I hope that helps.
What’s funny, is I beat it for about 3-4 minutes. It ended up working after I added the more heavy whipping cream. Stayed together beautifully! 🙂 Maybe I’m just unlucky.
Also, I wanted to add a fun note. Your recipe also works well with splenda and honey! I ran out of sugar, and had a half splenda half honey. I ended up with three separate layers made differently: one just splenda, one splenda and honey, and the other sugar. The favorite flavor was honey, texture was sugar. Just thought you might like to know! 🙂
One last thing, i rate this recipe much better after my issue fix. Every one LOVED your cake. 🙂 Made a great birthday cake.
Thank you for sharing Amanda, looks beautiful :).
Hello there Natasha, I’ve been on this website for quite some time now, taking notes of my favorite recipes you have shared in here. Like most of your strawberry desserts, I would love to have this with wild strawberries for that intense flavor. That would be lovely indeed. Continue with what you’re doing, and wishing you the very best!
I tried this cake yesturday and my frosting came out way to running. I cut the serving size in half and just did six eggs, one cup sugar and one cup flour. I did the same to the frosting. Do you know possible why it came out so running? In your picture it looks perfect like the way it suppose to be. I have used heavy whipping many times in the past with medovic cake and it always turned out thick. The cake looks delicious and so light and yummy I would like to give it another shot again soon. Thanks
It really shouldn’t be runny at all, but easilly spreadable. How much heavy whipping cream did you use and did you use cold heavy cream?
Natasha, I made this cake and it was very delisches and easy to make. The only problem I had with my strawberry puree. Your look thick like a jam and mine had too much juice from strawberries why is that? I used magic bullet to blend mine. Could that be why? Thank you.
You might try blending it a little less next time, but even if it is juicier, the cake is a sponge cake so it should work well either way, but if you want it thicker, try blending it a little less. You might also try drying your strawberries before blending; that may help.
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake this weekend and it was yummy. Not a slice left today. I love Russian sponge cake variations for the simple prep and great flavor and this ones a keeper.
Inna, thank you for the great review! The new cake I posted is similar (same cake base and frosting). If you loved this, you’ll love the new one too! 🙂
Hi Natasha!
I was looking for the perfect strawberry layered cake to bake for for a dinner I’m helping make for a cancer support group tomorrow and I couldn’t pass up checking out your cake considering we share the same name! 😉 It looks beautiful and I’m sure it tastes just as great!
Nice to meet you Natasha! That’s an awesome thing you are doing. God bless you in everything you do! I know you will love this cake 🙂
I’m giving a strawberry themed baby shower to my sis in law this weekend and this cake looks perfect. 2 questions: if I do a half-sheet sized cake, would I double the recipe? Also, do you think I can color the cream light blue for the exterior decorating part and frost/decorate like a normal cake but using your recipe? If not, any suggestions? Thank you! It looks DELICIOUS, can’t wait to try!
This cake is already a half-sheet sized cake. What do you mean by a half-sheet size? I used two 9×13 pans. You can color the cream, just add a little color at a time so the frosting doesn’t get too thin.
Maybe it’s a sheet, lol.
Could I make the cake part a day in advance? It won’t harden?
Yes, just cover it and refrigerate :).
Hi Natasha,
What type of chocolate did you use? Semi sweet or milk chocolate?
I use semi-sweet chocolate.
Hi Natasha! This looks absolutely scrumptious!! For the cream cheese, you meant 2 8oz packages, right?
That’s correct Sammy :).
This recipe is exactly what i was looking for all morning! 🙂 gonna try to make it today. Thanks for sharing, Natasha!
I hope you LOVE it!
I made this cake for Father’s Day and every body loved it they where so shocked when I told them I made it from scratch everyone asked where I got the recipe from. It was simple to make and not expensive at all but it still tasted like a 100 bucks.thnx:)
You are music to my ears Michelle, thank you for such a good report :D.
i am considering in trying making this cake in springform and make it round? do you think that would work?
You might cut it down a little (maybe 35%) or it will be too tall.
I baked this cake today. My family loved it. The most tasty strawberry cake I ever had, not to sweet and moist. Thanks for the recipe.
You are welcome Victoria :), and thank you for a good report.
Hi Natasha, thank you for this recipe:) I’m a novice baker so the step by step photos are amazingly helpful!! Made this cake yesterday! Two words: absolutely amazing!! One of the best, most moist, amd most heavenly cakes I have ever had! Nevermind I had evet made;)
Thanks again!
You are so welcome Elina, I love a good report :).