Strawberry Layer Cake

Ingredients

Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp strawberry or vanilla extract
2 large egg whites plus 2 whole eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Strawberry Meringue Butter cream
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen halved strawberries in syrup, thawed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1⁄4 cup water
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 drops liquid red food color

Filling
1 lb container strawberries, hulled and diced
1/2 cup reduced sugar strawberry preserves, scraped through a sieve

You’ll also need: baking spray, candy thermometer

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 8 x 2 inch round cake pans with baking spray. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper rounds; spray parchment.

2. Cake:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl with mixer, beat butter, sugar and extract at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg whites and whole eggs until smooth. With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk until incorporated. Continue to beat batter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter between prepared pans.

3. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cakes and invert onto rack and cool completely.

4. Butter cream:
Puree strawberries and syrup in blender; scrape through a fine sieve into a small saucepan to remove seeds. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.

5. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of sugar and the water to a boil over high heat stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240ºF on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.

6. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour in boiling syrup in a thin stream. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until meringue is very thick and glossy, and completely cool, about 6 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine butter, strawberry puree and food color, and vigorously beat with a rubber spatula until well combined and smooth. Fold in meringue, in two additions, until combined. Refrigerate butter cream 1 hour or until spreadable.

8. To Assemble:
Using a serrated knife, halve cake layers horizontally. Place 1 layer, cut-side up, on a serving plate and spread with 2/3 cup butter cream. Arrange 1/3 of the diced strawberries in a layer over butter cream. Spread 2 tbsp jam on a cut side of second layer and place, jam-side down, over strawberries. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Cover cake with butter cream. Pipe butter cream “kisses” on top if desired.

Yield: 12 Slices