I can’t believe I have been blogging for ONE whole year. Well, actually yesterday was the 1-year anniversary, but last week my computer was getting fixed, and this week my internet hasn’t been working, and the last few days I’ve been busy finishing up my internship, packing, and moving back home. I’m so excited that I was able to make it this far, and I’m excited for adventures to come.
I’ve written 54 posts, and I have many more that I want to publish. For this important anniversary, I whipped up a delicious strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. This cake was so decadent but so delicious. Everyone wanted a second piece and a piece to take home.
This recipe wasn’t too complicated, but the outcome was out of this world.
For the cake:
First, I prepared the pans. Line 3 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. I turn my pans over and trace the outline to get the right size parchment rounds.
Once done with all the tracing, cutting, and preparing. Butter the parchment paper.
Chop up 2 cups of strawberries. You can use frozen strawberries, thawed, but I always prefer fresh. I would recommend frozen in the winter because the strawberries are usually frozen at the peak of ripeness, instead of being shipped 3,000 miles in the middle of winter. Puree in your food processor or blender.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add in the butter (yes, I know it is a lot, but well worth it).
Add in the strawberry puree.
Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. The batter is so tasty, and the strawberry flavor comes out well.
In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, and red food dye.
Egg whites? I hate to separate out the whites from the yolks and then throw away the yolks or use them in something else. Instead, I bought a carton of egg whites. 3 Tbsp. is equal to 1 egg white.
Mix the egg whites, milk, and 3-4 drops of red food dye. The food dye will bring out the color of the strawberries and will make the cake a nice pink color, a little surprise when you cut open the cake.
Reminds me a little of Pepto Bismol. I’m starting to feel a little nausea, heartburn… It will look good in the cake, so carry on.
Add the pink whites to the batter in 2-3 additions, mixing well after each addition. Once all is incorporated, don’t keep mixing.
Divide the batter between the 3 prepared pans.
Bake for 28-33 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
While the cakes are cooling, whip up the frosting. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until thick and creamy.
Add in vanilla and cream cheese.Beat until smooth.
Put this in the fridge to cool while the cakes bake and cool.
Check the cakes. A toothpick should come out clean.
The cake separates nicely from the pan making for easy removal.
Once cool, turn the first cake out on to the plate you wish to serve the cake on. This is one of the plates I recently purchased to showcase my desserts.
Peel off the parchment paper.
Top with a dollop of frosting (1/2 cup). Spread out frosting.
Top with the next layer. I was using the oven to make some bread, so one of my pans was lopsided leading to a lopsided level.
It’s not obvious from the picture, but it’s crooked. I added extra icing on 1 side to even it out.
Top with the remaining layer. Coat the entire cake with the frosting.
I decorated the cake with strawberries. Here is a trick I learned from a bakery I worked at.
Take a strawberry, and cut small slices in it.
Spread them apart like a fan.
I put this in the center of the cake.
See the man in the background getting his fork ready to dig in to the deliciousness.
ENJOY for whatever occasion you have, whether you are celebrating 1-year anniversary of your blog or your wedding anniversary or for your birthday.
I hope you will continue to follow my blog for many more years.
Recipe:Strawberry Celebration Cake
Recipe from: Smitten Kitchen
chemcrewcupcakes
Chem. Crew. Cupcakes. 