Strawberry Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

When you make a birthday wish, what's the number one thing you want?  For my newly minted 12 year old that was a snow day... which was actually snow day number 6 for our school district.  It snowed like crazy while we slept last Wednesday night, so that we were greeted with an additional several inches of snow that morning.  The forecast promised more to come, so there was no school... again.  I think we ended up with another 12-13 inches on top of the snow from the prior week.

My Oldest loves snow, and isn't tired of it yet.  He's not so thrilled that we have used more than the allotted snow days, plus the 2 additional days we had last week (they also had a snow day on Friday)... we have our fingers crossed that any additional snow won't cause much more than an delayed opening or an early dismissal.  It seems like they haven't had a full week of school since returning from their winter break.

He has enjoyed the snow this year, and ski club with school has been the highlight.  He snowboards and the club has allowed him several more trips than we could have managed this winter, and more lessons so he could continue to learn.  It's been a blast for him to be able to be a part of that club.  So much independence has come with the start of middle school!

When I asked him what kind of cake he would like for his birthday, he requested a strawberry cake with a lemon filling.  I just love that he chose flavors that are bright and make me thing of warmer days!
Strawberry Cake with Lemon Curd Filling






The first thing I did was locate a lemon curd recipe that I could work with, and I'll be sharing that a little later this week.  Next was deciding on a cake recipe that would work well with strawberries in it.

I was starting with a Dorie Greenspan recipe, and then fear of screwing up his birthday cake overtook me and I called my Cake Goddess friend, Janet LaDue (Luv and Buttah).   I simply adore her cakes, and am much too far away to have her bake one for me so, the next best thing is to call her and ask for advice.

Timing is a funny thing... she was making a strawberry cake at the moment I called her!  After talking about my dilemma, she asked me to send her a copy of the ingredient list.  So, we made some adjustments and added a little bit of Grand Marnier... just because we can, and overall, this cake turned out so moist and a perfect match to the lemon curd filling.  I'm so thankful to have a friend who is so talented with cake baking!

Of course, she sent me pictures of her gorgeous fresh strawberries that made me jealous of not only the sunshine and warmth out in Phoenix, but also of the amazing produce she still has access to this time of year!

The birthday boy was thrilled with his cake and while I still do a simple buttercream icing on the cake with no fancy embellishments, I think it turned out pretty good for an amateur baker.
Strawberry Cake with Lemon Curd Filling






Strawberry Cake

Recipe by Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours

Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups  cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 4 large whole eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries, pureed (fresh would work well, if you have them available)
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the rack in the center position. Line the bottom of two 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet.

  2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together; set aside.

  3. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a bowl until combined; set aside.

  4. Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl; mix in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add in the extract, followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture; beating on medium speed.

  5. Next, add in half of the egg mixture and continue to blend at medium speed. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining egg mixture.

  6. Add in the pureed strawberries and mix until combined.

  7. Pour half of the batter into each of the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  8. Allow to cool on baking racks for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes from the pans and un-mold each one. Allow to cool on a flat surface completely.

  9. If not assembling with frosting, etc. the same day, each cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored overnight at room temperature. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.



 Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Comments

Joanne said…
I caved and bought strawberries for V-Day and they were actually pretty good, all things considered! I am so craving this cake now!

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