Vanilla Strawberry Cake

This Vanilla Strawberry Cake is soft and fluffy with the most delicious strawberry buttercream. It's topped off with lots of fresh strawberries to make it look even more beautiful. It's the perfect dessert to make this time of year!

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 325º F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined.

With the mixer on medium speed add the 3 eggs one at a time, followed by the 2 egg yolks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla.

Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until it is incorporated.

Coat two 8 inch pans with nonstick spray and parchment rounds and carefully divide the batter evenly among the pans. Smooth the batter out and gently tap the pans on the counter to avoid air bubbles.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edges and center of the pans, topping the cakes with another cooling rack, and carefully turning the cakes out.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in spoonfuls of the powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberry powder. Add in the cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Chill frosting until needed.

Once your cake layers have cooled, carefully cut the tops off with a serrated knife so that each layer is level. Place one layer, top side down, on a cake board or cake stand and spread with frosting. Repeat this step with the next layer.

Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Chill until you serve. Top with a variety of strawberries. You can place some whole strawberries and some strawberry halves for a nice mix. Enjoy!

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