Light and Fluffy Strawberry Cake

There’s nothing quite like the delicate sweetness of a light and fluffy strawberry cake, especially when it’s made with real strawberry purée. This cake is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor, giving it a natural sweetness. With its soft, tender crumb and luscious strawberry essence in every bite, it’s the perfect dessert for spring gatherings, summer celebrations, or simply indulging in a slice of homemade goodness. Whether you top it with a velvety strawberry frosting or a simple vanilla buttercream, this cake is sure to be a showstopper. Let’s dive into the recipe and bring this berry-filled delight to life!

New and Improved Strawberry Cake Recipe

Say hello to my new and improved strawberry cake—lighter, fluffier, and more delicious than ever! This upgraded recipe swaps freeze-dried strawberries for only fresh strawberry purée and the option of using strawberry emulsion or extract to amp up the flavor – both enhancing the natural berry flavor while keeping the crumb soft and airy. With a bit more sugar for balanced sweetness and buttermilk for extra moisture, every bite is tender and melt-in-your-mouth good. Unlike my old version, which was denser due to extra eggs and dried strawberries, this cake has a delicate texture that feels like a dream. Whether for a celebration or a simple treat, this strawberry cake is sure to impress!

Ingredients You Need for Strawberry Cake

• 2 pounds frozen or fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion or extract, optional
• 4 whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 2/3 cup strawberry puree 
• 3 1/4 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• Pink food coloring, optional
• Additional butter and powdered sugar for the buttercream

Tips for Making a Moist Cake from Scratch

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting moist cakes that rise well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Make sure to beat the butter, sugar, oil and eggs really well. The mixture should be smooth in texture and nearly doubled in volume when you’re done mixing. THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients. Not cold at all.
• Use fresh baking powder and baking soda.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. REMEMBER: the cake continues to bake for a few minutes while it cools in the pan.

Print

Light and Fluffy Strawberry Cake

Flavorful and tender strawberry cake layers with strawberry buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Strawberry, Strawberry Buttercream, strawberry cake

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Puree

• 2 pounds strawberries, fresh or frozen

For the Cake

• 3 1/4 cups (373.7 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (59 g) vegetable oil, or your preferred type – grapeseed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion or extract, optional
• 4 whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (about 160 g) strawberry puree, instructions below
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• Pink food coloring, optional

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 1/4 cups (508.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 7 1/2 cups (937.5 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
• 1/2 cup (119 g) strawberry puree, more if desired
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Strawberry Puree

• In a medium size saucepan, heat the strawberries on medium heat. When the strawberries start to soften and juices release, use an immersion blender to puree the strawberries. You can also remove the strawberries from the pan and use a blender or food processor to puree them (be careful of the steam that gets trapped), and then put the puree back into the saucepan over low heat uncovered. We want the water to evaporate.
• Continue to cook the strawberry puree until it thickens and the water is reduced. This can take a while, so be patient and do this ahead of time. With frozen strawberries, mine took about 30 minutes to reduce. If needed, you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch to help move the process along and thicken the mixture.
• Put a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Pour the strawberry puree into the fine mesh sieve. Let it sit for a few minutes. Don’t push the mixture through. This lets the remaining water, if any, filter out. I have a video on instagram that shows you the difference between the watery part of the puree and the thick puree.
• Scoop the puree that is still remaining in the sieve into a heat proof bowl. Measure 2/3 cup for the cake and save the remaining portion in the refrigerator for the buttercream.

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed add the vanilla, strawberry emulsion or extract (if using), and the eggs and egg whites. I like to add the eggs one or two at a time and then mixing the batter for a few seconds to let the ingredients get incorporated. It’s also good to turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions too.
• After the eggs are added, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the cake batter for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Gradually add the strawberry puree and continue to mix for another minute or so.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir just until no streaks of flour remain.
• Stir in 1 to 2 drops of pink food coloring, if desired.
• Evenly distribute the batter between the three pans, about 17-18 ounces in each. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool the cakes on cooling racks for about 15 minutes before inverting onto write racks to cool completely.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes. The butter should get lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• With mixer on medium speed, add cooled strawberry puree, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

The post Light and Fluffy Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

CakebyCourtney.com participates in Target’s affiliate advertising program. We may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site.

White Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake

It’s time to thank Westin again for his brilliant flavor combination! White chocolate, raspberries, and brownies were made for each other – and putting them into a cake was a winning idea! Thanks, Westin!

For this delicious White Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake, we’ll be making white chocolate cake layers, raspberry cream filling, brownies, chocolate ganache, and white chocolate buttercream.

It may sound like a lot, but don’t let that stop you from making this cake! You can easily spread out the different elements over the course of a few days. Plus, we’re using a box brownie mix to speed up the process just a tad!

How to Make White Chocolate Cake

This white chocolate cake is adapted from my White Chocolate Peppermint Cake. In the white chocolate peppermint cake layers, we’re using melted white chocolate. The melted white chocolate adds great flavor, but does make the cake slightly more dense.

I wanted to play around with this recipe a bit, so I switched up the melted white chocolate for white chocolate instant pudding mix – with hopes of getting great flavor and a light and fluffy texture.

Success!

These layers are just as delicious as they are light and fluffy.

FAQ About White Chocolate Cake

Tips for Making Moist Cake From Scratch

• Start with room temperature ingredients – the eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be room temperature before you start making the cake batter. These ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise well and stay moist.
• When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, beat the mixture on medium-high to high speed until light and fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting.  This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Once you start adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, turn the mixer to low and mix until just combined.  Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense and sink.
• Watch the cooking time. Remember, all our ovens are different. My time is a guide, so check your cake toward the end of the bake time I’ve given. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Easy Raspberry Cream Filling

This raspberry cream filling is seriously SO easy to make. Three ingredients (freeze-dried raspberries, sugar, and heavy whipping cream) and less than 5 minutes are all you’ll need.

Where do I get freeze-dried raspberries? I have found freeze-dried fruit at most of my grocery stores, as well as Target.

The Best White Chocolate Buttercream

This white chocolate buttercream frosting is so incredibly delicious and pairs so well with many different cake flavors. I especially love using it with cakes that have fruit in them.

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• And then stir by hand to push out air pockets

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Convert This Cake

How to Make a Layered Cake a Sheet Cake or Cupcakes

I get asked almost every day if one of my layered cakes can be turned into a sheet cake or cupcakes. The answer? Yes!

For baking temperature and time, the temperature will always remain the same. The time for a 9″x13″ sheet cake will be about 10 minutes longer than listed and the time for cupcakes will be about 5 to 10 minutes shorter.

Sheet Cake

If I were making this cake into a sheet cake, I’d stack it just like I would the layered cake:

• Cake
• Raspberry brownie cream filling
• Freeze-dried raspberries and a drizzle of ganache
• White chocolate buttercream (piped on)

Cupcakes

If I were making this cake into cupcakes, I’d fill and decorate them like this:

• Scoop a small hole out of the center of the cupcake
• Fill with brownie raspberry cream filling
• Pipe with buttercream
• Sprinkle on freeze-dried raspberries
• Drizzle on ganache

Cake Stands for This Cake

For a tall, 6-inch round cake, I like using 7 or 8-inch cake stands. I tried to find this pink cake stand at Target for you, but it’s a little old and it’s not online anymore. However, this scalloped one is so cute, it’s inexpensive and it’s the perfect size for this cake.

For shorter, 8-inch round cakes,I like using 10-inch cake stands. This one by Hearth and Home is on my list to get because you can never have too many white cake stands. I love how it doesn’t have any kind of lip around the edge. This makes it super easy to transfer your cake from the cake board to the cake stand.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Best Chewy Brownies from Scratch
• Chai White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Bars
• Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll
• Raspberry Oreo Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling
• Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream

Print

White Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake

White chocolate cake with brownie filled raspberry cream filling, chocolate ganache and white chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Raspberry brownie filling, Raspberry Cream Filling, white chocolate buttercream, white chocolate cake, White chocolate raspberry brownie cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (1.4 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 3 ounces white chocolate instant pudding mix
• 3 whole eggs, room temperature
• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup (262.5 g) buttermilk, room temperature

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces (150 g) white chocolate chips
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM FILLING

• 1/4 cup (15 g) freeze dried raspberries, measured and then pulverized into a powder
• 1/4 cup (40 g) sugar
• 1 cup (225 g) heavy cream

For the Brownies

• One batch of your favorite boxed brownies. I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownies.

For the Ganache

• 8 ounces chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray four 6-inch round cake pans (or three 8-inch round cake pans) with nonstick spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside
• In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high until light in color. Add the sugar and pudding mix and continue to mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to medium-low, add in the whole eggs, egg whites, and vanilla. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium-high for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and silky.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add in the dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
• Pour batter into prepared pans (about 12 to 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan) and bake until slightly golden in on top, 30 to 35 minutes. (A few moist crumbs should come out on a toothpick when testing the centers).
• Let the cake layers cool about 10 minutes in the pans and then invert onto wire cooling racks.
• When the cake layers are room temperature, level each layer (if needed), with a cake leveler. Wrap each layer with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and the pour it over the white chocolate to melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. If needed heat the mixture for another 20 to 30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• Slowly add the white chocolate ganache and mix until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the white chocolate.
• With the mixer on low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light in color and texture.

FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM FILLNG

• In a food processor or blender, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they resemble a powder.
• Add the sugar and cream. Scrape down the sides and corners to gather all the fruit powder.
• Pulse the mixer for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the texture becomes thick like Greek yogurt. Keep chilled until ready to use.

For the Brownies

• Make brownie batter according to directions. Bake in a 9″ x 13” pan for about 10 mins less than recommended time. Allow to cool completely before using.

For the Ganache

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the heavy cream.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and stir to melt.

Assembly

• Chop brownies into bite size pieces. Fold in about 1 cup of the brownie pieces into the raspberry cream filling. Reserve remaining brownies to decorate the top of the cake (and for snack, of course).
• Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake plate.
• Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake and fill the center with raspberry brownie filling. (For the 6-inch layers, you'll use a generous 1/2 cup of the filling between each layer. If you make three 8-inch layers, you'll use about one cup of filling between layers).
• Sprinkle crushed freeze dried raspberry pieces over the filling, followed by a drizzle of chocolate ganache.
• Repeat these steps for the next two layers (if making a four layer 6-inch cake, or the next layer, if making a three layer 8-inch cake).
• Place final cake layer, top side down, on the filling.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream. Use remaining ganache for a drip, if desired.

The post White Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake

I’m so excited to share this Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake with you! With light and fluffy banana cake layers, strawberry cream filling, fresh strawberries and bananas, and a whipped vanilla buttercream, this cake will make you feel like you’re sitting at an old-fashioned soda bar, sipping and strawberry banana milkshake!

Banana Cake

These light and fluffy banana cake layers are based off my Confetti Cake layers. I decided to go with a more subtle banana flavor, compared to a traditional banana cake (i.e. banana bread type flavor). I think you’ll love the lightness of these layers and still appreciate the banana flavor.

Banana Flavoring

To add flavor, I used instant banana pudding. If this isn’t something you can find, you can use a teaspoon of banana emulsion.

Strawberry Cream Filling

For the filling, I used the whipped raspberry filling from my Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll and subbed freeze dried strawberries for the raspberries. You are going to LOVE how easy this filling is to make. Just grab your blender or food processor, add the freeze dried fruit, then the heavy whipping cream (as much fat as you can find) and the granulated sugar. Pulse for a few minutes and you’ll have a thick and creamy filling. Best part – it’s stable enough to hold the cake layers!

Garnish and Filling Add-Ins

In addition to the strawberry cream filling in this Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake, I added fresh strawberries and banana chips. I love that the banana chips hold their crunch after the cake has been frozen or sitting out a bit. I also think fresh bananas would be delicious between the layers with the strawberry slices. Just remember, though – only use fresh bananas if you’re making the cake the same day as when you serve it. Fresh bananas won’t hold up well in the freezer, if you plan to store the cake.

Vanilla Buttercream

To top this cake off, I decided to go with my vanilla buttercream, a.k.a The Best Vanilla Buttercream. This buttercream frosting is light and fluffy and doesn’t overwhelm any of the other flavors. It’s almost like adding the ice cream element to these milkshake flavors.

I then used Americolor food gel Soft Pink and Egg Yellow. Just a tad of each!

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in depth instruction for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s an overview with a quick picture tutorial for making the best vanilla buttercream:

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

How to Cake It: How to Make Buttercream Stripes

To create the thin stripes, I used my striped scraper from Shop Cake by Courtney. I’ve written out a tutorial for stripes HERE, so make sure to check it out for all of my trips and tricks for creating this darling design.

Print

Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake

Light and fluffy banana cake layers with strawberry cream filling and vanilla buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, strawberry banana milkshake cake, strawberry filling, Vanilla Buttercream

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 pkg (3 oz) instant banana pudding mix
• 1/3 cup (72.6 g) vegetable oil
• 3 large whole eggs room temperature
• 3 large egg whites room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract

FOR THE WHIPPED VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter chilled (I take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before I make my frosting)
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
• 1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) clear vanilla extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING

• 1/2 cup (15 g) freeze dried strawberries
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (455 g) heavy whipping cream

GARNISH

• Banana chips or fresh banana slices
• Strawberry slices

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, and another coat of spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, sugar and pudding mix on high until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and the egg whites, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated. Add the sour cream and beat on medium speed for a minute or so. It may look curdled, don't stress.
• Turn the mixer on low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and blend well, followed by another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the second half of the buttermilk and lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans and bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
• When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. If I’m making the cake a day or two before I actually need to frost it, I put it in the freezer to ensure freshness. If I’m frosting same-day, I’ll just put it in the refrigerator to chill until needed.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

FOR THE FILLING

• In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried strawberries until they resemble a powder.
• Add the sugar and the cream and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate the freeze dried fruit.
• Pulse the mixer for about 1 to 2 minutes. The texture should resemble Greek yogurt.

  Keep chilled until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer, top side up. Spread 1 cup of the strawberry filling over the cake layer as evenly as possible. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the frosting is spread evenly over the cake. Place sliced strawberries on top. If using banana slices or banana chips, also evenly lay them on the filling next to the sliced strawberries.
• Repeat these step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
• Apply a thin coat of buttercream around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.

The post The Most Delicious Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Hard to believe February is here tomorrow! January is truly the longest month of the year and I’m not one bit sad to say goodbye to it.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I have more Valentine’s Day desserts coming your way!

Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

Last week I posted my new Pink Pavlova and today we have my new Raspberry Cream Cupcakes made with a tender vanilla bean cupcake and raspberry cream. The combination of these two simple elements is a light, but truly delicious treat.

Ingredients You Need to Make Vanilla Cupcakes

These vanilla cupcakes are easy-to-make and bake up beautifully. To get started, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand:

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Egg whites
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (I like the latter)
• Buttermilk
• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sour cream

How to Make the Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

To get started, line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners.

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, you’ll start by combining the butter and sugar. Remember, butter and all ingredients coming from the fridge should be ROOM TEMPERATURE before you start.
• Beat the butter and the sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Gradually add the egg whites and vanilla. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl between additions to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated evenly.
• Beat the batter for an additional 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed until the batter is smooth and nearly double in size.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour, baking powder, and salt with the buttermilk. Stir just until combined (meaning, no streaks of flour remain). Do not overmix.
• Fold in the sour cream. PRO TIP: the sour cream adds fat – fat adds and helps retain moisture in the cake.
• Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3-3/4 full and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes.

Raspberry Cream

The whipped cream filling for this cake is truly something special. You’ll be amazed at how easily this comes together and how stable it is. We’re even piping with it!

What You’ll Need:

• Food processor
• Heavy whipping cream
• Granulated sugar
• Freeze-dried raspberries (you CANNOT use fresh or frozen berries – the reason the cream can get so thick is because the freeze-dried fruit, when pulverized, absorbs some of the moisture from the cream and helps to create a Greek yogurt like texture.

How to Make Raspberry Cream

• The raspberry cream is best made in a food processor, but can also be done in a blender.
• Make sure to use a high-fat heavy whipping cream. I like 40% Darigold.
• Start by processing the freeze-dried raspberries in your food processor until the fruit resembles a powder.
• Add the sugar and cream and pulse until the mixture thickens. It will have the texture of Greek yogurt.

If you don’t want raspberry filling, you can sub any freeze-dried fruit for the raspberries.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• 7 Cute and Easy Valentine’s Cake Ideas
• How to Decorate a Cake with Raspberries
• The Best Way to Fill a Cake with Raspberry Filling
• The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for Cake
• How to Turn Cakes into Cupcakes

Print

Raspberry Cream Cupcake

Tender and flavorful vanilla bean cupcakes with raspberry cream frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cupcake

Keyword raspberry, Raspberry Cream Cupcake, Raspberry Cream Filling, vanilla, Vanilla Cupcake

Servings 24 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tbsp. (13 g) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp. (5 g) salt
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature

FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM

• 1/2 cups (15 g) freeze dried raspberries, ***You cannot sub with fresh or frozen berries***
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (460 g) heavy whipping cream, cold

Instructions

FOR THE CUPCAKES

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition.
• Add the vanilla bean paste or extract and beat until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup buttermilk and the final 1/3 flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low. Fold in the sour cream.
• Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3-3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM

• In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they resemble a powder.
• Add the sugar and the cream. Scrape down the sides and corners of the food processor.
• Pulse the mixture for about 2 minutes, until the cream becomes thick – like Greek yogurt.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

The post The Best Raspberry Cream Cupcakes first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Jelly Donut Bundt Cake

Friends, you are going to love how easy and how delicious this Jelly Donut Bundt Cake is to make! We’re taking my classic vanilla cake, adding a fruit swirl, a fruit sugar coating, and baking it in a bundt pan. I love this vanilla cake so much. It’s light and fluffy, moist, and full of flavor.

How to Bake Moist Cakes From Scratch

It’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions in baking. How do I bake moist cakes from scratch?

It seems like it would be simple, right? Follow a recipe and get a moist cake. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. Sometimes, we are unaware of how certain substitutions, incorrect measuring, mixing speeds, etc, can affect our cakes.

So let’s review what helps create moist cakes.

How to Bake Moist Cakes From Scratch

Ingredients

• Use real butter: I’m usually not very picky about what brand of butter you use in a cake. But, using butter, not margarine is hugely important and impactful on the texture of your cake. Did you know margarine has more water content than butter. It’s also made from plant oils, whereas, butter is made from dairy and rich in saturated fats. That fat helps create moisture in our cakes. So when you’re at the store, make sure you reach for butter (I always use unsalted), not margarine.
• Measure dry ingredients correctly: The most accurate way to measure dry ingredients is with a scale. However, if you don’t have a scale, the next most accurate way to measure flour is as follows: fluff the flour with a spoon, lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup, and carefully level it off with a knife. If you measure incorrectly, you’ll end up with too much flour, which can cause your cake to taste dry and dense.
• Add fat: make sure you’re adding some kind of fat to your cake batter. Fat creates and retains moisture in our cake layers. If I’m using all egg whites in a cake recipe, like this one, I make sure to add sour cream for fat. This helps to create a moist crumb.

Tools and Baking

• Bake at 325 degrees F and keep an eye on the cake: I know this may sound obvious to some, but it’s worth going over because it’s an easy fix. If your cakes are coming out dry, it could be that you’re over baking them. Remember, when you insert a toothpick into the center of your cake to check “doneness,” you want the toothpick to come out with a few moist crumbs on it. Your cake layers continue to bake for a few minutes as they cool in the cake pans. Another alternative to making sure you bake moist cakes from scratch is turning down your oven temperature. I now bake all my cakes at 325 degrees F.
• Use good quality cake pans that are light metal: using good quality cake pans can enhance how your cakes bake – both in height and texture. If you’re using dark colored pans, you’re likely going to get dark, dry edges because a dark pan heats up quicker as your cake is baking. I always suggest using Fat Daddio pans. This brand specializes in making light colored pans that distribute heat evenly.
• Mix on low speed: Did you know that over-mixing your cake batter can create a dry, dense cake that doesn’t rise? Sure does! When you add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, mix on low just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl. Then mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds.
• Serve your cake at room temperature: Yes, I said it. And I know it’s controversial. I know many of you like cold cake, and if you do, then keep eating cold cake and enjoy! However, if you’re serving your cake cold, just remember that the texture of the cake layers and buttercream will be different than when you serve cake at room temperature. I think sometimes we associate cold cake with dry cake, when in fact, the cake isn’t actually dry and just needs to be left at room temperature for a little longer.
• Store cake in the freezer not the fridge: One of the reasons your cake may end up dry is due to how you store the cake if you’re not serving it right away. Storing your cake in the fridge for a night is definitely ok. Just make sure it’s covered really well (i.e. in a cake carrier or box), so that the air doesn’t dry it out. If you need to store your cake for longer than a night, the freezer is a better option. You can head HERE to read my blog post about freezing, thawing and transporting your cakes.

Can I use a different fruit flavor?

Absolutely! I used my favorite raspberry preserves to to fill this cake. However, you can use any fruit jam/preserves of your liking. You can even mixing up the fruit and sugar coating. I did raspberry jam and freeze dried raspberries, but feel free to mix it up.

Pro Tips for Mixing Cake Batter

When you’re making the cake batter, don’t forget these important tips to ensure your texture is light and fluffy and the cake rises well:

• Use room temperature ingredients – room temperature ingredients will mix better together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise better.
• Beat the butter and sugar together for a few minutes – we want the texture to become light and fluffy. And then, when you add the eggs, add them one at a time, making sure to mix well between each addition.
• Mix on low speed once you add the dry ingredients – as mentioned above, this ensures you don’t overbeat the batter, which can cause it to not rise and taste dry.

More Bundt Cakes to Love

Print

Jelly Donut Bundt Cake

Tender and flavorful vanilla bundt cake with raspberry swirl and a freeze dried raspberry and sugar coating.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Cake recipe, Jelly Donut Bundt Cake, raspberry, Vanilla Bundt Cake, Vanilla CAke

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tbsp. (13 g) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp. (5 g) salt
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature

FOR THE SUGAR COATING

• 2 ounces (57 g) freeze dried raspberries
• 1/2 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling

• 1/2 cup (144 g) raspberry jam

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10-cup or larger bundt pan with nonstick spray and dust with sugar to cover the pan. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed. The mixture should be light and fluffy in texture.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition, continue beating on medium-high speed until the texture is smooth and the volume is nearly doubled, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup buttermilk and the final 1/3 flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low. Fold in the sour cream.
• Pour half of the batter in the bundt pan. Carefully dollop the raspberry jam on the batter. Pour the remaining batter on top of the jam. Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes. (Mine took 55 minutes).
• Remove from oven and let cool completely in the bundt pan before removing.

FOR THE Sugar coating

• Using a food processor of blender, pulse the freeze dried raspberries to a powder.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and the raspberry powder.
• Using a pastry brush, coat the cake with butter and then cover with the sugar mixture.

The post The Most Delicious Jelly Donut Bundt Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Oreo Inspired Cakes

I love Oreos. I mean, who doesn’t? Dunked in milk or slathered with peanut butter… it’s a classic, childhood favorite that I’d still reach for to this day. My love for Oreos has inspired many of cake flavors.

Oreo Inspired Cakes

And it continues to inspire even more!

Raspberry Oreo Cake

Next up, Oreos and raspberries! That may not be one of the first flavor combinations you think of when you think about pairing Oreos with something, but let me assure you, it’s a delicious one! It’s much like eating a chocolate covered raspberry… but with Oreos!

For this cake, I’ve baked the raspberry cake layers on Oreo cookie crusts, and filled the cake with my favorite cookies and cream whipped filling, and then slathered the entire cake with a raspberry Oreo buttercream.

How to Make Raspberry Reduction

The first item on the list to make is the raspberry reduction. This fruit reduction is going to help flavor the cake layers, as well as the buttercream. I like making this element a day or two before I make my cake so it has time to cook, cool, and then thicken a tad more in the fridge overnight.

To make the raspberry reduction, you’ll simply simmer the fresh or frozen raspberries in a saucepan over medium-low heat. The goal here is to reduce the water content in the raspberries, so don’t be surprised if this takes a little while. We want the raspberries to cook down, and after we strain the mixture, we should end up with 1.5 cups of raspberry reduction.

You’ll use this in the cake layers, as well as the buttercream.

What should I do with extra reduction?

You’ll have a little reduction leftover after you make the layers and the buttercream. With this extra 1/4 cup leftover, you can drizzle a little of the reduction on the filling as you stack the cake, or you use it to decorate the top of your cake.

No Bake Oreo Cookie Crust

When you’re ready to make the cake layers, you’ll first start with the Oreo cookie crust. This is a no bake element, so you’ll simply grind the Oreos (with the cream still in them) into a fine sand-like consistency. Mix the Oreo crumbs with butter and a little salt, and your crust is ready to go.

After you evenly divide the mixture into each of the three 8-inch cake pans, make sure you press firmly to create the crust. Set aside until the cake batter is ready.

Raspberry Cake

This raspberry cake is so flavorful and so moist. To get the real raspberry flavor, we’re using a combination of raspberry reduction and raspberry extract or emulsion. I prefer the emulsion, but know the extract can sometimes be easier to find. Either will work great.

We’re also adding egg whites, buttermilk, and cake flour to this recipe to ensure really tender and moist cake layers.

I noticed the color of the cake batter was a little dull, so I added a couple drops of pink food coloring.

Cookies and Cream Filling

The filling in this Raspberry Oreo Cake is the same filling I use in my Cookies and Cream Cake. It’s SO stinkin’ good, you guys! And it’s just whipped cream and Oreos folded into a mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar. It’s super simple and utterly delicious. I’m not sure how I didn’t devour it all before actually making my cake… because I was certainly trying!

The filling can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Just don’t add the cookie chunks until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

Raspberry Oreo Buttercream

For the buttercream, I’ve started with my classic Vanilla Buttercream and worked in some of the raspberry reduction and Oreo crumbs. I think it’s really important and helpful for smoothing the sides of your cake to make sure you’ve really crushed the Oreos into a fine sand-like consistency. That way, you won’t have a ton of chunks in your buttercream.

Similar to the filling, if you want to make the buttercream ahead of time, don’t add the cookie crumbs until you’re ready to stack and decorate the cake.

Print

Raspberry Oreo Cake

Raspberry cake baked on Oreo cookie crust, with a Oreo cream filling and raspberry Oreo buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Oreo, Oreo Raspberry Cake, raspberry, Raspberry Oreo, Raspberry Oreo Cake

Ingredients

For the Raspberry Reduction (used in the cake and buttercream)

• 30 ounces raspberries, fresh or frozen

For the Chocolate Cookie Crust

• 25 Oreo cookies
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt

For the Raspberry Cake

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 3/4 cup (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5 (about 160 g) egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) raspberry extract or emulsion
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
• 3/4 cup (175 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (125 g) raspberry reduction
• 1-2 drops pink food coloring, optional

FOR THE FILLING

• 3/4 cup (173.25 g) heavy whipping cream
• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 8 Oreo cookies, broken into chunks

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
• 8 tablespoons raspberry reduction
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) raspberry extract or emulsion
• 6 Oreo cookies, pulverized into fine crumbs
• 1-2 drops pink food gel, optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

For the Raspberry Reduction

• Simmer raspberries over medium-low heat until the mixture softens and the berries break, releasing juices.
• Use a spoon or fork to smash the berries.
• Continue to cook the raspberries until the mixture reduces to 1 1/2 cups.
• Strain the raspberry seeds.
• The reduction is best to make the day before and store in the refrigerator.

For the Chocolate Cookie Crust

• Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• Pulse Oreos in a food process to create a fine crumb.
• Add the melted butter and salt and pulse to combine. Mixture should resemble wet sand.
• Evenly divide the crumbs between the three pans and firmly pat into an even crust.
• Set aside while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE RASPBERRY CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. The mixture should be lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
• Add the egg whites, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. (Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition too). Add the raspberry extract or emulsion and vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the raspberry puree and half of the buttermilk. Stir in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining raspberry puree and buttermilk and then the remaining flour. Mix until just incorporated.
• Pour the cake batter on top of the Oreo crusts, about 16 ounces of batter in each pan. Bake the cakes for about 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes before inverting them onto wire racks to cool completely.

FOR THE FILLING

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy whipping cream on high for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to another bowl and set aside.
• In the now empty bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a couple minutes until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat for a couple minutes until smooth.
• Fold in the whipped cream until no streaks of whipping cream remain. Fold in the crushed Oreos.
• ***Best to make right before you assemble the cake so the cookies don’t get soggy. If you want to make this ahead of time, just leave out the Oreos until you’re ready to assemble.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Add the heavy cream, raspberry reduction, and raspberry extract or emulsion. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the buttercream for 3 to 5 minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
• Stir in the cookie crumbs.
• ***If you’re making the buttercream ahead of time, leave the cookie crumbs out until you’re ready to stack and decorate the cake.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with about 1 cup of the cookies and cream filling.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat piping and filling.
• Place final cake layer, top side down.
• Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set this layer of frosting.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Raspberry Oreo Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

I’m excited for you to try something a little different today! This easy pavlova recipe is going to knock your socks off with it’s meringue-like texture and vanilla custard filling.

What is a Pavlova?

This may be a different type of layered cake, but don’t let that scare you off. A pavlova is actually quite easy to make. A traditional pavlova is a meringue-based dessert, made with egg whites, sugar, a little cornstarch, and flavorings (i.e. vanilla extract).

How Do You Make a Pavlova?

To make a pavlova, you’ll start by beating egg whites to a medium stiff peak. As your peak begins to form, you’ll gradually (very gradually) add the granulated sugar. Once the sugar is added and the meringue now has stiff peaks, you’ll fold in the cornstarch, flavoring of choice, and food coloring (if using).

Once the meringue is finished, you’ll gently pour the meringue onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the meringue into a fairly level circle, about 8 to 9 inches wide. You’ll then bake the pavlova on a low heat for about 45 to 50 minutes. When the baking time is complete, turn the oven off and let the meringue cool completely in the oven – about another hour.

In my recipe, you’ll actually be creating two pavlova rounds. If you don’t want a layered look, just half the recipe and bake one pavlova.

What Does a Pavlova Taste Like?

A pavlova has a similar texture to a macaron and tastes of sugar and the flavoring you’ve chosen to bake with (most likely vanilla), but it also gets added richness from the custard (or whipped cream) and fresh fruit.

Ingredients You Need for Pavlova

A classic pavlova is made with 5 ingredients.

• Egg whites – use egg whites to create the volume and base of the pavlova.
• Sugar – sugar not only sweetens the pavlova, it also stabilizes the egg whites by holding them together both in the oven and as the whole pavlova cools. Sugar also helps to achieve the crisp texture.
• Acid – I’m using a teaspoon of white vinegar in my recipe, but you can easily substitute it for apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. If you don’t have vinegar on hand, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. The acid helps the egg whites hold onto air.
• Cornstarch – helps to create a fluffier center
• Vanilla extract – purely for flavor!

NOTE: when baking, you’ll preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., but once you place the pavlova in the oven, that temperature needs to be reduced to 225.

Ingredients You Need for the Vanilla Custard

• Instant vanilla pudding
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Water
• Heavy whipping cream

Other Beginner Cake Recipes You’ll Love

• Brownie Berry Torte
• Oreo Banana Brownie Trifle
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
• Classic Yellow Cake
• Best Cakes for Beginner Bakers

Print

Pink Pavlova with Vanilla Custard

Pavlova layers stacked with vanilla custard and fresh berries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake, pavlova

Keyword Pavlova, Pink Pavlova, Valetine’s Dessert, Vanilla Custard

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE PAVLOVA

• 8 (about 260 g) egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons (10 g) cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons (5 g) cream of tartar, OR 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• a couple drops of pink food coloring (optional), I used Americolor Soft Pink
• NOTE: This recipe makes TWO pavlovas. You can split the recipe in half for one layer.

FOR THE CUSTARD

• 1 box (3-ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 can (14-ounces) sweetended condensed milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream

GARNISH

• fresh berries

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. (NOTE: you will reduce this temperature later).

  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace a circle on each, using an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan as your guide. Flip the parchment paper over, so the pencil doesn't get on the pavlova. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks begin to form.

  Note: the eggs will foam first and then come together to create soft, white peaks. Be patient. This will take a few minutes.
• Once the soft peaks have formed, gradually (very gradually), add the sugar (about one tablespoon at a time).
• After the sugar is incorporated and stiff peaks have formed, stop the mixer and fold in the cornstarch, cream of tartar (or vinegar), vanilla bean paste, and food coloring (if using).
• Divide the meringue in half and pour one half onto each of the parchment sheets with circles on them. Gently spread the meringue to the edge of the circle you drew, making sure the top is fairly level. The edges don't need to be perfectly round or even. In fact, the more rustic and left alone, the better.
• Place the pavlovas in your oven. If you have two ovens, you can place one baking sheet in each. If you have one oven, you can place both baking sheets in at once, on two different racks, making sure to switch the baking sheets halfway through baking.
• When you place the pavlova in the oven, immediately reduce the temperature to 225 degrees F.
• TWO OVENS: If you are using two ovens with one pavlova in each, your bake time will be about 50 to 60 minutes.

  ONE OVEN: If you are using one oven with two pavlovas, your bake time will be closer to 70 to 90 minutes.

  You are looking for the meringue to harden, but not get too brown or crack too much around the edges.
• Once the pavlova is done baking, turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.

For the Custard

• To make the custard filling, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and water until combined. Stir in the pudding mix and then refrigerate until set, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Using a whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

Assembly

• Place one pavlova layer on a cake stand or plate. Cover with half of the pudding mixture and then fresh berries. Repeat with second layer.
• Serve immediately or coverate and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

The post Layered Pink Pavlova with Vanilla Custard first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

I have quite a few strawberry cake recipes that I absolutely love! Chocolate and strawberry are usually my go-to flavors whenever I’m picking out a dessert to try. Needless to say, I had fun reminiscing on all of these cakes as I put together this list of my top 5 favorite strawberry birthday cakes for you. I tried to keep a good variety for all of the strawberry cake lovers! There are some that celebrate more of the tart side and then some that focus on the sweeter side of strawberries. I know you’ll find one or two that you’ll love!

One of the best things about strawberries is how many things you can pair them with. It can really make the perfect match with sweet or salty, so the options are almost endless! I loved creating all of these different strawberry birthday cake recipes, and especially loved eating them! I hope you and yours enjoy them as much as I have. 

Top 5 Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cakes

Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake #1: Strawberry Cake

First up is my classic Strawberry Cake. I got the inspiration for this Strawberry Cake from the Cake Bar in Dallas. I went there with my brother when I was in town and I was blown away by it! The flavor and the moist cake layers were just unreal. I knew it was a recipe I would have to recreate, so I hope you enjoy my version of this Strawberry Cake. This would be a great birthday cake for those who love cream cheese frosting too! 

Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake #2: Sweet and Salty Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake

This Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake is heaven for sweet and salty lovers! This cake features yellow cake layers, strawberry buttercream, and a strawberry and pretzel crunch filling. If you’ve ever had the traditional Christmas strawberry pretzel salad, this is basically that in cake form! It is so delicious and has the perfect flavor and texture combination you’d want in a cake. 

Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake #3: Strawberry Lemonade Cake

This Strawberry Lemonade Cake is a fun one! This would especially be a good strawberry birthday cake for those who celebrate birthdays in the spring or summer. This cake features a sweet and tart lemon curd filling–perfect for a strawberry lemonade cake, right? I just love the punch tart brings to any cake without it being too overwhelming. This cake also features a cream cheese frosting! There are so many different elements going on with this cake, but they all work together so beautifully. Your taste buds will be dancing after the first bite!

Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake #4: Strawberries and Cream Cake

This Strawberries and Cream Cake has a more natural strawberry flavor compared to my original Strawberry Cake. This natural flavor comes out because of the freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry puree reduction in the recipe. Something special about this cake is the added freeze-dried strawberries in the buttercream frosting. Make sure to read the notes on the original post for tips on keeping your buttercream from getting too thick from them. I can’t wait for you to try this strawberry birthday cake! 

Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake #5: Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

Chocolate and strawberry are one of the most classic combinations, so of course, I had to include this Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake on this list. And as you can see in the name, this cake is extra special because of the not-so-secret ingredient, Nutella. This cake features my dark chocolate cake layers, a plain layer of Nutella, Nutella frosting, and fresh strawberries. This is such a good one for those chocolate lovers who also don’t want to miss out on a sweet strawberry treat!

Top 5 Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cakes

I hope you enjoyed this post on my top 5 favorite strawberry birthday cakes! I know you don’t need a birthday (or really any celebration) as a reason to eat cake, but I thought I’d dedicate a post to those strawberry lovers who would always vote for some type of strawberry cake on their birthday! But if you’re up for a new birthday cake flavor, you’ve got to try THIS ONE!

For more tips and recipes on all things cake, you can follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney.

More Birthday Cake Recipe Ideas

• Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling
• Decadent and Delicious Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake
• Milk Bar Birthday Cake
• Avery’s “Frozen” Birthday
• Banana Nutella S’mores Cake

The post Top 5 Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cakes first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Another favorite cake around here for the Valentine’s Day is my Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake. This decadent dessert is made with my moist and rich dark chocolate cake layers, silky smooth strawberry buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries. One bite and you’ll instantly be thinking you’re diving into a See’s Candy truffle. 

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Buttercream

This strawberry buttercream is something special! The smooth texture and incredible flavor comes from using LorAnn Oils Strawberry Emulsion. Because we’re using an emulsion instead of strawberry puree, the buttercream holds together so well. 

In addition to powdered sugar, butter and heavy whipping cream, make sure you get the emulsion. It’s essential for the flavoring. You’ll find it on Amazon, as well as Michael’s and Orson Gygi. 

Other Valentine’s Cakes You’ll Love

• Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake
• Rich and Decadent Chocolate Blackberry Cake
• Red Velvet Cookie Cake
• Red Velvet Cake with Marshmallow Filling 
• Pink Pavlova

Print

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Rich dark chocolate cake layers with strawberry buttercream and chocolate ganache.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Strawberry, Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) good quality cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236 g) hot water or coffee

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) strawberry emulsion
• 2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

For the Ganache

• 8 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (120 g) heavy whipping cream, (If you want a thinner consistency to your chocolate ganache to be able to do the drip technique, use 1 cup cream with 1 cup chocolate chips)

Garnish and Filling

• Strawberries

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
• In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water and vanilla. Mix lightly until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mixing for 30 more seconds on medium-low speed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 15 to 16 ounces in each 8-inch pan or 10 ounces in each 6-inch pan) and bake for 25 to 30, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You’re still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking. 

For the Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about one minute on medium speed.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until combined.
• Add the strawberry emulsion and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.
• With the mixer still on medium-low speed, add the whipping cream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat the frosting for about 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a wooden spoon to stir the frosting by hand to push out any air bubbles. 

For the Ganache

• Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds, stir the mixture and heat for another 30 seconds. Using a whisk, mix the melted chocolate and cream until it comes together to create a smooth, silky ganache. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before using on the cake. 

Assembly

• Level each of the cake layers. Spread a small amount of frosting on a cake board to help hold the cake in place.
• Place the first cake layer, bottom-side down, in the center of the cake board. Using an offset palette knife, spread about 1/2 to 2/3 cup frosting evenly across the cake layer. If using fresh strawberries, sprinkle 1/2 cup strawberries on the frosting and gently push them into the frosting.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the strawberry frosting layer and repeat step 2.
• Place the final cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second strawberry frosting layer and give the cake an even crumb coat, making sure to fill in uneven areas of the cake to create an even foundation for your main frosting.
• Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue to frost the cake and then spread or drip ganache. 

The post Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

What are your plans for this Valentine’s Day? My husband Ryan and I don’t normally celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I still love to create some fun and delicious Valentine-themed cakes. Here are 5 fun Valentine’s Day cake ideas you can try this year! I hope they make your Valentine’s Day that much more special. 

This list is made up of some of my favorite cakes I’ve made over the years for Valentine’s Day. Something I love about cakes, especially for holidays, is that the flavor combinations are timeless. (For example, chocolate-covered strawberries.) I hope you have fun baking and eating these cakes as much as I have! 

5 Fun Valentine’s Day Cake Ideas

Valentine’s Day Cake Idea #1: Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake

I made this Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake to surprise my kids one year for Valentine’s Day! Kids make every holiday a bit more magical, don’t you think? There are a lot of different elements to this cake, so make sure to check out my original post for a step-by-step tutorial on putting it together and getting the best results with the cake layers, frostings, and everything in between. 

Valentine’s Day Cake Idea #2: Red Velvet Bundt Cake

This would be a fun Valentine’s cake to whip up if you don’t have a lot of time this holiday. Something I love about my Red Velvet Bundt Cake is that I use red velvet emulsion instead of red food coloring. The emulsion really boosts the color and the flavor, making this cake that much better. If you can’t find red velvet emulsion, red food coloring is totally fine to use. It will still taste amazing! 

Valentine’s Day Cake Idea #3: Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream 

My Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream is a fun twist to the traditional red velvet cake. For this pink velvet cake, I use my favorite vanilla cake recipe and add in just a couple of drops of food coloring to get the pink color. I cannot get over how pink and tender these cake layers look! Adding the fresh raspberries on top is the perfect finishing touch. 

Valentine’s Day Cake Idea #4: Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Chocolate-covered strawberries, anyone? I had so much fun making this Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake. The strawberry buttercream is really the star of the show because it tastes more like strawberries and cream. And it pairs so perfectly with the slightly bitter dark chocolate cake layers and chocolate ganache. I promise you will fall in love when you take that first bite! 

Valentine’s Day Cake Idea #5: Old Fashioned Cherry Chip Cake

I had a lot of fun playing around with the recipe for my Old Fashioned Cherry Chip Cake. There are several ways to get the color and flavors you want to pop the most, so check out my original post to see my tips on getting the best results. This vintage Valentine’s Day cake would be a hit at any Valentine’s Day party! 

5 Fun Valentine’s Day Cake Ideas

I hope you enjoyed these 5 fun Valentine’s Day cake ideas! There’s nothing like embracing the Valentine’s holiday by baking and eating a delicious pink cake. If you liked these ideas and want even more inspiration for your cakes this Valentine’s Day, check out these posts:

• 7 Cute and Easy Valentine’s Cake Ideas
• Valentine’s Day Cakes

I hope all of you have a Happy Valentine’s Day celebrating with your loved ones! Follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and recipes on all things cake.

The post 5 Fun Valentine’s Day Cake Ideas first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Classic Yellow Cake

Rainbow Sherbet Cake

Print

Rainbow Sherbet Cake

Tender yellow cake layers with raspberry lime curd and orange buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Orange Buttercream, Rainbow, Rainbow Sherbet, Raspberry Curd, Sherbet, Yellow Cake

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (72.6 g) canola oil 
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
• 2 cups (400) g granulated sugar
• 5 whole eggs at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks at room temperature
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8) g baking powder
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) clear vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) butter extract  

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (125g) raspberries
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup (121 g) lime juice (about three large limes)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 4 teaspoons (10.8 g) corn starch
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) cold unsalted butter  cut into small cubes

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 3 teaspoons (12.6 g) orange emulsion (or extract)
• Pink, green and orange food gel (optional)
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, stir together the cake flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, canola oil, and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
• Turn the mixer on low and add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. Then the sour cream and blend well. Finish by adding the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.
• Add the clear vanilla extract and butter extract and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three pans and bake for about 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.

FOR THE CURD

• Puree the raspberries and lime juice in a blender. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Rinse the sieve – you’ll be using it again.
• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, lime zest, and salt into the raspberry puree. Whisk in the egg yolk. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through the sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and orange emulsion. Mix until combined. Add food gel, if using. Mix until incorporated completely.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Remove bowl from the mixer stand and use a wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first layer of cake, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/3 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting.
• The cake can be stored in the freezer for about a week, in an airtight container. Give the cake about 8 hours to return to room temperature before serving.

The post Bright and Colorful Rainbow Sherbet Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Check out these 10 of my favorite fruit filled cake recipes! 

Strawberries and Cream Cake – strawberry cake layers with fresh strawberries in a whipped cream filling and strawberry buttercream.

Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake – creamy coconut cake layers with lemon curd, raspberry cream filling and coconut buttercream.

Blueberry Delight Cake – Nilla wafer crust, lemon ricotta cake layers, ricotta filling, blueberry compote, and blueberry buttercream.

Fluffernutter Cake – tender and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted marshmallow filling, and peanut butter buttercream.

Peaches and Cream Cake – layers of tender peach cake, peaches and cream filling, peach compote and a whipped vanilla buttercream. 

Champagne Cake – champagne inspired cake with tender, “champagne” cake layers, a raspberry peach puree filling and a champagne buttercream.

Inspired by my childhood favorite ice cream bar, this Strawberry Crunch Cake is made up of my go-to strawberry and vanilla cake layers, strawberry crunch filling, whipped vanilla buttercream, and is covered in a shortbread cookie strawberry crunch.

Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake – raspberry cake layers, chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake layers and a raspberry cream filling.

Lemon Bar Cake – lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon buttercream.

Inspired by one of my favorite summer desserts, my new Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake is the perfect cake to take you into summer.

Piña Colada Cake – coconut cream cake, pineapple curd and coconut buttercream.

Which Cake is Calling to You?

Do you see your favorite fruit filling? Did I miss one of your favorites? I’d love to create more citrus inspired fruit filled cakes this summer. Do you have a certain one you love? Let me know in the comments!

And be sure to follow along with us on Instagram!

More Tips & Recipes to Enjoy

• How to Make an Easy Fruit Compote
• Tip Tuesday: Best KitchenAid Black Friday Deals
• How to Properly Stack a Cake with a Soft Filling
• Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd

The post Fruit Filled Cakes You’ll Love first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Summer Baking Fun

I didn’t bake at ALL last week! I know, devastating and unbelievable. It’s been a long while since I’ve had a dry week like that. With end of the year school activities and cookbook editing, there were no extra hours in the day. (All I need is a few extra!)

By Sunday, I was craving being in my kitchen like you couldn’t believe! I put aside all other work, turned on a movie for Aves (the boys were off at BYU Fathers and Sons Sports Camp), and grabbed my apron as soon as we walked in the door from church. The plan was to start on an entirely new cake, but then I remembered I had yellow cake layers all ready to go and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I thought about what to pair them with and quickly remembered your love of strawberry buttercream with yellow cake.

Sweet and Salty Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake

Yellow cake is like a neutral – it goes with everything! So when you suggested putting strawberry buttercream with it, I was all-in on that combo. As I started making my buttercream, however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this cake needed something else. You know how I love a little texture in my cakes!

Pretzel Crunch Filling

Almost as quickly as I had that thought, I remembered the filling I used in my Raspberry Pretzel Crunch Cake. This cake was inspired by my mom’s raspberry Jell-O pretzel salad. I have a feeling you know exactly what I’m talking about. It has a pretzel crust, a whipped cream cheese layer, and a raspberry (or sometimes strawberry) layer on top. It was a tradition at my house every Christmas and it made a fabulous cake flavor! The sweet raspberry cake paired with the salty pretzel crunch filling is a sweet and salty lover’s heaven!

For the filling, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand:

• Milk powder
• White chocolate chips
• Butter
• Freeze-dried strawberries
• Pretzels

The Most Delicious Yellow Cake Layers

These yellow cake layers are so versatile and incredibly tender and moist. I usually pair them with chocolate buttercream, but as I said earlier, they really go with just about every flavor.

With all butter-based cakes, remember to beat the butter, sugar, oil (if called for), and eggs for a while (about 3 to 5 minutes). We want this done at a medium-high speed to ensure the ingredients blend well and we add some volume to the batter (which will help our layers rise beautifully).

Ingredients you’ll need for the yellow cake:

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable or canola oil
• Butter extract
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour (read the importance of cake flour HERE)
• Eggs
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sour cream

Flavorful Strawberry Buttercream

My love for this strawberry buttercream is REAL! So much so, I’ve used it in three cakes:

• Strawberry Biscoff Cake
• Strawberries and Cream Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake

The flavor is incredible, thanks to the combination of freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry jam. If you haven’t made this one yet, I think as soon as you do, you’ll quickly understand why it’s part of three cakes already.

To make this buttercream, grab the following ingredients:

• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Freeze-dried strawberries (I often find mine at Target, Trader Joe’s and Walmart)
• Strawberry jam
• Heavy whipping cream

And be sure to follow my tips for making the best buttercream!

TIPS FOR GETTING CAKES TO RISE EVENLY

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Best Cakes for Beginner Bakers
• Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
• Top 5 Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cakes
• Chocolate Pretzel Cake
• The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for Cake

Print

Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake

Tender yellow cake layers with strawberry buttercream and a pretzel crunch filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Pretzel, Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake, Yellow Cake

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (72.6) canola oil
• 5 eggs at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks at room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) butter extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream at room temperature

FOR THE PRETZEL CRUNCH FILLING

• 1/2 cup (62.5 g) cup milk powder
• 1/4 cup (30 g) crushed pretzels you want these finely crushed, I used a food processor
• 2 tbsp (16.9 g) cornstarch
• 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter melted
• 1/4 cup (31.25 g) milk powder
• 1/4 cup (14 g) crushed freeze dried strawberries
• 3 oz white chocolate chips melted

Strawberry Buttercream

• 2 cups (456 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 5 cups (500 g) powdered sguar measured then sifted
• 1/4 cup (14 g) finely ground freeze dried strawberries
• 1/4 cup (59.25 g) strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and canola oil on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and egg yolks, in a few additions, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and butter extracts. Continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low, just until flour is combined.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let cool completely before using.

FOR THE PRETZEL CRUNCH

• Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine 1/2 cup milk powder, pretzel crumbs, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula or spoon, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
• Spread the clusters on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool the crumbs completely.
• Crumble any clusters that are larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, and put the crumbs back in the medium bowl. Add the 1/4 cup milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Pour the melted white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are covered. Add the freeze dried strawberries and toss to distribute. Continue tossing them every five minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.

Strawberry Buttercream

• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• Add the freeze dried strawberries and the strawberry jam, and stir to combine.
• With mixer on medium speed, add heavy whipping cream and vanilla.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The buttercream will become lighter in color and texture.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake plate.
• Evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream across the cake layer.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the pretzel crunch over the buttercream and pat into place with your hand.
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 with second cake layer. Place final cake layer, top side down, on second layer of filling.
• Cover the cake with a thin coat of buttercream and then freeze the entire cake for 15 minutes.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Sweet and Salty Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

More Summer-Inspired Cakes You’ll Love

• Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Orange Almond Poppy Seed Cake
• Pina Colada Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake

Print

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Strawberry lemon cake layers, filled with lemon curd and topped with strawberry cream cheese buttercream.

 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, strawberry cake, Strawberry lemonade cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (339g) cake flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons (18g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/3  cups (266g) granulated sugar
• 1 3 oz. package of strawberry flavored Jell-O
• 3 teaspoons lemon zest
• 5 large or extra large egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk at room temperature

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (115g) lemon juice about 3 large lemons
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 oz. (170g) cream cheese slightly cold
• 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion
• 3 tablespoons (42g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• *If you want to pipe swirls around the cake like I did, add an extra half batch of buttercream.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, Jell-O and zest. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg whites, in a few additions, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low, just until flour is combined.
• 5. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• 6. Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling wraps to cool completely. Cakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrapped and frozen for a week. If you’d like to freeze them longer than one week, wrap each cake layer in tin foil as well.

FOR THE CURD

• 1. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• 2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• 3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• 2. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the strawberry emulsion, cream and salt.
• 3. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• 4. Before frosting your cake, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets. If the frosting feels too soft to frost or pipe, cover it and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

• 1. Spread a dollop of frosting on a cake board or cake plate to hold the first cake layer in place.
• 2. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the cake board and pipe a rim of strawberry frosting around the edges to act as a barrier to the lemon curd. Spread half of the lemon curd (about 3/4 cup) on the cake layer.
• 3. Top with the next cake layer and repeat step 2.
• 4. Place the third cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling. Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10-15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• 5. If your frosting feels soft at this point, refrigerate it while the crumb coat sets.
• 6. Continue frosting your cake, making sure to stir the frosting with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets.
• 7. If you’re not serving within the day, you can freeze the cake in a cake box or container for up to a week – just make sure to remove the cake from the freezer about 6 hours before you plan to serve it.

The post Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Thank you, Betty Crocker

There’s no way to start a post about Cherry Chip Cake without thanking the “first lady of food,” Betty Crocker, for this cake flavor. I think it’s also interesting to note, Betty Crocker is actually a fictional character, made up by General Mills for marketing purposes. In fact, when the Betty Crocker brand was first introduced in the 30’s, there was a “Betty Crocker” in many of the US markets answering baking and cooking questions on local radio station (think, Dear Abby, but food specific).

Some of the first Betty Crocker box cake mix flavors were classics like yellow cake and chocolate cake. Cherry Chip came a little later and truly is most well-known as a box cake mix. Unfortunately, it’s not a flavor you can find very often on shelves and it’s not a super popular from-scratch recipe either.

Old Fashioned Cherry Chip Cake

To be honest, this wasn’t a flavor I had on my list until suggested to me by many of you over the last couple of years. As I’ve been working on my vintage cakes, the trend of diced fruit in cake layers was coming up a lot and I thought it was about time I tackle a Cherry Chip Cake because it fits so well with so many of these vintage cakes.

Cherry Chip Cake Layers

It took me a couple rounds of experimenting to get the flavor, texture and colors I was looking for.

To get the beautiful pink color and some cherry flavor in the cake layers, we’re adding the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries. However, I don’t think the juice alone provides enough cherry flavor (adding a ton more didn’t help either), so I’ve added a little cherry Jell-O (which amps up our color a bit, as well) and a good amount of chopped maraschino cherries. If you can’t find cherry Jell-O, don’t stress. You’ll see below where we add some other elements of cherry that help increase the flavor.

Similar to my Creamsicle Cake, I’ve made these layers to be extra thick (an extra .5x a normal batch of my cake recipe).

Chopped Cherries

Before we move on to the fillings and buttercream, I wanted to give you a few tips about the cherries.

• Use a food processor or blender and pulse the cherries into small pieces.
• After you’ve chopped the cherries, spread them out over a paper towel and let them sit out for a few hours to dry up. If possible, chop the cherries and let them sit out overnight.
• Before adding the cherries to the cake batter, make sure to toss them in a little flour. This helps the cherries not sink to the bottom of the cake layers while baking.

Fillings and Buttercream

Fillings

After my first round of cake layers and buttercream, I felt like the cake needed a little extra cherry flavor, so I tested it out with a small slather of cherry jam and fell in love.

I also polled Instagram about whether or not Cherry Chip Cake should have some chocolate in it. The majority vote was “YES!,” so I added just a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache between the layers, as well.

Buttercream

For the buttercream, I used my classic vanilla buttercream recipe as my base and added some more maraschino cherry juice for flavor. The juice alone won’t give you enough pink color, so I added Americolor Soft Pink food gel to most of my buttercream and reserved about a cup of buttercream for the red.

I hope you enjoy this Old Fashioned Cherry Chip Cake as much as I do! Follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and tricks on all things cake.

Print

Cherry Chip Cake

Cherry chip cake layers, with cherry jam, chocolate ganache and cherry buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Cherry Chip, Cherry Chip Cake, Intermediate

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp cherry flavored Jell-O you can leave it out if you're unable to find this
• 7 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups (508 g) cake flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp (15 g) baking powder
• 3/4 tsp (8 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (180 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• 3/4 cup maraschino cherry juice drained from the cherries
• 6 oz. chopped maraschino cherries about the amount of cherries in one regular jar of maraschino cherries. I pulsed mine in a food processor

FOR THE JAM

• 1/2 cup cherry preserves mine were store-bought

FOR THE GANACHE

• 1/2 cup (87.5 g) dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 cups (670 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy whipping cream
• 10 tbsp maraschino cherry juice
• pink and red food coloring optional
• **This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/4 to 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Using a food processor or blender, pulse the cherries into small pieces. Drain and let dry for a least an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans (or four 6-inch pans) with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and Jell-O on medium-high speed for about 3 to 5 minutes. You want the mixture to get lighter in color and texture. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the mixture has combined well.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg whites in three additions, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Once all of the egg whites are added, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and stir again.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and cherry juice.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined.
• Toss the chopped cherries in a tablespoon of flour. Fold the cherries into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter between the three 8-inch pans, about 22 ounces of batter in each pan. Bake on the middle rack for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let the cakes cool on write racks, in the pans, for about 15 minutes and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely. TIP: spray your write racks with nonstick spray.

FOR THE GANACHE

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream on high for about 30 to 40 seconds.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for about 5 minutes.
• Stir the cream and the chocolate chips until smooth and silky. Let cool to room temperature before using.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy and pale in color.
• With the mixer on slow, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, and the cherry juice.
• Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a couple minutes more.
• If you want to decorate the cake as pictured, remove about a cup of buttercream from the bowl and tint it red. The remaining buttercream can be tinted a stronger pink with pink food coloring, if desired.
• Before using the buttercream, make sure to beat it by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to help push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting on your cake board. This will act like glue to hold your cake in place.
• Place your first cake layer, top side up, on your cake board. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake.
• Evenly spread about 3 tablespoons of cherry jam over the cake layer, followed by a drizzle of chocolate ganache. You don't need much of either. We want a hint of the cherry and chocolate but nothing that's overpowering the cake and buttercream.
• Place the next cake layer on top of the filling and repeat steps 2 and 3.
• Set your final cake layer, top side down, on your second layer of filling. Apply a thin layer of buttercream over your entire cake. This does not need to look pretty or be even. This coat of frosting is simply to lock in the crumbs. Freeze your cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• After the crumb coat is set, finish frosting your cake with the buttercream.

The post Old Fashioned Cherry Chip Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

After a successful red velvet bake off last year, I thought it would be fun to do another “velvet” cake for Valentine’s this year. But, instead of red, I went with pink velvet!

Unlike a traditional red velvet cake, however, my pink velvet cake isn’t chocolate based. Instead, I went with a vanilla based and used the idea of a “velvet” as part of the texture. I mean, look at those cake layers! So tender and velvety!

Pink Velvet Cake

The base of this cake is from my favorite vanilla cake I used in my Marshmallow Moon Cake. It’s so tender and flavorful. All I did different was add some pink food gel by Americolor. You don’t need to add much color when you use the food gels because the color is so concentrated. I only add two drops. Also, it’s super important to add the food coloring to the batter when you’re blending the butter and sugar. You run the risk of over-mixing your batter if you add the food coloring at the end.

Raspberry Buttercream

For the frosting, I thought it would be fun to do something less traditional for a “velvet” cake, which usually gets paired with a cream cheese frosting or a vanilla buttercream. I went with a raspberry buttercream, using LorAnn Oils Raspberry Emulsion. The emulsion is clear, so I added a little food coloring gel to the frosting as well. Again, just a drop or two is all you need.

Hope you love this Pink Velvet cake as much as I do! This would definitely make a great Valentine’s Day cake too. Follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and tricks on all things cake! And if you like this cake, you might enjoy some of these as well:

• The Best Raspberry Cream Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Print

Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream

Tender pink velvet cake layers with raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll, Pink Velvet Cake, Valentine's Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 cup 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (81.75 g) canola oil
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
• 2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
• 7 large egg whites room temperature
• 3 cups plus 4 tablespoons (373.75 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• Pink food gel I used Soft Pink by Americolor

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 6 teaspoons (25.2 g) LorAnn Oils Raspberry Emulsion
• 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pink food gel optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
• Garnish
• Fresh raspberries

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper rounds, and another coat of non-sick spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, sift the cake flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, canola oil, salt and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add two drops of the pink food gel and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add the egg whites, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
• Turn the mixer on low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. Then add half of the sour cream and blend well, followed by another 1/3 of the flour, the second half of the sour cream and the final 1/3 of flour. Mix until incorporated.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 10 to 20 seconds.
• Pour the cake batter evenly between the three pans (about 16 to 17 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan or 12 ounces in each 6-inch) and bake about 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Make sure not to over bake.
• Remove cake from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.

For the Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time. Once the cream is incorporated, add the raspberry emulsion and increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
• Add food coloring, if desired.
• Before frosting your cake, make sure to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets. 

Assembly

• Level each of the cake layers, if needed. Spread a small amount of frosting on a cake board to help hold the cake in place.
• Place the first cake layer, bottom-side down, in the center of the cake board. Using an offset palette knife, spread about 2/3 cup frosting evenly across the cake layer. If using fresh raspberries, press about 1/2 cup raspberries into the frosting. 
• Place the second cake layer on top of the raspberries and repeat step 2.
• Place the final cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second layer and give the cake an even crumb coat, making sure to fill in uneven areas of the cake to create an even foundation for your main frosting.
• Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue to frost the cake after the crumb coat is set.

The post Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

New Cake Flavor

A few months ago my little brother was trying to come up with new cake flavors for me. Among his suggestions was a cotton candy cake. It sounded interesting but honestly, I wasn’t feeling super excited about it. I set the flavor idea on the back burner and continued working on some other new cakes. In the meantime, I actually had several more of you request a cotton candy cake.

At that point, I thought, ‘alrigtht, I’ve gotta try this out!’.

And what better time to give a cotton candy flavored a cake a test run than a kid’s birthday party! I actually had to convince Avery to let me make this cake for her birthday. She originally wanted a pink, blue and purple Red Velvet Cake. I loved the idea of all her favorite colors on the cake, but having a red velvet cake on the inside just didn’t feel right.

Luckily, kids love cotton candy and Avery is no exception. Convincing her to switch cake flavors ended up being easy as pie. We also decided to throw out the purple and stick with blue and pink to match the cotton candy.

COTTON CANDY CAKE

For this recipe, I started with the vanilla cake I use for my Funfetti Cake. In my first round, I used Jelly Belly Cotton Candy Syrup. The cake was a little dense and the flavor was barely noticeable after the cake baked, so I decided to give it another go with the Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring. The second round was a total winner. Avery devoured the cake scraps!

I used pink and blue food gel to tint the batter. When you do this, just make sure to gently stir the food gel into the batter. You don’t want to over mix the batter or you’ll find it doesn’t rise as well.

Frosting Tutorial

Once you’ve smoothed out the sides of your cake, freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drip Tutorial

For more tips and instruction on making the perfect drip, check out these two IGTV videos from my feed:

White Chocolate and Your Drip

Birthday Cake with a Drip

Birthday Cake or Gender Reveal Cake?

So the question is, birthday cake or gender reveal cake? I loved it as Avery’s birthday cake but it also make the perfect gender reveal cake, don’t you think?

The Old Cotton Candy Cake

And rather than wiping this post of all the old photos, I had to keep at least one so you could see the original cake and my cute little Aves!

Tip

One note about the actual cotton candy – don’t add it to the cake until you’re ready to display the cake. The cotton candy won’t hold up well in the freezer, refrigerator or at room temperature for too long.

Tools

Click on the item below to check it out!

• Acrylic disk
• Offset and straight icing spatulas
• Scraper
• Turntable

Thank you to Trina Harris Photography for the gorgeous photos.

Print

Cotton Candy Cake

Light and fluffy, cotton candy flavored cake and frosting.

Servings 1 4-layer, 6-inch cake or 3 layer 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

• For the Cake
• 1 whole egg I use extra large, at room temperature
• 3 egg whites also extra large, at room temperature
• 1 cup 240 g buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon 13 g Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (366.6 g) cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups 350 g granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon 16 g baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon 4.2 g salt
• 1 cup 226 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• Pink and blue food gel optional
• For the Frosting
• 2 cups 452 g unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups 750 g powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 3 tablespoons 43.3 g heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons 8 g Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring
• Pinch of salt
• Pink and blue food gel optional
• Cosmic Rush Twinkle Sprinkle Medley optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

• For the Cake
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare four 6-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying each pan with non-stick spray, covering the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the whole egg, egg whites and Lorann flavoring. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and buttermilk. Continue to mix on low until just combined and then increase to medium speed and mix for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in two additions, beating on medium speed for about 20 seconds after each addition until just combined and all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. 
• Divide the batter in half. Tint half of the batter pink and half of the batter blue. Stir lightly by hand as to not over mix the batter.
• Divide the batter into the four 6-inch pans or three 8-inch prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale to measure equal parts in each pan. (Use about 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each of the four 6-inch pans or 15 to 16 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans). I dolloped scoops of batter in each pan, overlapping the colors a little, to create a tie-dye look.
• Bake for 20-23 minutes (my cakes took 20 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire racks until completely cool. 
• For the Frosting
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, Lorann flavoring and salt.
• Continue to beat the frosting on medium-high speed for an additional 5 minutes.   
• Divide the frosting in half and tint each batch with blue or pink food gel.
• Stir by hand to push out any air pockets.
• Assembly
• After leveling each of the cake layers with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up (crumb side up) on a cake board or cake plate. For the 6-inch cake, add about 1/2 cup of frosting on the cake layer. For the 8-inch version, add about 1 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible. 
• Repeat this step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
• Apply a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.
• If using cotton candy to decorate, do not add it to the cake until you’re ready to display the cake. The cotton candy will not hold up in the freezer or refrigerator.

The post Cotton Candy Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake

This recipe has been due for an update for a while now and I’m thrilled it’s finally done! It’s the perfect cake for any kind of celebration. Doesn’t it just scream “happy day” to you? Or is that just me

Update

Important: Cook the Flour for the Dough

Print

Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake

Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake.

Tender vanilla cake layers, with chocolate chip cookie dough filling and vanilla buttercream.

Course Dessert

Keyword Confetti Cookie Dough Cake, Cookie Dough Cake, Vanilla CAke

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake or 4-layer, 6-inch cake

Author cakebycourtney

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 egg, room temperature
• 5 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (113 g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (10.5 g) clear vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345 g)cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Cookie Dough

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (150 g) mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (75 g) sprinkles

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 3 oz. cream cheese, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon (13 g )pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy cream
• Food coloring optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans by spraying each pan with non-stick spray, covering the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the whole egg, egg whites and clear vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another minute.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg mixture to the bowl in a few additions. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the cake flour mixture. Stir until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir again for about 20 more seconds. Fold in the sour cream.
• Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale to measure equal parts in each pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire racks until completely cool. 

For the Cookie Dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Stir in the mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.
• Set aside 2/3 of the dough for the cake filling and use the remaining 1/3 to roll into small balls for the topping. Check out Sprinkles for Breakfast's original post HERE to see how she decorated this cake. 

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
• Continue to beat the frosting on medium speed for an additional 3-5 minutes. 
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.        

Assembly

• After leveling each of the cake layers with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up. For the 8-inch cake, add about 1 cup of frosting on the cake layer. For the 6-inch version, add about 1/2 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible. 
• Using your hands, mold the cookie dough (about 1 cup for the 8-inch cake and 1/2 cup for the 6-inch cake) into a flat circle, the same size as your cake layer. (This is a bit easier than trying to spread the cookie dough over the frosting). After you've molded the cookie dough, lay it on top of the frosting.
• Repeat these steps until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
• Apply a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.

The post Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.