This strawberry cake is one of my favorite recipes.

What makes this cake special?

This cake has no Jell-O or artificial flavor, it has the  filling of fresh strawberries in each layer which is the primary ingredient and its eggless bread which means it would suits everyone  by satisfying their vegetarian needs. The juicy and tender texture of the strawberries works like a cherry on the cake as it prevents the softness of cake bread which enhances its overall taste.

So, lets bake the super special cake together to satisfy the craving of dessert and enjoy!

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

•     Oil (flavorless)   – 1/2 Cup
•     Sugar ( granulated) – 3/4 cup
•     Vanilla Essence  – 1tsp
•     Curd – 1 cup
•     Heavy Whipping cream

Dry Ingredients

•      Baking powder – 1tsp
•      Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
•      All purpose Flour – 1+1/2 cup

Time Required

Preparation time- 20 min

Bake time – 40 min

Cooling time – 30 minutes

Frosting and decoration time – 25-30 minutes

Total time – 2 hours

Tools required

• Large mixing bowl
• Whisker
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Silicon Spatula
• 9 inch pan
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Cake leveler
• Silicon brush
• Icing spatula

Instructions

1.  Add oil and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix it using a hand whisker for around 2-3 minutes until it gives a creamy texture. Remember to move your hand in one direction while mixing. This will create air bubbles in the batter

2.  Add vanilla essence and curd in the bowl, mix gently with soft hands.

3. Sift baking powder and baking soda before adding and give a gentle mix. Wait for 2-3 minutes until baking soda react with curd and form bubbles. This reaction is a positive point that means you are going well in each step.

4.Add all purpose flour in three portions and mix by using cut and fold method after adding every portion. Do not add all the flour it one go it would make difficult for you to mix the batter properly with the desired texture .

5.Grease the pan with oil or cover with butter paper or parchment paper. If you do not have these papers you can also dust your pan using oil and all purpose flour it will also work well. It is a necessary step otherwise your cake will stick to the pan.

6. Before transferring the batter into pan make sure the consistency should be thick and flowing.

7.Bake the batter in pre-heated oven at 325 degree F or 180 degree C for 40 minutes.

8.Let the base rest on a cooling rack and cut it into layers once it is completely cooled.

9.Apply sugar syrup on the cake layer using a silicon brush and a thin layer of whipped cream. Repeat the same step for next layer. Sugar syrup will make the cake more softer.

10.Decorate the cake using more whipped cream using the cake nozzles and top up with strawberry slices.

How to make Sugar Syrup?

Making sugar syrup for cake is a 2 minute game. All you need is only sugar and water.

• Sugar -1 tbsp
• Water- 2 tbsp
• Dissolve these two ingredients properly and you will get your syrup ready with perfect ratios.

How to prepare cake frosting

• Take any heavy whipping Cream. I would recommend Riche’s ON TOP cream.
• Beat it for 2-3 minutes using an electric beater.
• Add sugar powder according to your taste if you are using any other unsweetened cream. However, you do not need to add more sugar for Riche’s ON TOP cream because it already has sugar.
• Beat again until it gives Stiff peaks. Do not overbeat the cream. Otherwise it will spoil the texture of your cream.

How to enhance strawberry flavor in baking?

Instead of chopped strawberries you can use strawberry extract in your cake. It works as a powerful flavoring agent. The extract adds a flavor to the cake which is unattainable with fresh or frozen strawberries alone. The extracts are easily available in the market.

The usage of this is very easy and simple. On each layer of bread after applying sugar syrup and a layer of whipped cream add small amount of extract and spread it using a spatula. Repeat the steps for each layer.

This extracts is produced through a process of distilling the natural oils found in strawberries, which comes out which fruit’s vibrant flavor and aroma.

Notes

• All the ingredients should be at room temperature to get perfect soft and spongy cake base or bread.
• Always remember of sift the dry ingredients which are all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder, this would give more accurate measurements and prevent the dry pockets in your baked bread.
• The cake batter should be lumps free otherwise it will make the bread hard. Gently fold the batter with the use of silicon spatula to prevent lumps. Do not overmix the batter.
• You can use cake flour instead of all purpose flour if you want.
• Do not forget to grease the pan before pouring batter. If you do not grease the release of cake from the pan would be difficult
• Do not cut the cake bread into layers until it is completely cooled. Otherwise the bread will break.
• Use the fresh strawberries to have the perfect flavor of freshness.
• To make whipped cream more stable for 2-3 hours add a sachet of whip it in one cup of cream. which is completely optional.