Yes, this cake will take a little bit to make, but it's worth it. If you want to speed it up, you could totally make a box cake, I won't tell or judge. But the frosting is worth it. It's so fresh and smooth, like true love.... (?)
Schedule that date night NOW and end the night with this cake. It will lead to many many years of happiness with your significant other. I promise.
White Cake with Strawberry Frosting
Cake
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 whole egg, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature - divided
2-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour, sifted (No cake flour? Substitute here.)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 24 even pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2, 8-inch cake pans by lining with parchment paper and greasing the sides.
In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, whole egg, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the the dry ingredients together on low speed for about 30 seconds.
Add the butter one piece at a time, every 10 seconds. Make sure the butter is cold; you might need to keep 1/2 in the refrigerator while you add in the other 1/2. Continue to mix on low until the mixture is crumbly. Slowly add the rest of the milk, and mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 separate parts, mix until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape bowl one more time to ensure the batter at bottom of bowl is mixed in.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans, evening out with a spatula or cake frosting knife.
Bake until a knife comes out with a few crumbs when inserted into the center, about 30 minutes. Do not over-bake. Check the cake after 20 minutes and bake in 5 minutes intervals until done. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the cake pans. Let cool completely on wire racks.
Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. While cake cools, prepare the frosting!
Frosting
1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more/less for desired consistency)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Puree strawberries in a blender until smooth and strain through a fine sieve (I use a metal wire strainer). Simmer puree and lemon juice for 15 to 20 minutes or until reduced by 1/3. Cool completely.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat all butter and 1 cup powdered sugar for a couple minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add half of the strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and 1 more cup powdered sugar. Beat until well combined, couple more minutes.
Add remaining strawberry puree and 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, and additional until desired consistency and flavor are met. Beat until creamy and fluffy, 3-4 more minutes.
To frost cake, place one round on cake plate. Frost top of layer, be generous. Place other layer on top. I like to trim edges if the layers don't match up just right. Crumb coat the cake to lock in the crumbs and prepare for final frosting. I used this technique. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to set. Once set, frost as normal, or try a fancy technique that I'm too impatient to do. ;)
For the chocolate covered strawberries, clean and dry strawberries, melt 3 or 4 bars of chocolate almond bark in the microwave, dip the strawberries to coat, and allow them to set on a plate lined with wax paper. Store strawberries in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Source: Cake - Sweetapolita | Frosting - Spoon Fork Bacon
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Let's see what Ginny has for a Date Night outfit! I'm so envious of all of Ginny's jewelry. Luckily, she lets be borrow it when we see each other. #sisterlove
