Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Hubby and I went strawberry picking the other day. I actually had never gone, but we’ve been going through SO MANY strawberries recently that I thought it would be a good idea. We went with our friends K and A. We drove out to Tougas Farms on Saturday morning. We started with some warm fresh out of the fryer strawberry donuts. They were delicious with just a hint of strawberry. Hubby and I also split a strawberry slush. It was basically just some strawberries blended with some ice. It was very refreshing.
We did get rained on in the middle of our strawberry picking adventures. It wasn’t anything horrible but we did get a bit wet. Hubby and I came home with ~12 pounds of strawberries. We figured we’d be able to eat our way through about 6 of those pounds, but to go through the rest, I’ve decided to highlight even more strawberry recipes this week. So today I’m kicking off a second Week of Strawberry recipes. Be sure to check back each day to see what I’m doing with all these fresh strawberries.
The first thing that these freshly picked strawberries went in to was a cake. Hubby announced this year that he was going to make me a cake for my birthday. I was honestly shocked. Hubby has never baked anything in his life. Growing up with him mom being a great cook and baker, then living with me, he’s never been in a position to need to bake something himself. So I was very excited to see how it went.
Hubby asked that I give him a few recipes from my to-bake list and he’d choose from there. I gave him three cake recipes that didn’t look too complicated. He chose this Strawberry Shortcake Cake recipe from The Pioneer Woman. He baked the cake the night before and wrapped it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge. The next day, after our fresh strawberries were washed and dried, he continued with the filling and frosting.
This cake was very tasty. We took leftovers to work and I kept having people stop by to thank me for the cake. I had to correct them and tell them that Hubby had made it (we work in the same building). I have to admit, Hubby’s cake was awesome. I might commission him out to do some baking for me more often! I was in the kitchen giving him tips, but he did it all himself. Even the frosting of the cake.
This cake did get pretty soggy on day 3. I would definitely serve it the same day you put the strawberry filling in the cake. Definitely let it set for a while so the strawberry filling soaks into the cake layers. The second day, it was also delicious.
Two Years Ago: Inside Out Stuffed Peppers and Ropa Vieja
Check out my SECOND week of Strawberry Recipes HERE
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Yield: 12
Ingredients:
For the Cake
1 1/2 cup flour
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cups greek yogurt, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
For the Frosting
1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1 pound strawberries
Directions:
For the Cake
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing 1 minute after each addition. Add yogurt and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.
Pour into greased and floured 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
For the Frosting
Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.
Assemble the Cake
Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.
Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.
Leave plain or garnish with strawberry halves.
Cake is best when served cool. Store in the fridge.
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m with you–every ingredient in this salad is a winner on it’s own. Together? Forgetaboutit! The colors are beautiful and I can imagine how great it tastes with the balance of bitter, sweet, and tart.
Love the new layout, also. Way to go!
Yum! I am also addicted to kale since doing a CSA here in Boston 🙂
It’s so funny, because as I was scrolling through Tastespotting tonight and saw this post, I had to click because it looked so familiar to my winter couscous bowl… and then, I couldn’t believe it when I saw my blog credited at the bottom! This is a first for me 🙂 Thanks so much for the credit!
So you’ve recently moved back to Cincinnati? Which part? My family and I live in Anderson Township.
beantownbaker — January 13th, 2013 @ 10:02 am
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
We work in West Chester and are living in Oakley right now. Trying to find a house at some point…
I think this sounds amazing, Jen! And I love how colorful it is. I am always looking for new winter salads that are colorful, flavorful, and interesting.
beantownbaker — January 13th, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
This is definitely colorful, flavorful, and interesting. I have seriously been OBSESSED with pomegranates this winter, and this salad totally feeds into that obsession.
I’m on a major quinoa AND kale kick so this salad is right up my alley. So colorful and pretty, too!
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:47 pm
Pretty food is definitely always tastier than ugly food 🙂
looks a lot like the one i posted last week 🙂 obviously, i’m all over it!!
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:48 pm
Very similar indeed!
This is perfect for that kale and pomegranate I have in the fridge! I’m always excited to find new things to put together ahead of time for lunches and dinners, thanks! Hope you are settling in nicely 🙂
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:49 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Making food ahead of time saves the day during the week! I can’t imagine not eating leftovers… Things are going pretty well for us in Ohio so far. Hope things are going well for you and your little bundle on the way!
Sounds great to me! I love the ingredients. And the colors 🙂
This sounds right up my alley! YUM!!
I was thinking about an easy and colorful, flavorful, and power-packed healthy side dish to bring for a potluck lunch after a trail work party this coming weekend. I had these amazing cute pumpkins to harvest from my garden and love both kale and quinoa. I thought to myself, mmmm, what if I made some kind of pumpkin kale quinoa and goat cheese salad to share? One quick internet search and I came across this gem! I modified and concocted a tad, which is normal for me. Thanks so much for the recipe and ingredient confirmations! The honey, olive oil, and smokey / spicy combo was the secret ingredient for me! Happy fooding!
beantownbaker — November 3rd, 2013 @ 12:35 pm
Glad you enjoyed it! I am always tweaking recipes to make them fit what I have on hand and what we like too.