Strawberry Celebration Cake with Blood Orange Frosting
Makes 1four layer 6-inch cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Purée
1poundstrawberries, stemmed halved
2tablespoongranulated sugar
Strawberry Cake
3 3/4cupcake flour
1tablespoonbaking powder
3/4teaspoonbaking soda
1 1/2teaspoonsalt
1cupand 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3cupgranulated sugar
7egg whites
1/2cupfull-fat sour cream
1 1/2tablespoonvanilla
3/4cupwhole milk
3/4cupreduced strawberry purée
1/3cupfreeze dried strawberry powder
Blood Orange Buttercream
1cupunsalted butter, room temperture
3 1/4cuppowdered sugar
4tablespoonreduced blood orange juice, from about two oranges
Instructions
Strawberry Purée
In a food processor, purée strawberries. You should have a little over 1 cup.
Add sugar to the purée.
Cook the purée over low-medium heat for 30 minutes until you're left with 3/4 cup or a little over 3/4 cup. Allow to cool completely before using in cake batter.
Strawberry Cake
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare four cake pans.
In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
Turn the mixer to low speed and, alternating between the dry ingredients and the milk, add the them butter/sugar mixture until the batter is relatively smooth. Do not over-mix. Whisk in 3/4 cup of reduced strawberry puree and discard any extra.
Evenly divide the batter into the four cake pans and transfer to the oven to bake for 28 - 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Blood Orange Buttercream
Juice two blood oranges. Pour the blood orange juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high until fluffy.
Add reduced blood orange juice, and beat to incorporate.
Add the confectioners’ sugar into the creamed butter one cup at a time. Beat until fluffy.