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Strawberry Layer Cake with 7 Minute Frosting is the perfect summer dessert. Layered with fresh strawberries and fluffy frosting it is pretty and delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Strawberry Layer Cake is a delicious alternative to strawberry shortcake! Strawberry shortcake is a classic, but it can be dense and dry if you aren’t careful. This strawberry cake recipe is moist and delicious and covered with a delicious 7 Minute Frosting. If you are looking for a more traditional strawberry shortcake, try this recipe!
The vanilla cake is soft and tastes delicious, the strawberries are always perfection, and the 7 minute frosting is light, fluffy, and reminds me of marshmallow fluff.
Ingredients Needed
- Strawberries. I like to slice and macerate the strawberries.
- Cake Flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and will yield a lighter, fluffier cake. If you don’t have cake flour you can substitute all purpose flour.
- Sugar
- Butter, softened
- Eggs, room temperature
- Milk, room temperature
- Oranges, juice and zest
- Baking Powder
- Cream of Tartar
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
How to Make Strawberry Layer Cake
- Heat oven 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round baking pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; spray paper.
- Combine milk and orange juice in small bowl.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl.
- Mix butter and sugar in large bowl or a stand mixer with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add in vanilla extract.
- Beat flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture in 3 parts alternately with orange juice mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Divide batter between two prepared pans.
- Bake at 350° F for 30- 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire rack 15 minutes and then remove and allow to cool completely.
- Slice strawberries.
- Combine strawberries and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Prepare 7 minute frosting.
- Slice each layer of cake in half.
- Spoon 1/3 of sliced strawberries onto cake. Drain off excess liquid so as not to make the cake soggy.
- Top with 1 cup of frosting.
- Repeat with remaining layers.
- Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of cake.
- Garnish with strawberries.
How To Make 7 Minute Frosting
- Beat sugar, water, egg whites and cream of tartar in large heatproof bowl at high speed until egg whites are foamy and opaque.
- Place bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water.
- Beat at high speed until soft peaks form
- Remove bowl from saucepan.
- Add orange zest and vanilla extract.
- Beat at high speed until slightly cool and thickened.
Tips
- Use room temperature eggs, milk and butter. They will blend in more easily and will not cause your butter to seize up. This can effect your batter, causing it to separate and your cake won’t rise as well. I set my dairy and eggs out about 30 minutes before I start baking to allow everything to come to room temperature.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
- Use a serrated bread knife to slice the cake for best results.
- This cake is best enjoyed the same day it is made. The juice from the strawberries will make the cake soggy after 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make strawberry layer cake ahead of time?
The cake can easily be baked up tp two ahead of time and wrapped airtight. If you need to make it further ahead of time, I recommend freezing it. Do not assemble the cake until the day you serve it. To freeze the cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap individually and then in a layer of foil.
Can I use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?
You will get a more tender crumb and a softer cake with the cake flour. If you do not have cake flour, you can substitute with all purpose flour.
How to store strawberry layer cake?
This cake must be stored in the refrigerator. It is best enjoyed within two days.
Check out more of my favorite strawberry recipes:
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Strawberry Layer Cake Recipe
A delicious alternative to strawberry shortcake, this Strawberry Layer Cake is the perfect summer dessert. Layered with fresh strawberries and fluffy frosting it is pretty and delicious.
Prep:40 minutes
Cook:35 minutes
0 minutes
Total:1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
7 Minute Frosting
- 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar divided
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp grated orange peel
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb. strawberries about 4 cups, sliced
- whole strawberries halved or whole for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round baking pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; spray paper.
- Combine milk and orange juice in small bowl.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
- Mix butter and 2 cups sugar in large bowl at medium speed 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in 2 teaspoons vanilla.
- Beating slowly, beat in flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with orange juice mixture into sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter between pans.
- Bake for 30- 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 15 minutes.
- Remove cakes from pan and remove parchment. Turn cakes top-side up; cool completely.
- (Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)
7 Minute Frosting
- Beat 1 1/4 cups of the sugar, water, egg whites and cream of tartar in large heatproof bowl at high speed 1 minute or until egg whites are foamy and opaque. Place bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (bowl should not touch water); beat at high speed 7 minutes or until soft peaks form
- Remove bowl from saucepan. Add orange peel and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat at high speed 2 minutes or until slightly cool and thickened.
- Combine sliced strawberries and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl; let stand 15 minutes.
- Slice cake layers in half horizontally. Spoon one-third of the strawberry mixture, including juice, over bottom layer; top with second layer and one-third strawberry mixture. Spread 1 cup of the frosting over strawberry mixture; top with third layer and remaining strawberry mixture. Top with fourth layer.
- Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of cake, swirling to decorate.
- Garnish with strawberries. Store in refrigerator.
Tips & Notes:
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
- Use a serrated bread knife to slice the cake for best results.
- This cake is best enjoyed the same day it is made. The juice from the strawberries will make the cake soggy after 3 days.
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Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 429kcal (21%) Carbohydrates: 61g (20%) Protein: 7g (14%) Fat: 18g (28%) Saturated Fat: 10g (63%) Cholesterol: 96mg (32%) Sodium: 199mg (9%) Potassium: 238mg (7%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 37g (41%) Vitamin A: 594IU (12%) Vitamin C: 27mg (33%) Calcium: 65mg (7%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
sandra mahoski says
Excellent
Jenetta Penner says
The cake looks perfect… and how I wish we’re neighbors. 🙂