The taste of summer is fat juicy strawberries that burst in your mouths revealing the sweetness and the faint hint of tart there is no better season than summer for strawberries except of course you are tossing it together in batter enter the summer strawberry cake, one for the ages. I walked into M&S the other day and found these faintly blush coloured strawberries, actually their official name is pineberries, but they look at taste like strawberries with a hint of vanilla and pineapple and are absolutely perfect to eat any which way you want, with rose, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, dipped in melted milk chocolate… I thought it would be fun to use them in a summer berry cake recipe. 10/10 across the board.
PREP: 30mins
MAKE: 35min +/-
SERVE: 10-12
INGREDIENTS: Before we list them, I have come a long way from cup measurements, for a long time I resisted measuring with scales because I am a collector of cute cups for measuring stuff but the most accurate form of measurement for bakes goods is grams so get a scale. You can still use cups but save yourself hassle and get a scale to measure accurately. And please for the love of all things puff pastry, do not eye ball stuff; baking is precise for a reason.
- 330G organic spelt flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 227G unsalted butter- Kerrygold preferred
- 275G caster sugar
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- 1 table spoon vanilla extract
- 120 ML full fat milk: ML is equivalent to G so 120 ML is 120G.
- 150G pineberry puree, shortened (mix in traditional strawberries if you want)
- Drops of pink food colouring
NOTE: For the shortening, all you do is blend strawberries and then proceed to place them on a boil until all the water is drained from it. It should take about an hour so do this well ahead and then you need another hour to let it cool to room temperature before you start to back.
Room temperature, except where a recipe calls for it like say a meat pie when the butter needs to be cold, is really how you want all ingredients for baking should be it removed the stress of coagulants in the finished recipe so bear that in mind when you are setting your baking stall out, give it a good couple of hours to sit on the kitchen counter and come to room temperature.
THE BAKE:
- Pre-heat the oven at 175G C and butter one or two round tins, depending on your batter, I always butter up two just in case I can split the batter. Set aside
- Whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- On medium speed, soften the butter by whisking it in a stand alone mixed for about four minutes. Add in the sugar and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy; you sight and taste test this.
- Pause the mixing and scrape down the sides they add in the egg white and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Now here’s where I need you pay attention because we know ourselves here, with the mixer on low you will add the dry good mixtures, milk and strawberry puree already prepared alternatively. You should do this until all are added and it is JUST combined. What is “just combined” I hate that term because I never know when something is just… same as when someone says say when when adding cheese to pasta; there is no when. But when something it “just combined” it simply means before you deem the mixture to look perfectly mixed. It shouldn’t look perfectly mixed.
- Add in a drop or three or five of pink food colouring, this is a gel consistency so it will not change the mix on way or another.
- Happy with your batter, pour into the prepared baking tins and put in the over to bake for at least 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cake tin you might want to give it more of less time but do not check this until at least thirty minutes have elapsed.
- Leave on a cooling rack to cool completely to room temp if you are going to ice it.
THE FROSTING:
- 230G Philadelphia Cream Cheese (NOT ORGANIC PLEASE)
- 227G Unsalted butter at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 800G Icing sugat
- 1/4 Teaspoon sal
- 150G red strawberry shortened puree
- Now here is where I screwed up the first time by using organic cream cheese… please DO NOT USE ORGANIC CREAM CHEESE. Tried. Tested. Cocked it up so you do not have to. Philadelphia Cream Cheese is the way to go here so use that and use the FULL FAT version none of that half fat or light or fat free nonsense… full fat goodness.
- Beat the butter, salt, vanilla and cream cheese together until it is well combined; here is were room temperature pays off because the butter will be softened without clumps which is important. Adding the vanilla at this stage gives it an excellent flavour profile too.
- With the mixer on low, add in the icing sugar using a small measuring cup and ensure all is perfectly combined, no clomps, no white powder, no lumps. And you should sight text the consistency so if its too watery you add in more icing sugar to make sure it is light, fluffy and with the spatula test will not fall off the ladle with you scoop it.
ICING:
DO NOT ICE A WARM CAKE! I know, i know but you never know because I did it. Rookie mistake but wait until the cake is completely cooled before icing. I am not the best icing baker so its very much thoughts and prayers but it does take lovely.