Strawberry Layer Cake

When the Farmer’s Market is overflowing with tiny baskets and large flats of ruby-colored berries, then you know it’s time to make this Strawberry Layer Cake.

The fluffy pink layers are made with real strawberries and spread with strawberry preserves for an ever more intense, sweet, and slightly tart bite. Creamy, vanilla-spiked Ermine frosting brings it all together in this summer celebration cake. 

You are going to fall in love with this cake! Three layers of fluffy pink strawberry cake with strawberry jam and creamy Ermine Frosting.

I must emphasize the real strawberries used in this cake. Often strawberry cake recipes call for boxed strawberry jello or instant strawberry pudding, but we will keep those on the store shelves where they belong.

Instead, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of an abundance of summer berries.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Tools and Equipment
• Strawberry Purée
• Instructions for Filling and Stacking
• Layer Cake 101
• Steps for Making a Strawberry Layer Cake
• Substitutions
• Serving and Storage
• What is Ermine Frosting?
• Tips and Troubleshooting for Ermine Frosting
• Recipe FAQs
• Related
• Recipe

I was inspired by this Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream. This is the inverse having strawberry cake layers and creamy vanilla frosting.

UPDATE: I recognize that the pink frosting is a bit deceiving. No, it is not flavored with strawberries but is rather a creamy vanilla buttercream that is tinted pink.

If you'd like to use a frosting that tastes like strawberries, then there are two options:

Strawberry frosting using freeze dried strawberries

Strawberry buttercream using strawberry puree. Multiply the buttercream recipe by 1.5 to frost and fill this three layer, 8-inch cake.

Ingredients

• Fresh strawberries - add tons of real strawberry flavor by blending and cooking down fresh strawberries
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest/juice - these are used to enhance the strawberry flavor
• All-purpose flour
• Cornstarch - lighten up the flour by adding a bit of cornstarch like a homemade cake flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Whole Milk - any percentage or non-dairy milk will do too
• Unsalted butter - make sure the butter is softened to use with the creaming method
• Vanilla extract
• Large eggs - allow the eggs to come to room temperature before baking or set them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.
• Strawberry jam - use sweet strawberry jam for the filling

See recipe card for quantities.

Tools and Equipment

Here are some of the kitchen tools you will need to successfully bake and decorate this strawberry layer cake:

• Food processor
• Saucepan
• Electric mixer
• Rubber spatula
• Three, 8-inch cake pans
• Rotating cake stand
• Piping bag
• Offset spatula

Strawberry Purée

Even when strawberries are at their peak ripeness, reducing the puréed fruit concentrates their flavor.

Cook the puréed strawberries over low heat until they become thick and jammy. Make sure to cool the reduced purée before adding it to your cake batter.

Can I use Frozen Strawberries?

Frozen strawberries may also work, but they have a tendency to hold onto more water. It might take a bit more time to reduce the liquid down until thick. Sweeten to taste.

Instructions for Filling and Stacking

When working with a softer filling, like jam or pastry cream, use a buttercream dam to help hold everything in. It will be near impossible to smoothly ice a cake if the filling starts leaking out.

Hint: if at any point the cake feels unstable or the filling/frosting starts slipping, pop the whole thing in the refrigerator to help firm up.

Not into stacking? Try this Strawberry Sheet Cake!

Steps for Making a Strawberry Layer Cake

• Start the Ermine Frosting - the frosting begins with a cooked flour custard that needs to be chilled
• Make the Strawberry Puree - blend in the food processor then cook to reduce
• Make the Cake Batter - ensure that the strawberry puree is cooled before adding to the cake batter
• Bake!
• Complete the Frosting - allow the cooked flour custard to come back to room temperature before mixing with the butter
• Assemble and Decorate!

Substitutions

Frozen Strawberries - they tend to hold onto more water, but will work. It might take a bit more time to reduce the liquid down until thick. Sweeten to taste.

Non-Dairy Milk - you should be able to make the ermine frosting with any non-dairy milk with similar results.

Strawberry Frosting - Triple up the strawberry by using the strawberry buttercream from this Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling recipe.

Serving and Storage

Serve this cake at room temperature. The cake may be kept at a cool room temperature overnight. Beyond that, store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Unfrosted cake layers maybe be wrapped in plastic and placed in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cake layers overnight in the refrigerator.

What is Ermine Frosting?

This vintage frosting is silky and custard-like but made without eggs. It is similar in taste and texture as meringue-based buttercreams and far less sweet than American-style buttercream.

Sometimes known as “heritage,” “cooked-flour,” or “boiled,” frosting, it starts with cooking flour on the stove to eliminate its starchy flavor and activate its thickening properties.

The two-part process combines the cooked and cooled flour/milk/sugar roux with softened butter to create the smooth and dreamy frosting. 

Looking for a pink Strawberry Buttercream? Try this one on our Vanilla Strawberry Cake.

Tips and Troubleshooting for Ermine Frosting

The key to smooth Ermine frosting is temperature control. The base and butter should both be room temperature when whipped together. Add vanilla and salt to season the buttercream before slathering it on this Strawberry Layer Cake.

For best results, use right after mixing. 

If the frosting feels heavy and thick then it is likely too cold and has not had enough time to mix. It should be weightless and silky, but not greasy.

You may gently warm the frosting using a double-boiler or by microwaving a very small amount and mixing it back in until smooth and spreadable. 

If the frosting is too soft to spread and slips off the cake, then it is likely too warm. Try placing the frosting in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes, then re-mixing until smooth and spreadable. 

Recipe FAQs

Using Freeze-dried Fruit for Strawberry Layer Cake

A lot of modern recipes for strawberry layer cake and frosting contain ground freeze-dried strawberries. While using freeze-dried fruit undoubtedly adds intense berry flavor, they can be incredibly hard to source outside of the US.

Even here in Canada, they are difficult to find and come with a hefty price tag. I wanted to make this cake recipe accessible for all, so I opted out of using freeze-dried strawberries. 

Beautiful layer cakes are sometimes reserved for special occasions, so I understand if you want to splurge or go all-out with the strawberry flavor. Try adding ground freeze-dried strawberries to the cake batter itself and/or to the buttercream for a fruit-forward frosting. 

Bonus? Freeze-dried fruit will eliminate the need for food coloring as it is naturally a very vibrant pink.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

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