Vanilla Sponge Cake with Strawberry-Meringue Buttercream :USA #162

 Vanilla Sponge Cake with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream:USA #162

 

Tall and light as air, this 3 layer chiffon cake is a strawberry lovers’s delight. There are 3 pounds of strawberries sandwiched between layers and mixed into the whipped frosting. Woohoo!

Cake:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pan 
• 2-1/4 c. Cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1-1/2 c. Granulated sugar 
• 2-1/4 tsp. Baking powder 
• 3/4 tsp. Kosher salt 
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
• 7 large eggs, separated, room temperature 
• 2/3 c whole milk, room temperature 
• 1/2 cream of tartar 
• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract 

Frosting:

• 3 lbs. strawberries, hulled
• 1-3/4 c. Granulated sugar 
• 7 egg whites
• 1/4 kosher salt 
• 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• Confectioners sugar for dusting 

1. Cake: preheat oven 325F. Coat an 8 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line sides with a 5 inch strip of parchment paper; coat parchment with cooking spray. 
2. Whisk together flour, 3/4 c. Sugar, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined, 30 seconds.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, egg yolks, and milk to combine.
4. Whisk flour mixture into butter mixture until smooth.
5. Beat egg whites on medium low speed until frothy, about 2 minutes.
6. Add cream of tartar and vanilla and beat on medium high until soft peaks form, 2 minutes more.
7. Gradually add remaining 3/4 c. Sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
8. Whisk 1/3 of egg white mixture into batter.
9. Gently but thoroughly fold in remaining egg white mixture with a rubber spatula.
10. Transfer batter to pan; gently smooth top with spatula.
11. Bake until rises and golden brown, about 45 minutes.
12. Reduce oven to 300 F and continue to bake until top springs back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes more.
13. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.
14. Unlock pan and carefully lift to remove. Remove parchment paper and turn cake out onto rack, running a sharp knife between cake and pan bottom to release. Remove bottom and turn cake top side up; let cool.
15. Frosting: In a food processor, purée 1 pound strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth.
16. Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until darkened, thick, and syrupy, about 10 minutes.
17. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible (should have 1 cup).
18. Refrigerate,covered, until room temperature, about 1 hour (or transfer to a bowl set in an ice water bath and stir occasionally until cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
19. Combine egg whites, remaining 1-1/4 cups sugar, and salt in a heatproof stand mixer bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water, whisking constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm. ( It should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips.)
20. Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
21. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium high, beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Continue beating until bottom of bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
22. Reduce speed to medium low and beat in butter,a few tablespoons at a time, until combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
23. Slowly add strawberry purée and vanilla, beating until combined. ( If buttercream appears curdled, increase speed to medium high and beat until smooth.)
24. Slice 1 pound strawberries lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick ( about 2-1/2 cups).
25. Cut cake horizontally into 3 even layers with a serrated knife. 
26. Transfer bottom layer, cut side up, to a cake plate or stand lined with parchment strips. Spread top evenly with 3/4 cup buttercream and half of sliced strawberries, overlapping berries to fit. 
27. Spread another 3/4 cup buttercream onto one side of middle cake layer and place over first cake layer, frosted side down. Press gently to adhere, being careful not to allow strawberries to slide out.
28. Spread top layer with another 3/4 cup buttercream; top evenly with remaining sliced strawberries. 
29. Spread another 3/4 cup buttercream onto cut side of top cake layer; place on middle layer, frosted side down, pressing gently to adhere.
30. Using a small offset metal spatula spread remaining butter cream evenly over top and sides of cake.
31. To create decorative sides, whole spatula vertically against cake and press one long side gently into frosting (do not go deeper than a 1/4 inch, so you don’t get down to cake), then pull spatula directly upward in one motion. Repeat around entire cake, then remove parchment strips.
32. Top cake with remaining 1 pound strawberries, cutting some in the house, if desired. Dust lightly with confectioner sugar.

Results: I made this for my son’s birthday. It  was quite the showstopper and it was delicious. I have difficulty cutting cake layers horizontally. So instead, I made 3 equal cake layers. I weighed each layer to make sure they were equal.  The frosting came out a bit runny and soft. It never thickened. I think the butter was too soft. I added confectioners’ sugar to try to thicken it but it just didn’t work. I couldn’t frost the sides because it was so runny. So, I called it a naked cake. The cake was a lot of work and took up a lot of time, especially making the strawberry purée. However, it was very good a and worth the effort.

Bottom line: Definitely a keeper. 

Please share this blog with family and friends. Thank you. 🥰