#imsy

It's hard to look at the Gemini constellation the same way again

A strawberry cake with blueberry buttercreme frosting and blueberry reduction in the middle! Recipe below:

Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

·         1 lb fresh strawberries

·         2 and 1/2 cups (250g) sifted cake flour (white flour works fine)

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         3/4 cup (1.5 sticks; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

·         1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar

·         5 large egg whites, at room temperature

·         1/3 cup (75g) sour cream, at room temperature

·         2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·         1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature

·         1/2 cup reduced strawberry puree 

 1. Make the reduced strawberry puree and allow it to cool completely.

a.   Take 1lb of fresh strawberries. Remove greens while keeping as much of fruit as possible

b.   Puree strawberries in food processer

c.   Put pureed strawberries in small pot on the stove. While stirring, bring to a simmer and continue to stir until the total volume is reduced to about a ½ cup (note: you don’t need to remove the seeds with a sieve as they disappear within the cake)

2.Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.

3.Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

4.Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in 1/2 cup of reduced strawberry puree, making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.

5.Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

 Blueberry Frosting

·         3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, if using frozen don't thaw (I used frozen)

·         4 tablespoons lemon juice

·         2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, VERY soft

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (more if needed), sifted

·         1 tablespoon heavy cream (more if needed)

·         fresh blueberries, for decorating (optional)

  1.    In a small saucepan combine blueberries and lemon juice; bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and gently smashing the blueberries smooth, until thickened into a deep, dark blueberry reduction, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and push the puree though, leaving any skin/large chunks behind. Allow mixture to cool completely before using.  Set half aside for middle of cake.

2.   Once the blueberry puree has cooled, place the softened butter in a large bowl or in the body of a stand mixer. Using a handheld mixer, or with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high (scraping down the sides as needed) until completely smooth; about 2 minutes. Add in a 1/4 cup of the blueberry puree and beat until completely combined; about 1 minute (don't worry if the mixture looks weird at this point). Add in the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, add in the cream and salt, then beat on high-speed for a full 2 minutes - this thickens up the frosting and makes it nice and fluffy

  To assemble:

 1.    Place 1 cooled cake on a cake board (or clean piece of cardboard cut out into a 9 inch circle)

2.   Flatten the top of both cakes with a sharp knife. Be careful not to cut yourself!

3.   Pipe or spoon frosting on top of flattened cake layer. Flatten frosting with a spatula or butter knife (placing the cake on a Lazy Suzan can help with this)

4.   Drizzle or pipe the remaining blueberry reduction on top of frosting. To get the best look, be careful to keep the reduction away from the edge.

5.   Place the next cake layer on top, flattened side down and bottom side up. This gives you a nice flat top.

6.   Pipe or spread frosting on top of the cake. Smooth flat using a spatula or butter knife.

7.   Pipe or spread frosting around the sides of the cake and use a spatula or butter knife to smooth (again, a Lazy Susan or cake decorating turntable can help with this.)

8.   Using a frosting tip of your choice (I used a #17 open star tip) pipe swirls of frosting around the edge of the cake. Top with fresh blueberries.

   Sources: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2018/01/05/strawberry-cake/