Strawberry Cake

I have several recipes to add on here, but this one I had a request for which is why it is getting precedence. I made this for the Valentine's Day dinner that I hosted. I thought it fit well with Valentine's Day to make a pink cake, so Strawberry Cake was the winner. If you have been reading this blog for long, you know by now that I dislike using box cake mixes, and may I just say that it is extremely difficult to find a from scratch strawberry cake recipe. When I found this one I was sold. I made it once last fall, and it was so delicious, I knew it would be perfect for Valentine's. (I apologize for the lack of photos.)

Strawberry Cake
24 oz frozen strawberries, thawed
1/4 cup almond milk
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*F and grease two 8inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a paper towel. Thaw strawberries and drain some of the liquid off using a strainer. Puree the strawberries using a food processor or blender. Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake and set the rest aside to add to the frosting. In a small bowl combine the puree, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix with a fork until well blended and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine. Beating on low speed, beat in the butter until moist crumbles form. Add in the liquids and mix until combined. Pour evenly into the cake pans, smooth tops, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and then frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
reserved strawberry puree

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in butter and beat until smooth. Add in vanilla. Then add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in some of the strawberry puree, but not too much or the frosting will be runny.

To assemble, place one layer of cake on cake plate, top with some strawberry puree. Place other layer on top. Then frost and enjoy!!

Notes: You can also make this cake with fresh strawberries. I'm looking forward to trying that this summer when there are fresh ripe strawberries. Obviously, you will want to hull the strawberries before you puree them. 6 large egg whites can also be substituted for the 4 eggs. I haven't tried this recipe with applesauce instead of eggs, but it seems to me like it would be delicious and make this cake even more moist than it is already. Maybe next time I make it that will happen.