Strawberry cake recipe?

[kthull]

The amoretti compounds are very cool. I've only played a teensy bit, but have been very happy with the extra punch. Plus, if you call them up, they'll send you samples!

[digigirl]

I made the recipe you reccomended Patrick, with a few changes. First I did try the recipe with sb jello and I didn't like the fake flavoring the jello gives off. So I omited the jello and used a strawberry compound (to taste) and that worked out great. Also for my strawberry puree I reduced my puree to get a more consentrated sauce and that also kicked up the flavor.

I serve it simply with whipped cream and fresh berries.

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I'm so glad to have found this thread! My boyfriend's birthday is next week and upon some investigation, I have discovered strawberry cake is his favorite. I would like to make him a fabulous home-made strawberry cake and knew egullet was the place to go!

Sure enough, here's this thread! Couple of questions on this recipe - I am soooo not a pro and really only got into cooking in the last 6-8 months or so (baking is my favorite). Forgive me if these are stupid questions.

I'm not a fan of fake strawberry flavored things like jello, so I'd rather use the compound, but from all the places I've seen so far, it only comes in bulk sizes, the cost of which is out of my reach right now. Has anybody tried something like this strawberry flavor? Or what about strawberry extract, would that work, also?

If so, when would it be added in order to adjust to taste - after the batter is made?

Wendy - for the reduced puree - did this change the amount you used, i.e., did you use 1 1/2 cups puree after reduction, vs. 1 1/2 cups puree that is then reduced? I'm assuming it's the first option, but just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly.

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me!

[Wendy DeBord]

I've seen strawberry extract at my local grocery stores, but I've never tried them. Perhaps someone else here has, anyone?? I think if I was in your position (with-out access to comercial pastes), I'd try it.

I'm not familar with the product you linked us too, sorry. It seems interesting, I wish they had a photo of it and gave a few more details about it. But I can't really comment on it.

I still kept 1 1/2 c. puree, mine just happened to be reduced down puree ready to be used as a sauce on a plate, not watery/soupy like what you get when you freshly puree strawberries. If I was making this at home, I'd probably buy those frozen strawberries that come in a can or very overripe berries, over perfectly fresh berries.....to squeeze in more sb flavor.

There's also dried strawberry powder you can buy (I think Sweet Celebrations carrys it and for pro.'s Uster has them). But that's not in-expensive either.

'Too taste', I taste the raw batter and smell it as I go. I can tell you that with a subtle flavor like strawberry in a cake batter your better to error on the stronger side. To make it stronger, too taste I added purchased strawberry compound. You could use extract.

hth?

Oh, I thought whipped cream was the perfect accompaniment to that cake. It contrasts nicely with the density of the cake.

[Patrick S]

I'm not a fan of fake strawberry flavored things like jello, so I'd rather use the compound, but from all the places I've seen so far, it only comes in bulk sizes, the cost of which is out of my reach right now.  Has anybody tried something like this strawberry flavor?  Or what about strawberry extract, would that work, also?

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I haven't used it myself, but Boyajian has a 5oz bottle of strawberry flavoring for $15US. I've generally heard positive things about Boyajian products. If you try it out, please let me know what you think of it.

[digigirl]

Thanks for the details, Wendy. Very helpful! And thanks for that link Patrick. I don't think I have time to mail-order anything so I think I'm just going to try it with an extract.

I'm thinking to use your recipe, Patrick, adding the extract and doing the reduced puree ala Wendy. And frost with a whipped cream frosting with bits of strawberry folded through (maybe just in the middle layer, and plain on the outside).

I will try to be organized and take a picture before it is demolished! That's always a challenge as the guys in the house tend to descend like locusts as soon as the baked goods are ready!

I really love this board - being able to talk to accomplished bakers such as yourselves is soooooo helpful and makes me feel much more confident about trying an unknown recipe like this! Thanks, guys!

[digigirl]

Oh - one more question:

I will be making this cake the day before his birthday. Is this type of cake something that should be refrigerated overnight, or would it be better to just frost it and leave it out?

I know some cakes are better after refrigeration, but I haven't done a lot of cakes, mostly cookies and muffins and such.

[Patrick S]

You won't need to refrigerate the cake if you're making it one day ahead. I think a lot of cakes taste better the next day, especially chocolate cakes, but I don't refrigeration will necessarily improve things.

[Dailey]

i'm thinking about trying patricks cake recipe (the third one) for a cake i'm doing at the end of the month. i really was looking for a recipe that didn't call for jello but that is a very rare thing! about a year ago, i tried about 6 different strawberry cake recipes and none of them were what i would call "great", hmmm, i wonder why its so hard to find a good recipe?

[chefette]

It might be intresting to get those "Just Strawberries" flash dried and chop them or grind them into a powder to add to your batter for some extra strawberry power without getting the faky jello taste.

I have several varieties of fruit powders that work great and have made up a few of my own using the "just..." dried berries.

[Kris]

Just the thread I've been looking for! I've been scouring the internet for a scratch strawberry cake. I came across the first recipe but that was about it. I was hesitant to try it because it seems overly sweet with the Jello and 2 cups of sugar.

Thanks for your posts Patrick.

[digigirl]

Just the thread I've been looking for!  I've been scouring the internet for a scratch strawberry cake.  I came across the first recipe but that was about it.  I was hesitant to try it because it seems overly sweet with the Jello and 2 cups of sugar. 

Thanks for your posts Patrick.

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Kris, I made the cake yesterday but we haven't eaten it yet so I can't yet tell you how it came out.

I was unable to find the strawberry extract - the only thing available in the local markets was Imitation, so I just went with really reduced strawberry puree. We'll see how it goes.

But, it went together nicely and I'll have pictures tomorrow as well as a review!

[digigirl]

Well, here is the cake. It came out okay, but not as outstanding as I had hoped. I'm sure that has everything to do with my inexperience and nothing to do with Patrick's recipe! The flavor was pretty good, although not as strawberry-y as it could have been with the extract / compound I didn't have. But it was much denser and didn't come out as light as Patrick's picture looked.

I ended up having to put the batter in the fridge yesterday for a while before baking, so I'm thinking that may have had something to do with it. Anybody else have any suggestions as to why it might have come out so heavy?

I'm trying to post pictures, but for some reason they are not appearing. Hopefully they will show up in the next post.

[digigirl]

Ah, here we go:

[Patrick S]

Well, here is the cake.  It came out okay, but not as outstanding as I had hoped.  I'm sure that has everything to do with my inexperience and nothing to do with Patrick's recipe!  The flavor was pretty good, although not as strawberry-y as it could have been with the extract / compound I didn't have.  But it was much denser and didn't come out as light as Patrick's picture looked. 

I ended up having to put the batter in the fridge yesterday for a while before baking, so I'm thinking that may have had something to do with it.  Anybody else have any suggestions as to why it might have come out so heavy?

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The cake is supposed to be dense, almost like a pound cake. As I wrote in my description of it:

At least, I've found what I'm looking for in a strawberry cake -- exceedingly moist, dense, and flavorful. Of the three I've tried so far, this is the only one that I'm sure will get eaten to completion. Tasters at home and work also think its easily the best of the three. The only drawback --and to me its not a drawback at all-- is its density. If you want a light and airy cake, this is not the one for you.

As for the flavor, you're just not going to get a strong strawberry flavor using only strawberries. At least, I didn't, even when I used a lot. That's why the recipe included a packet of jello. I'm not sure why that it - maybe natural strawberry flavor compounds are not very heat-stable. At any rate, none of the cakes I made with just strawberries was worth making again, for just that reason -- not enough flavor.

Edited May 17, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[digigirl]

Ah, well I suppose I had just made a guess of what it would be like based on your picture, and didn't read your description closely enough.

Don't get me wrong - it was good, just wasn't the texture I expected. My boyfriend - for whose birthday it was - loved it. So it was definitely a success!

Thanks for the recipe, Patrick!

[JSkilling]

I think it looks like a big strawberry shortcake! What's not to love???

I can see the denseness of the cake and know that's what I'd be looking for so I'd be likely to make this (and will soon!). I wonder if those dried strawberries wouldn't do the trick. Although I did just go look at the compounds to see what they have. Yum....

I just put this recipe into MasterCook so I don't have to come searching again to see which version you ended up with. Now I want strawberry cake. But, um, I can't.eat.any.more.cake.

Sigh....

[Patrick S]

First I did try the recipe with sb jello and I didn't like the fake flavoring the jello gives off. So I omited the jello and used a strawberry compound (to taste) and that worked out great. Also for my strawberry puree I reduced my puree to get a more consentrated sauce and that also kicked up the flavor.

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I made the cake again a couple of times and I agree about the jello. Actually I didn't mind the flavor so much but I think it did give a little rubberiness to the cake. So I did what you did -- reduced the puree. I think I ended up using about 2C of almost jam-like reduced puree. This worked great, and made the flavor much stronger. I need to tweak the recipe some more, but I wanted to say that I thought reducing the puree is a great tip.

[RuthWells]

First I did try the recipe with sb jello and I didn't like the fake flavoring the jello gives off. So I omited the jello and used a strawberry compound (to taste) and that worked out great. Also for my strawberry puree I reduced my puree to get a more consentrated sauce and that also kicked up the flavor.

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I made the cake again a couple of times and I agree about the jello. Actually I didn't mind the flavor so much but I think it did give a little rubberiness to the cake. So I did what you did -- reduced the puree. I think I ended up using about 2C of almost jam-like reduced puree. This worked great, and made the flavor much stronger. I need to tweak the recipe some more, but I wanted to say that I thought reducing the puree is a great tip.

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Have you tried working with any of the LorAnn flavored oils, Patrick? I picked up a few bottles last month (haven't had a chance to play with them yet). I'm guessing a few drops of strawberry oil could sub for the flavor provided by the jello and solve the problem of rubberiness.

[Patrick S]

First I did try the recipe with sb jello and I didn't like the fake flavoring the jello gives off. So I omited the jello and used a strawberry compound (to taste) and that worked out great. Also for my strawberry puree I reduced my puree to get a more consentrated sauce and that also kicked up the flavor.

←

I made the cake again a couple of times and I agree about the jello. Actually I didn't mind the flavor so much but I think it did give a little rubberiness to the cake. So I did what you did -- reduced the puree. I think I ended up using about 2C of almost jam-like reduced puree. This worked great, and made the flavor much stronger. I need to tweak the recipe some more, but I wanted to say that I thought reducing the puree is a great tip.

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Have you tried working with any of the LorAnn flavored oils, Patrick? I picked up a few bottles last month (haven't had a chance to play with them yet). I'm guessing a few drops of strawberry oil could sub for the flavor provided by the jello and solve the problem of rubberiness.

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No, I haven't tried LorAnn oils. I see them all the time, and have wondered if they are any good. Once you use them, let me know what you think. I see that Boyajian also has a natural strawberry flavoring, and I've heard good things about their products. Anyway, the cake I made with just the super-reduced puree actually had a pretty strong flavor, and texture was improved too but now it might actually be too delicate, so I might try using more flour or AP flour instead of cake flour. The reduced puree also made the cake purple-pink in color, oddly enough.

[Patrick S]

I finally got around to experimenting with Boyajian strawberry flavoring. $15 for 5 fluid ozs, which works out to be like $1.50 per tablespon. The smell was somewhat weird, but it tasted good in a cake.

I changed my mind again about the puree. I've decided I don't like the reduced puree. It changes the flavor -- some elements get stronger and others get weaker-- and makes the cake purplish. But I may have reduced it too much, cooked it too long.

So last night I made a strawberry chiffon cake using 1C puree from frozen strawberries plus 1T of the Boyajian flavoring. This seemed to have the best flavor yet -- stronger and more like fresh strawberries. I used the CI recipe for chiffon cake. It was perfect except 1) there was a very thin (like 1/5") custary layer on the bottom, and 2) it was maybe very slightly more delicate than I'd like to to be.

[ChocoChris]

Hi all,

I was just asked to make a strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream. I have never made an actual strawberry cake where it is the cake that has the strawberry flavor. Does anyone have a recipe that they recommend?

Thanks!!

Take care,

Chris

[miladyinsanity]

Strawberry Cake recipe

Some eGulleters were trying out recipes in that thread. Can't remember whether they created a successful one or not though.

[Patrick S]

I haven't found one I really like, and I've tried a lot.

[ChocoChris]

Patrick, I haven't heard of anyone ever talking about a good strawberry cake they've tasted.

Thanks for the link miladyinsanity!

[davecap]

Patrick,  I haven't heard of anyone ever talking about a good strawberry cake they've tasted.

Thanks for the link miladyinsanity!

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Since it is strawberry season, how about a genoise or pound cake with vanilla buttercream and sliced strawberrys?