Recipe: Summer Strawberry Crème Cake

Dear Reader

As promised! The recipe to the cake I posted on Facebook last week.

I came up with this cake, because I felt like strawberry cake, but didn’t care for any of the recipes I’d found. Long ago, I stopped using sugar based icings that are too sweet, and too heavy, specifically for fruit based desserts. A few years ago, I debated using a little bit of Jello pudding, to keep my whipped cream from thinning during transport, then started adding different ingredients to the mixture. Eventually the recipe became my base of cake making for anything that wasn’t going to be staying outside for more than forty-five minutes. This method creates an airy icing and/or filling with a hint of sweetness, which I also use for fruit salad, decorating and more. You can use any combination of flavors, and add more Jello for a firmer icing. Just make sure to whip the cream before adding anything to it. The end result doesn’t come close if you don’t. 

Ingredients:

One box of French vanilla cake mix (prepared as instructed, minus two teaspoons liquid: water/milk)

Four cups heavy (whipping) cream

Three cups strawberries, stems removed

½ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

Four tablespoons vanilla Jello Pudding

Three tablespoons chocolate Jello Pudding

Two Teaspoons cocoa

1 cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

Mince one cup of the strawberries, and put into the prepared cake batter (The water from the strawberries will make up for the two teaspoons of liquid from the batter) With electric beater, mix enough to further mash. Pour into two prepared 10inch spring form pans. Bake as directed, cool.

Whip two cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Immediately add four tablespoons vanilla Jello pudding and ½ cup icing sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until firm. Chop two cups strawberries, and add to mixture, folding in with spatula. Refrigerate to set.

Whip two cups heavy cream and ½ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream until stiff peaks form. Immediately add four tablespoons chocolate Jello Pudding, ½ cup icing sugar, two teaspoons cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until firm. (You don’t have to refrigerate yet)

I don’t level the cakes, because of the thick layer of filling will form to/fix any uneven surfaces. On a plate, place one of the cake layers. Evenly pile all of the strawberry crème mixture (expect 1-3 inches high) Turn the second cake upside down and place on the filling, gently pressing down until even, and the filling is slightly bulging out of the sides.

With a long icing spatula, smoothing out the sides, filling any unevenness of the two layers. Ice cake with the chocolate Bailey’s mixture, taking care to use huge globs, to cover the filling without pulling too much of white filling, which will show through the chocolate. (If some does, just add more icing and smooth)

To get a smooth finish, apply all of the icing to the cake. Get a large bowl of hot water and a towel. Keep working the icing smooth, starting on the on top, pulling excess to the outer edges, then around the sides, periodically dipping the icing spatula in hot water, and wiping off with the towel (extra icing on the metal, will pull on the surface)

Refrigerate for three hours (preferably overnight to set)