Moist Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake
Three layers of moist vanilla cake filled with a vanilla soak and fresh strawberry jam, all topped with a smooth and sweet strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream. This moist strawberry vanilla layer cake is ideal for any event or just a casual weekend bake.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake Layers
- 2 1/4 cups (343g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature and sliced into 8 Tbsp-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
For the Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter softened to about 63°F and cut into Tbsp-sized pieces
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- Gel food coloring optional
For the Cake Assembly
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 (6-inch) cake pans with cooking spray, and line each with parchment paper. Spray tops of parchment with more cooking spray.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for about 10 seconds, just to combine the ingredients.
- Combine the milk and sour cream in a large (2-cup) liquid measuring cup.
- Add butter slices, oil, vanilla, and half of the milk mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until the mixture looks slightly crumbly. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- If you haven't separated your eggs already, crack the egg whites into the liquid measuring cup with the remaining milk/sour cream mixture (save the egg yolks for another recipe, like this French Silk Pie). Whisk to combine.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the milk mixture, in 2 additions, beating for 15 seconds in between each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once everything is incorporated.
- Mix for an additional 15 seconds on medium speed. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Place the pans on a sheet pan and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the sides pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool cake layers completely in pans. Once cooled, remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Add the strawberries to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until you reach a fine powder consistency. Set aside.
- Whisk egg whites and sugar in the the clean bowl of a stand mixer (or another heat-proof bowl) and set over a saucepan with 2 inches of simmering water on medium heat.
- Cook egg mixture, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer and sugar granules are completely dissolved. To test if the sugar is completely dissolved, quickly dip a finger into the mixture and rub between your fingers. It should be completely smooth.
- Transfer bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes. If you hit 10 minutes and still don't have stiff peaks, place the entire bowl in the refrigerator for exactly 10 minutes. Then, remove the bowl and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Once you reach stiff peaks, if the bowl and meringue are still warm to the touch, refrigerate for 10 minutes exactly and proceed to the next step.
- With the mixer running on medium-low speed, beat in half of the butter (3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks), 1 Tbsp at a time, waiting until 1 Tbsp is completely incorporated before adding the next.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and continue beating in remaining butter on medium-low speed, still adding it 1 Tbsp at a time until buttercream is smooth, fluffy, and holds its shape.
- Beat in the processed strawberries, vanilla, salt, and food coloring (if using).
- For troubleshooting your swiss meringue buttercream, head over to my detailed post on how to make swiss meringue buttercream. It will tell you everything you need to know about a buttercream that is curdled or too loose.
Cake Assembly
- Combine the milk and vanilla in a bowl and set aside (this will be our soak before we assemble the cakes).
- Use a serrated knife to slice a very small layer of cake off the domed parts of the cake layers. The goal here is to even out the tops of the cakes to they stack nicely.
- Use a pastry brush to spread the milk mixture onto each cake layer. Make sure to use all of it!
- Assmble the cake by spreading a layer of strawberry preserves on one layer, then some strawberry buttercream, then repeat the process with the next cake layer.
- Add the third cake layer, and spread about 1/4 cup frosting on top of that cake layer. Use an offset spatula or a knife to spread a thin layer of frosting around the sides of the cake. This will be your crumb coat. You just want to encapsulate the crumbs, so we're not spreading the full amount of frosting on the cake yet.
- Hold a bench scraper up to the side of the cake and spin the cake stand or turntable to scrape frosting off so you have a thin layer of frosting. Place the whole thing in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, but up to 4 hours.
- Use an offset spatula or knife to spread the remaining buttercream on the tops and the sides of the cake. Use a bench scraper to smooth the sides. Decorate with sprinkles or additional buttercream, if desired.