Have I ever mentioned how much I like the King Arthur Flour company? Recently I e-mailed Susan Reid, editor of The Baking Sheet, asking for a pink strawberry cake recipe that had a soft, tender texture. She immediately started working on my request and within days she had sent me this recipe back. I had suggested topping it with chocolate ganache, so she used a chocolate frosting for her version (the Super Simple Chocolate Frosting Recipe you can find at their website). I wanted to try it with pink strawberry frosting, so I used a different frosting recipe when I tested it at home. Either way you top it, this cake is great! It bakes evenly--and it doesn't brown too much. She stated she plans on publishing this recipe in the summer issue of the Baking Sheet--so you guys get a sneak preview since that issue isn't yet available!
Strawberry Cake
2 3/4 cups (11 5/8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend or All-Purpose Flour (I used 9 ounces cake flour and 2 5/8 ounces all-purpose flour)
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces) strawberry Nesquik powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup (4 ounces) strawberry applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare pans by greasing and flouring, or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment.
2) Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until the mixture becomes crumbly. Increase the speed of the mixer and continue to mix until the crumbs begin to cling together. The mixture may or may not become totally cohesive and paste-like; it's OK if it does, and equally OK if it doesn't.
3) Add the eggs and whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
4) Beat in the sour cream, applesauce, and the vanilla, one at a time. Beat for a minute after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. (Note: Total batter weight is about 1214 g, so put about 600 g of batter in each cake pan if using two round 8-inch pans.) Bake for 25 to 35 minutes for 8" or 9" rounds; 23 to 26 minutes for a 9" x 13" x 2" sheet cake; or 18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, if desired, cool on a rack, and frost.
Yield: Two 8" or 9" round layers; one 9"x 13" x 2" sheet cake, or 20 to 24 cupcakes.
Valerie, you should write and test recipes for King Arthur Flour. That is so awesome that you could make a request and they would work on it for you! I really do think you could have a career doing something like America's Test Kitchen or writing for some of those cooking magazines.
ReplyDeleteDoes Strawberry Applesauce really exist? What store did you find it in? Or is it one of the baby foods? Does the cake actually look more pink than these pictures look? You are such a great baker and so willing to learn new things and ask for help. What an inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteStrawberry applesauce does indeed exist. I think Bart found it at Smith's. The cake was pink--more pink than I expected based on the picture from KAF. If you wanted to emphasize the pink, though, just add a drop or two of pink food coloring to the liquid ingredients in the cake.
ReplyDelete