Strawberry Vanilla Cake

Sweet, and fresh this is the perfect cake for someone’s birthday, as a special dessert, or to just have as a late night snack.  This cake is also lactose free, making it great for someone who has lactose intolerance.  Hope you enjoy and try this cake!

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cup cake flour or your can use all-purpose flour and subtract 2 tbsp. of flour per cup and add in 2 tbsp. of cornstarch (sifted)
• 3 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar

Frosting Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. of water
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites (at room temp.)
• 1 tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Filling Ingredients:

• about a cup of strawberries sliced thinly (size may differ depending on how much you want in your cake

Directions:

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 350°F sifting together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the vanilla extract and milk.  In a separate bowl beat the coconut oil until smooth, then add in the sugar and beat on high-speed for 3-5 min.  When done mixing the oil and sugar add in the egg yolks one at time and beat on high-speed.  Once combined alternate adding the four mixture in 3 parts, with the milk mixture in 2 parts.  Beat this mixture on low-speed until everything is combined.

In a separate bowl beat the egg white on medium speed with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. This means the egg whites should be fluffy and hold their shape but when the whisk or beater is removed the tips of the peaks should fall over.  Once the egg white have soft peaks increase your speed to high, and gradually add in the last 1/4-cup of sugar. Keep beating this mixture until it is stiff but not dry.  This means the egg whites have sharp peaks that hold their form when beater or whisk is removed but the whites are still uniform in color and glisten.

Now taking the egg whites place half into the egg yolk mixture and fold together with a spatula.  You can not mix this or the air bubbles will deflate in the egg whites and the texture will be wrong.  Once combined add in the second half of the egg whites and fold everything together.  Once the mixtures are ready, pour the mixtures into 3 greased and floured 9*2in or 8*2in round pans.   Now place into the heated oven and let cook for 25-35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Once the cakes are done let them sit on a rack for 10 min to cool then take them out of the pans and place right-side up on the racks to cool completely.  Once the cakes are completely cool you can frost, if the cakes are still warm then the frosting will run and your cake will slide and become a big mess. While you wait for the cake to cool though we can work on the frosting.

In order to make the frosting whisk together the water, cream of tartar, sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup in a stainless steel bowl.  When combined place the bowl into a wide deep skillet with about an inch of simmering water, or at the same level as the egg whites. Begin to beat the egg white mixture on low-speed until they reach 140°F.  Once the temperature is reached turn the beater up to high-speed and whisk for exactly 5 min. After 5 min remove the bowl from the pan and add in 1 tsp. of vanilla. Beat on high-speed for 2-3 min more so the frosting can cool down. Once you are done beating let the frosting sit a little bit longer so it is completely cool.

*Note:  when you are beating the eggs in the simmering water do not let them sit without being beaten.  If you do the eggs will solidify instead of whip.  If you need to check the temperature take the bowl out of the water then place it back in when done to continue.

For the final steps, you will need the cooled frosting, cooled cakes, and the sliced strawberries.  Begin by placing a dab of frosting in the center of a flat palate, or cake stand then place the first layer of cake down.  Next, put some frosting on top then make a layer with the strawberries.  Once done with that, place on the next layer and repeat the same steps.  Once you have all the layers done, frost the sides of your cake and enjoy!