Strawberry Orange Cream Cake
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Serves: 8
 
I elected to make a stabilized whipped cream for the first layer -- it gives the cake a bit more structure, and gives the whipped cream frosting something to stick to. This method of stabilizing whipped cream comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible
Ingredients
For the cake:
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • ¾ c. butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups cake flour (sifted before measuring)
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 3.5 tsp. baking powder (Baking powder can have a bitter taste -- I use Rumford, which isn't aluminum based, which helps)
  • ½ c. orange juice
  • Juice from 1 Meyer Lemon
  • Enough water to make 1 cup
For the filling and crumb coat:
  • 2 c. sliced strawberries
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 c. heavy cream, divided
  • ¼ c. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For the final layer of frosting:
  • 1.5 c. whipped cream
  • 3 T vanilla sugar (or regular sugar if you don't have vanilla sugar)
  • Strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
For the cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare two eight inch round cake pans.
  2. Zest the orange into the sugar, and cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Don't be shy at the creaming phase -- you want to incorporate as much air as possible into the butter.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition, and beat until the batter is pale and fluffy.
  4. Meanwhile, sift and measure the flour, and then sift it again with the baking soda and salt. Sifting flour is one of the secrets to a lighter cake.
  5. Mix the orange juice, lemon juice and water.
  6. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the juice. Beat only as much between each addition as necessary to incorporate the ingredients.
  7. Divide the batter between the two pans, smooth the tops of the cakes with a spatula or knife, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  8. Let the cakes cool, unmold, and using a long knife, carefully cut each layer in half to make 4 layers.
For the filling and crumb coat:
  1. Slice the strawberries, sprinkle with the granulated sugar, and set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch and ½ c. of the cream. Whisk until combined, and heat gently until the mixture is thick. Add vanilla; let cool to room temperature.
  3. In a mixer, beat the remaining cream until the marks of the beater blade begin to show. Slowly add the thickened cream and beat until fairly stiff.
  4. Combine about half the cream with the strawberries. Setting the first cake layer on a flat surface (I found that the flat bottom of my tart pan worked beautifully), spread about a third of the strawberry cream mixture on top of the layer. Add the next layer of cake and continue to stack the layers with the strawberry filling in between, finishing with the last layer of cake. Make sure the layers are stacked straight, and use a sharp knife to trim the edges.
  5. With the remaining stabilized cream, cover the exterior of the cake. Don't worry about crumbs, but try to get the frosting as smooth as possible. The cake can be refrigerated at this point for a few hours.
For the final layer of frosting:
  1. In the bowl of a beater, combine the cold cream and sugar and whip until the cream holds soft peaks. Spread it on the exterior of the cake -- you're aiming for billowy rather than smooth. Top with strawberries, sliced in half. Serve within an hour.
Recipe by The Domestic Front at https://www.thedomesticfront.com/strawberry-orange-cream-cake/