Vanilla with Strawberry Filling Cake 

I love making this recipe when fresh strawberries are at their best. It’s great to make when you’re having friends over or when you feel like planning a special bake project on a quiet weekend. 

If you love berry recipes you have to try these Strawberry Cupcakes or these Raspberry Cupcakes. And if cake is more your vibe, then this Banana and Blueberry Cake is for you. 

Ingredients

To make this delicious cake you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

• Sunflower oil 
• Unsalted butter
• Extra large eggs 
• Granulated white sugar 
• Salt 
• Self-raising flour 
• Whole milk 
• Vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries 
• Lemon juice 
• Castor sugar 
• Powdered sugar 
• Whipping cream 

Sunflower oil – This cake uses oil and butter for extra moistness! Use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil, like sunflower or canola oil, for this recipe.

Extra-large eggs – Out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams. If you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Self-raising flour - If you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. Check the recommendations on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much should be added.

Vanilla extract – To give this recipe a great vanilla flavor, Choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence. You can also use vanilla bean paste.

Unsalted butter – Use unsalted butter rather than salted butter for this recipe. It is also very important that you are using room-temperature butter.

Fresh strawberries – I love using fresh juicy strawberries for this recipe. If you can only find frozen, these will also work. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Follow the simple instructions below to make this easy recipe for a strawberry layer cake. First, you will bake the cake layers, then make the sweet strawberry filling, and lastly the vanilla buttercream frosting. 

Instructions for vanilla cake 

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2x 20cm (8 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.  

STEP 2: Beat butter, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, butter, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the eggs. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

STEP 4: Add dry ingredients. Sift together the salt and self-raising flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.

STEP 5: Add wet ingredients. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cake mixture with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.

STEP 6: Bake. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes, before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Instructions for strawberry filling 

STEP 1: Heat strawberries, lemon juice, and castor sugar. Add the chopped strawberries, lemon juice, and castor sugar to a medium saucepan set over medium heat.

STEP 2: Allow strawberries to soften. Heat until the sugar has melted and the strawberries soften.

STEP 3: Add the cornflour. Mix together the water and cornflour in a small bowl and add this to the saucepan. 

STEP 4: Allow to thicken. Allow the water from the fruit to evaporate and for the filling to thicken. Once the filling coats the back of a spoon, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the filling into a glass jar to cool completely. 

Instructions for frosting 

STEP 1: Beat butter. To a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter. Beat at medium-high speed until the butter is light in color and well whipped.

STEP 2: Add the icing sugar. Sift the icing sugar over the whipped butter and beat again, at medium-low speed to begin with, and then increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes. 

STEP 3: Add cream and vanilla. Add the cream and vanilla to the frosting mixture, and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.

STEP 4: Add to a piping bag. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and use immediately. 

instructions for assembly 

STEP 1: Level cake layers. Use a sharp knife to trim the domed tops of the cake layers if necessary. 

STEP 2: Layer with frosting. Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with a bit of frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the surface of the cake and smooth this out with a spatula. Pipe a border of frosting around the circumference of the cake. 

STEP 3: Fill with strawberry filling. Spoon ¾ cup of the cooled strawberry filling into this border of frosting and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Reserve the remaining strawberry sauce for serving.

STEP 4: Secure the top cake layer. Place the second layer of cake onto the first layer with the cut side facing down. 

STEP 5: Cover the cake with frosting. Pipe the frosting over the tops and sides of the cake and use a spatula or cake scraper to even this out. Place fresh strawberries on top of the cake, serve, and enjoy!

Hint: Never frost warm cakes, otherwise the buttercream will melt and you will have a decorating disaster to deal with!

Variations

If you can’t find strawberries, you can make this cake with other frozen or fresh berries, like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or even cherries. 

The delicious cake can also be covered in a variety of frostings, have a look at this Strawberry Buttercream recipe for some inspiration! 

Equipment

For this delicious cake recipe, you will need x2 20cm cake tins, a wire rack for cooling, a disposable piping bag, and an electric mixer.

I always use a stand mixer or electric whisk to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate kitchen scale when baking.

Storage

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Choose to keep this cake in the fridge because of the fruit.

To freeze this cake, remove any fresh strawberries from the top of the cake and cut the frosted cake into individual slices and wrap each slice of cake in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.

This summer strawberry vanilla cake is something special and perfect for celebrating strawberry season, I just love the combination of the fruity filling and sweet buttercream frosting!

If you give this recipe a go and love it as much as I do, then please leave a star review and comment below – I love hearing about your kitchen stories!

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe!

Happy Baking 

With Love, 

Kitty