Strawberry Layer Cake & Sweet Mascarpone Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 3 oz package strawberry flavored gelatin
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
- 4 jumbo eggs room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup strawberry puree made from fresh or frozen strawberries make an additional 2 cups of puree to drizzle over the cake slices or to lay the slices on top of a pool of puree.
For the Strawberry Filling
- 1 to 2 cups of the mascarpone cheese frosting ingredients listed next
- 1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
For the Sweet Mascarpone Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 8- oz packages/tubs mascarpone cheese softened
- 8 cups powdered confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon butter extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or three 8 inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Combine the flour and baking powder.
- Stir into the batter alternately with the milk.
- Blend in strawberry puree and vanilla.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
- Gently tap the cakes out of their pans to finish cooling completely.
To prepare the frosting
- Beat the butter, mascarpone cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and butter extract until creamy.
- Spread the first cake layer with a thick layer of frosting.
- Evenly distribute the strawberry slices over the frosting.
- Place the top cake layer on top.
- Spread remaining frosting on top of cake and all around the sides.
- Garnish to decorate: Large, beautiful strawberries presented any way that you like.