Vanilla Strawberry Cake

5 from 3 votes

This Vanilla Strawberry Cake has alternating layers of soft eggless vanilla cake and sweet strawberry buttercream. It's then topped with a white chocolate ganache drip, fresh strawberries and white chocolate chips. If that wasn't enough, it's also gluten free, nut free and can easily be vegan!

Prep Time1

Cook Time35

Chill Time20

Total Time1 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Slices

Calories: 960kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For The Eggless Vanilla Cake

2 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¾ cups milk
½ cup light brown sugar , packed
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For The Strawberry Buttercream

3 ½ cups quartered strawberries , fresh or frozen
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick
8 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 pinches kosher salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water

For The White Chocolate Ganache

6 oz white chocolate chips about 1 cup
½ cup heavy cream *see note for vegan

For Decorating

2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
3-5 whole strawberries , washed and dried

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Eggless Vanilla Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the 2 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ¾ cups milk, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Slowly add the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. It if gets too thick, switch to a spatula but it should be fairly liquidy.
Divide the batter evenly into two greased and parchment lined 8 inch cake pans and smooth the tops with a butter knife.
Bake the cakes in the center rack at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes until slightly springy when carefully touched.
Remove cakes from oven and let the cakes cool almost completely in the pan for 15 mins before trying to remove. Then remove from pans and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Once cool, slice both cakes in half horizontally. Now you have 4 thin layers of cake.
If your cakes have dome tops, you can take a thin layer off the tops of the cake with a knife, to make a flat surface.

For The Strawberry Buttercream

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the 3.5 cups quartered strawberries and 1.5 cups granulated sugar. Stir constantly for about 5-8 minutes until the strawberries have liquified a bit and the sugar has dissolved. Use the back of your spoon to mash the strawberries apart.
Set a strainer or a mesh colander over a bowl and strain the strawberry liquid. You don’t want any of the seeds, you just want the liquid. You should have about ½ cup.
With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, beat the 1 cup room temperature butter or vegan baking stick until creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add the 8 cups confectioners’ sugar, strained strawberry liquid (about 8 tablespoons), 2 pinches kosher salt and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Beat until combined; it will be thick.
Slowly beat in the ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use it all.
If the strawberry liquid solidified a bit prior to using, that’s ok. Just use a spatula to scrape it into your mixing bowl.

Assembling the Cake

Place one layer of cake on a cake plate/stand. Scoop ⅕ (about 1 cup) of frosting on top of the layer and use an icing spatula to spread it around.
Place another layer of cake on top; repeat this same process. Do this with 3 layers of cake.
Once you get to the last layer of cake, place it bottom (or flat) side up so the top of the cake is nice and flat. Use an icing spatula or a butter knife to frost the top and a thin layer on the sides of the cake.
You should only use a fifth of the frosting on the top and sides combined; this is a semi-naked cake.
Pop the entire cake uncovered in the fridge for 15-20 min so it’s more stable to work with.

Make the White Chocolate Ganache and Decorate

Place the 6 ounces chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Set aside.
Pour the ½ cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it begins to simmer around the edges, immediately pour the cream over the white chocolate chips. Do not mix!
Cover with plastic and let sit 1.5 minutes. Then remove plastic and whisk until smooth.
Immediately take the cake out of the fridge. Spoon almost all the liquid ganache on top of the cake.
Take an icing spatula and push the ganache around to the edges of the cake so it drips down the sides.
Work quickly because the cold cake will quickly stop the ganache from dripping too much.
Take the last ⅕th of buttercream and put it into a piping bag. Create swirls going all the way around the top rim of the cake.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chips on the swirl.
Place extra washed strawberries in the top center of the cake. I used 3 jumbo.
If you have frosting leftover, save it in a bowl covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for a few days.

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, non-dairy milk, vegan heavy cream and vegan white chocolate chips.

If you can't find a vegan heavy cream, check my section entitled "substitutions and variations" for how to make a vegan white chocolate ganache with vegan baking sticks.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 2 ¼ cups packed AP flour (378 grams) and only 1 ½ cups of milk.

Storing: Once the cake is cut into, it’s best to cut the entire cake into slices, remove the strawberries and wrap each slice in foil and store in a zip top bag in the fridge. Eat extra slices within 2 days.

When ready to eat, let the slices sit on the counter, in the foil for about an hour or until the cake is room temperature and soft.

Freezing: If not eating all the extra slices within 2 days, take the slices wrapped in foil (without the strawberries on top) and place in the zip top bag and freeze them. You can keep the slices frozen for up to 30 days.

When ready to eat, put the slices in the fridge the night before or leave them out on the counter for 2 hours prior to eating or until the cake is room temperature and soft.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition