Author: Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com
Ingredients
For the Cake
2 ½ccake flour
1 1/3csugar
2tspbaking powder
½c1 stick butter, room temperature
2tspvanilla
1cmilk
2eggs
4tbspcanola oil
For the Topping
2csliced strawberries
2-3cwhole strawberries
¼corange juice
½csugar
1 ½cheavy cream
1tbsppowdered sugar
1tspvanilla
Instructions
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease and line two 8” cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
Sift the cake flour. Baking powder sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. (Do not skip this step). Add the butter in small pieces, the vanilla and ½ c of milk.
Mix on medium speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Whisk ½ cup of milk, the eggs, and the oil together until well mixed. Add to the cake batter in two installments, mixing for about 15 second each time. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl. Do not overmix. There may small lumps left in the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake 20 minutes until done. The cake will come away from the edges of the pan and a tester will come out clean. Cool completely in the pans.
The cake can be made the day ahead. Cover tightly and store at room temperature. The cake can be assembled up to four hours before serving. Once assembled store in the refrigerator if you are not eating right away.
To assemble the Cake
Have the whole strawberries and the sliced strawberries in two separate bowls.
Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a full boil. Immediately remove from the heat and pour in equal amounts over both bowls of strawberries. Toss lightly to mix.
Whip the cream on high until it forms soft peaks which flop over when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Mix in the sugar and vanilla.
Spread half of the cream on the bottom layer. Cover with sliced strawberries followed by the second cake layer. Spread most of the rest of the cream on top of the cake. Mound the whole strawberries in the center and finish with a large dollop of the remaining cream.
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to four hours.