Fresh Strawberry Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting
Exclusive Excerpt from Jennifer’s Way Kitchen by Jennifer Esposito
THIS IS one of our most beloved cakes at my bakery. It’s simple but perfect: a light, fresh version of strawberry shortcake that practically screams spring and summer. The cake is best when fresh strawberries are at their peak, bright and bursting with flavor, in late spring.
The recipe uses smaller 6-inch cake pans, which are great to have on hand if you’re a baker, but you could also use two 8-inch pans. The layers will be slightly thinner, but it won’t make that much difference.
This frosting uses coconut cream. Don’t use cream of coconut, which is a processed, highly sweetened product. Coconut cream is the solid cream on top of a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk. That’s the good stuff. Chill the cans the night before upside-down. Turn right-side up, open the top, and the cream will be right there, for easy scooping.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 8
1 tablespoon palm shortening, nondairy butter (such as Earth Balance), or coconut oil, for the pans
2 cups Jennifer’s Way Bakery All-Purpose Flour Mix, plus more for the pans
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup maple sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, or evaporated cane juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk (or other nondairy milk of choice)
2 cups Homemade Powdered Sugar
1 cup palm shortening or nondairy butter (such as Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract)
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-inch round cake pans with the shortening, then lightly flour with flour mix.
Combine all the dry ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl. Sift out any lumps with a whisk.
In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the applesauce, sugar, olive oil, and lemon zest and juice. Mix on low speed until just combined. A little at a time, add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the coconut milk and ending with the dry mix. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, checking frequently after 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool, then transfer the cakes to cooling racks.
FOR THE FROSTING: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whip on high speed with a hand mixer (or use a standing mixer with a whisk attachment) until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
To assemble the cake, cut each layer in half horizontally to make 4 thin layers. (If you used 8-inch pans and the layers look too thin to cut, just make the cake with two layers instead of four.) Place one layer on a flat plate or cake stand and gently cover with a generous dollop of frosting. Arrange cut-up strawberries on top of the frosting. Place the next layer of cake on top of the strawberries and repeat the frosting and strawberry steps until you’ve used up all the cake layers. Finish the cake off with frosting and arrange fresh strawberries on top to decorate.
For more delicious recipes, check out Jennifer’s Way Kitchen by Jennifer Esposito. Published by Grand Central Publishing. Copyright © 2017 Jennifer Esposito.
