Strawberry cake is probably not something we crave often. But this cake has become one of my favorite desserts. I use a combination of freeze dried strawberries and fresh strawberries to bring out that strawberry flavor – no artificial flavors at all! The strawberry buttercream is so tart and refreshing; I had to embrace it in three layers instead of just a top coat. With no cream cheese, peanut butter, or chocolate incorporated into this dessert, you can eat a generous slice of this without feeling exhausted for the rest of the day. This gluten free strawberry cake is a great dessert to serve throughout the spring and summer!
While gluten free cake baking isn’t too dissimilar from regular cake baking, there is still an exact science to the method. Every step is dependent on the previous step; one mishap along the way can compromise the entire cake. Be sure to read through all of the instructions carefully before starting, and let your ingredients come to room temperature! I suggest you prepare the strawberry puree a day in advance, to make sure it has thickened and cooled completely before you use it.
You want to take your time when creaming the butter and sugar, and slowly incorporate each egg white. But once those ingredients are mixed well, you want to mix in the rest of the ingredients until just combined. This will preserve the air pockets in the batter and help the cake rise. Gently fold the strawberry puree in to keep whipping the batter as the puree is incorporated.
Frosting a cake
When it’s time to frost the cake, I suggest you start with a crumb coat. This is a very thin layer of icing – of which most is spread off and discarded – but it will keep the top of each cake secure and prevent crumbs from spreading. My three-tier carrot cake uses the same method, but that cake is even trickier to work with than this one!
