This delicious gluten free strawberry cake is made with real strawberries and smothered in dairy free cream cheese frosting. It's the perfect way to celebrate strawberry season!
De-stem one pound of fresh strawberries. Puree the berries in a blender and then pour them into a saucepan.
⅔ Cup Strawberry reduced puree (see directions below)
Cook over medium low heat for 45-55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are reduced to a paste, similar to a thick ketchup.
Cool berry puree completely before preparing the cake batter.
For the cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and line the bottom of (3) 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. This recipe can also be used to make (2) 8-inch layers or 24 cupcakes.
In a medium size bowl, combine the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
2 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 3 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down your bowl.
6 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
Add the sugar and beat again on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down your bowl.
1 ¼ Cup Sugar
Add the extracts, oil and food coloring if you are using. Beat for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
⅓ Cup Olive Oil, 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla, 2-3 drops of Red gel food coloring, 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
Add the eggs, one at a time beating on medium low speed for 30 seconds between each egg.
3 Eggs
In a measuring cup, combine your milk and strawberry puree. Set aside.
⅓ Cup Non-Dairy Milk, ⅔ Cup Strawberry reduced puree (see directions below)
Turn the mixer to the lowest setting. Add about ½ of the flour mixture. Then add ½ of the liquid (strawberries + milk), then the remaining flour and remaining liquid. Only stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Remove from the mixer stand and scrape down the sides of the bowl, mixing any remaining ingredients in by hand.
Divide your batter evenly between your cake pans. I use a scale to get them exactly even.
Let pans of batter rest for 10 minutes before placing them into your preheated oven.
Bake for 28-30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool cakes completely before frosting, this will take 1-2 hours. While the cake cools, prepare your frosting.
For the frosting
Add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth.
8 ounces Vegan Cream Cheese
Add the room temperature butter. Beat another 2 minutes until they are well combined.
½ Cup Vegan Butter
Add your vanilla.
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Turn the mixer to the lowest setting and slowly add in the powdered sugar.
4 Cup Powdered Sugar
Once it has all been combined into the cream mixture, scrape down your bowl.
Then turn your mixer to medium high speed and beat for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and fluffy.
Use immediately to top cake. If you want to use a piping bag, then refrigerate the icing about 30 minutes before adding to your piping bag.
To assemble the cake
My cakes came out very level with this recipe. If needed, level your cakes using a sharp knife to cut off the dome top.
Place a dab of frosting on the middle of your plate. Place the first cake layer on the plate.
Top with ¼ of the frosting. Spread the frosting over the layer.
Add the next cake layer on top of the frosting and add another ¼ of the frosting on top.
Add the top layer to the cake.
Place cake in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to chill the frosting.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and add another ¼ of the frosting to the top of the cake. Working from the top down, coat the sides and the top in an even layer of frosting. Smooth the surface with a bench scraper.
Place the cake back into the refrigerator for 30 minutes (this will be your crumb coat).
Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Apply the remaining frosting. Swirl it over the whole cake or decorate to your taste.
Sprinkle with freeze dried strawberry powder and garnish with fresh berries (optional)
1 Tablespoon Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder, Fresh strawberries for garnish
Chill at least 30 minutes prior to serving to set the frosting.
Notes
Food coloring is optional in this recipe. The cake in the photo has 3 drops of red food coloring added to the batter. I have made the cake without coloring and it comes out a rose gold color. The riper your berries are the pinker the cake will be.Storage: Cover the leftover cake and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.