This eggless strawberries and cream cake is made with a fluffy vanilla cake base, stabilized whipped cream frosting, and homemade strawberry filling. It is one of the easiest cake to make for a beginner or a home baker. Perfect to celebrate a birthday, Valentine's or anniversary!
Preheat oven to 180C /350 f for at least 15 minutes.
Preparing the pan for baking
Brush the pan on the base and side with oil and dust with flour.
Line two 6" cake pans with parchment paper.
In a bowl add sugar and yogurt.
Cream the sugar and yogurt until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add flavorless oil, water, vanilla extract, and whip well until oil is emulsified.
The oil should completely blend in and not float on the top.
In another bowl sift all dry ingredients and give it a quick mix.
Now, slowly add sifted flour fold into the wet ingredients a little at a time.
Fold the dry ingredients in the wet ones with a spatula or whip it with a hand blender/stand mixer until lump-free and smooth.
Do not over mix.
The batter should be medium consistency.
As yogurt consistency differs, add 1 tablespoon extra water if needed.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C /350 f for 20-30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with fewer crumbs and not sticky batter. (Refer to the notes)
Take it out of the oven.
Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes undisturbed.
Now loosen the sides with a butter knife and invert it onto a cooling rack.
Loosely cover it with muslin or dishcloth and let it cool completely before wrapping and storing it in the fridge.
If you plan to level, slice, and decorate the cake then refrigerate it overnight or at least for 6 hours before proceeding to the next step.
Strawberry filling
Refer to the link in the ingredient list
Sturdy whipped cream frosting
Refer to the link in the ingredient list.
Use only half the recipe for this cake.
Layering the cake
Slice the cake with a serrated knife or Wilton to get equal layers.
You can choose between making one, two, or three layers.
Lay the cake layer on a cake board or any dish you plan to keep it on.
Pipe a circle of frosting on the out edge of each layer.
Scoop a generous amount of strawberry filling and spread evenly.
Spread some frosting on the top with an offset spatula to cover the filling.
Repeat this process with another layer.
Now that the layers are piled up, crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
Remove the cake and add one more layer of frosting.
Coat evenly on the top and the sides.
Fill an icing bag with a large open star tip and pipe swirls around the top of the cake.
Or decorate as you wish!
Refrigerate all the time covered in a cake box until serving.
Notes
This recipe makes 1kg cake after frosting.Please go through the entire post for frequently asked questions.Here is how I have made a 3-layer cake using 2 cake pans-
Filled one pan with one part of the batter and another pan with two parts.
Cooking time for 1-part batter pan is 18-20 minutes
And the 2-part batter is 28-30 minutes.
Always rely on the toothpick test.
You can make a 4-layer cake by dividing the batter equally in two pans. Coking time will be around 23-25 minutes
Useful tips to make the best strawberries and cream cake
Always work on the cake - cutting or frosting after it is completely cooled.
I like to refrigerate the cake base covered in foil overnight or at least for 6 hours before slicing.
Crumb coat seals the crumbs and makes the final coat easy so do not skip it.
Whenever you are working with whipped cream frosting do it in a cool room with air conditioner and work fast.
Use strawberry filling instead of just chopped strawberries in your cake for great flavor.
Possible Substitutes
For the cake
Cornstarch and white cornflour are the same.
Swap cornstarch with equal amount of all-purpose flour
Use any white sugar of your choice, not confectioner's sugar.
Use plain yogurt of your choice.
I have used homemade yogurt here which is not thick as Greek yogurt.
If using Greek yogurt then increase the water by 2 extra tablespoons and reduce the yogurt by 1 tablespoon.
For the frostingThe non-dairy frostings are available online or in leading grocery stores. They already have sugar and stabilizers so you do not need any mascarpone. Just whip as directed.
Can you make this cake ahead of time?
You can make the vanilla cake sponge base up to 3 days in advance. Wrap it in foil and refrigerate until use.
You can freeze the cake base up to 3 months ahead of time.
The strawberry filling can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerate or frozen up to 6 months.
Whipped cream can be made a day in advance if you are using my frosting recipes.
You can make non-dairy ready to use whipping cream frosting up to a week in advance.
Shelf life and storage
Always keep the whipped cream frosted cake in the fridge until served.Stays good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.