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Strawberry Champagne Cake

front view of champagne cake with glasses of champagne in the background
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Whatever the celebration, this strawberry champagne cake is sure to take it to the next level. With four layers of moist champagne cake and a fresh strawberry puree-based Swiss meringue buttercream, this cake is equal parts delicate, beautiful and delicious.

  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: One 6" Cake - 16 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the champagne cake:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup champagne

For the strawberry frosting:

  • 5 egg whites
  • 10 oz granulated sugar
  • 15 oz butter, cold
  • 1/2 cup strawberry puree (about 7 oz whole strawberries)
  • Red or pink food gel coloring

For garnishing (optional):

  • White and gold sprinkles
  • Strawberries
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Fresh flowers

Instructions

  1. Whip the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
  2. In a bowl, gently whisk together the wet ingredients (oil, milk, sour cream, vanilla, champagne).
  3. In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
  4. Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture and mix on low until just incorporated.
  5. Add the wet ingredients, again mixing on low until just incorporated.
  6. Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
  7. Divide the batter between two lined 6" cake pans and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
  8. Once the pans are cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the pans, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
  9. When you're ready to begin assembling your cake, remove the cakes from the refrigerator and divide each into two.
  10. To make the frosting, whisk together the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer over a pot of boiling water (a double boiler) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot.
  11. Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer and whisk on high until the bowl has cooled to room temperature and the meringue holds stiff peaks (about 10 minutes).
  12. Cut the cold butter into cubes, switch to the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, and begin adding the butter piece by piece on medium/low speed.
  13. Once all the butter is in, turn the mixer up to high and beat until a smooth frosting forms (5-10 minutes).
  14. Add the strawberry puree and a little red or pink food coloring to darken the frosting, and mix until just incorporated.
  15. Assemble your cake by frosting in between each layer with your strawberry buttercream and applying a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, or until the frosting has crusted.
  16. Apply frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
  17. You can garnish this cake with just about anything you want (or anything that seems fitting), or you can use my list above for some inspiration.

Notes

  • How many strawberries to buy: The puree for the frosting will take about 7 ounces of strawberries.
  • Measure your batter: Making even layers of cake start with measuring your batter. For this recipe, that means about roughly 13oz of batter per pan.
  • Chill your cake: Cool cake is easier to cut and handle, so chilling your cake for a short while before use will make this process easier.
  • Air bubble-free frosting: If the frosting has a lot of air bubbles, reduce the speed on your stand mixer to low and beat for 3-5 minutes, or until smooth.
  • Crumb coating: Crumb coating a cake means spreading a thin amount of frosting over the sides and top of an otherwise unfrosted cake in order to lock in the crumbs so they don't get into the outer layers of the frosting. I recommend doing that for this cake.
  • The trick for smooth frosting: You’ll need a rotating cake stand and a bench scraper. Place the small end of the bench scraper on the cake stand, long end against the frosting and turn the table. Once excess frosting is removed, heat the scraper in hot water, wipe and drag around the outside of the cake.
  • Storage: This cake will keep in the refrigerator, uncut, for 2-3 days.
  • Storing cut cake: Once your cake is cut, you’ll want to protect the exposed cake area. The easiest way to do this is with a piece of plastic wrap or two.
  • Not all flowers are edible, and even those that are may not have been grown with human consumption in mind. For a full run-down, check out my post on how to safely use fresh flowers on cakes.

Nutrition

Keywords: champagne cake, strawberry champagne, champagne cake recipe

Find it online: https://thesimple-sweetlife.com/strawberry-champagne-cake/