Dreamy Moist Strawberry Vanilla Cake recipe

This Strawberry Vanilla Cake recipe is light with a deliciously delicate crumb and is filled with strawberry jam and sweetened vanilla scented Chantilly cream. It is I suspect, the best vanilla cake recipe in the world. I have wanted to share it for the longest time, and know you will love it too.

Nowadays, life goes at such a fast pace and it seems as if everyone is always in a rush and almost too busy to enjoy simple things in life like baking. So, this is a super quick and straightforward Strawberry Vanilla Cake that is one of my beloved yet effortless and easiest recipes, with a marvelous result.

This strawberry vanilla cake recipe is light and fluffy and also not too sweet to the taste. It is also perfect to prepare for any function, big or small. It is also perfect for using in a Trifle recipe.

I have a great love for baking, however, this was not always the case. I had to go through many trial and error to enjoy and love baking the way I do now. During my high school years, I was not a very good baker and was quite a fan of the boxed cake mixes. My friends and I were all equally creative in the things that we loved BUT my much-loved activity was definitely not baking. However, my one very good friends was an excellent baker. She and her mother baked at least once a week and she would bring along delicious treats that we all enjoyed during break time at school.

This was definitely the highlight of our week. There was one particular treat which I loved the most and that was her vanilla cake. She was very creative with her moist vanilla cake recipe and she made it in so many different ways. My favorite topping was the one with banana, caramel and fresh cream. It was simply delicious! I still love the caramel vanilla cake, but nowadays I prefer a topping with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and fresh cream flavored with a hint of vanilla.

This strawberry vanilla cake is the ideal recipe when you have an unexpected event to attend or having friends or family over for dinner or afternoon tea. I made a layered birthday cake for someone recently using this same moist vanilla cake recipe. You can of course decorate the cake to your preference and use raspberries or blueberries and fresh cream or make a lemon vanilla cake using lemon curd in the vanilla cake cream.

Top tips for making deliciously moist Strawberry Vanilla Cake

• If you are in a city or region that is experiencing electricity outages, check when it is most likely to occur and time your baking accordingly.
• If you have unexpected visitors dropping by, excuse yourself and check on the cake!
• Ensure that the vanilla cake recipe ingredients are at room temperature so that sugar and eggs can be whipped together easily.
• Don’t over mix the batter or the vanilla cake will have a dense crumb.
• Weigh the vanilla cake ingredients to ensure that you get the desired result and that it is consistent every time.
• Keep the fresh cream for the Chantilly Cream in the refrigerator until it is required and use a chilled glass or stainless bowl to whip it in, if it is summer and you are experiencing high temperatures.

The story with baking and photographing this cake is truly very embarrassing, to say the least. Let’s just say, the two days it took me to get something passable to photograph were at times challenging and hilarious. While I was doing my preparations for shooting and preparing the recipe I was very excited. My excitement was quickly shot down after the string of events that occurred after my first attempt came out of the oven.

Strawberry Vanilla Cake – Epic Fail 1

I completed my ingredients and mixing shots, took the cake out of the oven, let it cool down and went ahead and decorated the cake. While whipping the fresh Chantilly cream I noticed something was a bit weird about the texture, but didn’t think anything of it as I tasted the fresh cream and it seemed totally fine. I gathered the vanilla cake filling and topping ingredients and went ahead with decorating the cake.

Note that this was a very hot day in Cape Town. After decorating the cake, I noticed the cream melting into the cake like butter and I stood there in total disbelief at my hard work literally melting away before my very eyes!

Strawberry Vanilla Cake – Epic Fail 2

Upset that I now couldn’t photograph the final product, I went in for a second attempt at baking the cake. Again, I completed mixing and put the cake into the oven and when the cake was nearly halfway done, the electricity went off in our area and I realized we were experiencing load shedding.

For those who do not know what load shedding is, due to economic issues in South Africa, each area has a two hour period every day where electricity to our neighborhood is completely shut off,  leaving us with no power for those two hours. By this point I was so totally pissed off, as the cake just collapsed in the middle leaving me with another flop. It was already late afternoon and I left everything until the next day.

Strawberry Vanilla Cake – Epic Fail 3

Next day came and I went through the same process again, but this time everything was going so well. While the moist vanilla cake was baking we received some unexpected guests from overseas. We hadn’t seen them in years and with all the shock and excitement we took a walk outside and when we got back my poor cake was burnt to a crisp.

That being my third attempt, all I wanted to do is scream. Everything was so funny yet so frustrating at the same time. I regret not taking photos of all of my failed attempts because I had a very good laugh, despite the epic fails.

Strawberry Vanilla Cake – Success 1

‘If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’. The fourth bake had a successful strawberry vanilla cake and it came out exactly the way I wanted it. Thank Heavens for that!

This cake and the epic fails were all baked in two round 23 cm (9 inch) sandwich cake tins.

Strawberry Vanilla Cake – Success 2

When we reviewed the photos we realised that I had not taken any photos of a cake slice of the cake. Frankly, it was up before I could wipe out my eyes and a week later I decided to bake another one. Just because! This time I used a 26 cm (11 inch) spring-form round tin with removable base.

I always enjoy this recipe, failed attempts and all and I hope you will too.

Check out some of the other cake recipes on the blog below:

• Chocolate Cake with ganache frosting
• Best Glazed Orange Bundt cake
• Gluten free Orange and Almond cake
• Rose cupcakes with white chocolate ganache
• Lightly spiced Carrot and Beetroot cake

Moist Strawberry Vanilla Cake recipe

Simone Claudia Fortuin

This Strawberry Vanilla Cake recipe is light with a deliciously delicate crumb and is filled with strawberry jam and sweetened vanilla scented Chantilly cream.

5 from 17 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Cooling 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Breads & Bakery

Cuisine International

Servings 16

Calories 518 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Vanilla Cake batter

• 4 large eggs
• 400 grams sugar fine granulated, approximately 500 ml or 2 cups
• 5 ml vanilla extract approximately 1 teaspoon
• 350 grams cake flour approximately 625 ml or 2 1/2 cups, packed
• 187 ml vegetable oil or melted butter approximately 3/4 cup
• 12.5 ml baking powder approximately 2 1/2 level teaspoons
• 375 ml milk approximately 1 1/2 cups

Chantilly cream

• 500 ml whipping cream, cold approximately 2 cups
• 5 ml vanilla extract approximately 1 teaspoon
• 45 ml fine granulated sugar approximately 3 tablespoons

Filling and decoration

• 450 grams strawberry jam approximately 320 ml - 345 ml
• 250 grams strawberries approximately 1 pack
• 2 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced

Instructions

 

How to make strawberry vanilla cake

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 160 fan / 350 F / Gas mark 4.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together at least three times. Alternately, whisk in a bowl until all the dry ingredients are combined and aerated.
  
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand beater, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. This may take between 5-7 minutes depending on the type of electric cake mixer you are using.
• Add the vanilla extract and oil (or melted butter if using) to the eggs and sugar mixture and beat thoroughly to combine, another 30 seconds or so.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour in three parts alternately with the milk. Finish with a bit of flour.
• Spoon into two greased and lined sandwich baking tins and bake for 30-35 minutes. It may require a shorter baking time if you are using a fan assisted oven. You can use the same batter for cupcakes and they will take about 10-12 minutes.
• Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then loosen the sides with a palette knife remove and let it cool completely before using.

Chantilly cream

• Pour the whipping cream and vanilla extract into a chilled bowl and using a stand mixer or electric hand beater with the whisk attachment, beat for 1 minute.
• Add the sugar slowly while the mixer runs and the cream continues to thicken and soft peaks form. This will take another 2-3 minutes.
• Switch off the mixer and remove the whisk attachment or use a hand whisk to lightly whisk the cream to your desired consistency. Soft peaks is good for spooning but for decorating you may want to make it slightly firmer.
• Be careful not to over beat or you will end up with sweet butter.

Decoration

• Rinse the strawberries and remove the stems and peel and slice the kiwi fruit.
• Place the one cake layer on the serving plate you will use. Make sure that the cake is level and slice off any humps or bumps.
• Spread the strawberry jam from the center of the cake outwards, leaving a small border for spillage.
• Take 1/3 of the cream and spread that lightly over the jam without mixing the two. Place a few of the kiwi slices on top of the cream and keep some for the decoration.
• Check that the second layer cake is level and place this on top of the first. Use a palette knife to spread the cream around and on top of the cake.
• Decorate with kiwi and strawberries and serve.

Notes

Variations

• Substitute raspberry jam and raspberries for a Raspberry Vanilla cake.
• Use 250 ml Lemon curd instead of jam and fold it into a third of the cream, then use that for the filling and decorate with the rest of the cream.
• Use dulce de leche or caramelised condensed milk instead of jam and decorate with cream and chocolates (preferably Ferrero Rocher or Lindt balls).

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 49mgPotassium: 251mgFiber: 2gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 567IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.

Keyword easy dessert, easy holiday baking, halaal recipes

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