Strawberry Crunch Cake Recipe

Make the strawberry reduction. Add the sliced strawberries to a blender and puree until smooth.

In a small pot over medium heat, add the strawberry puree and the lemon juice. Simmer while constantly stirring for about 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened so that a spatula leaves disappearing tracks on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer to a refrigerator and let it cool fully before using.

Make the vanilla cake. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and line the bottom of four 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Add a third of the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Add half of the buttermilk and stir just until combined. Repeat ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter evenly between two 6-inch pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the vanilla cakes are baking, make the strawberry cake. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and strawberry reduction.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined. 

Add a third of the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Add half of the strawberry buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined. Repeat ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter evenly between two 6-inch pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan and letting the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting. Fill a medium pot with an inch of water and bring to a strong simmer. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk egg whites, sugar and salt together. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and whisk the egg whites and sugar mixture continuously until the mixture becomes lighter and no longer grainy, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the pot and transfer the bowl into the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on high until the mixture becomes white, fluffy and cool (check for this by checking if the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch).

Mix in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until a silky smooth frosting forms.

Make the vanilla frosting. Remove half of the frosting into a large bowl, mix in one tablespoon of vanilla extract until well combined. Set aside.

Make the strawberry froting. In the bowl of the standing mixer with the remaining frosting base, add the strawberry puree, half of the freeze-dried strawberry powder and ½ tablespoon vanilla extract. Taste the frosting. If it needs more strawberry flavor, add more of the freeze-dried strawberries to taste. 

Assemble your cake. Use a serrated knife to flatten the tops of your cake, if necessary. Place a layer of vanilla cake on a cake board and spread a layer of strawberry frosting. 

Top with a layer of strawberry cake and spread a layer of strawberry frosting. Repeat ending with a layer of vanilla cake, with the crumb side down.

Crumb coat the cake. Cover the cake with a thin layer of vanilla frosting. Transfer into the freezer to set the crumb coat, about 15 minutes.

While the cake is chilling, make the strawberry crunch. In the bowl of a food processor, add the vanilla sandwich cookies, shortbread cookies and freeze-dried strawberries. Pulse until fine crumbs are formed.

Remove the cake from the freezer and frost the cake smooth with the vanilla frosting.

Cover the cake with the strawberry crunch.

Use a star piping tip to decoratively pipe swirls on top of the cake and top with a slice of fresh strawberry on each swirl. Slice and serve. Enjoy!