Strawberry Layer Cake with Amaretto Swiss Meringue Buttercream

 
One in six people is living at risk of hunger in America. However, there is hope and there are ways to help.  Land O’Lakes has partnered with Feeding America to kick off their second year of the Pin a Meal, Give a Meal campaign.


It is my absolute pleasure to bring you a recipe today as part of the Pin a Meal, Give a Meal campaign.  For each recipe pinned or repinned, Land O’Lakes will donate nine meals (9!) to Feeding America.  It’s so easy to help!


Let’s talk turkey, er, cake. I had a hankering for strawberry cake. I think you’ll love this as much as we do.  This cake screams spring!  Easter, Mother’s Day, ANY day…the pretty pink layers topped with scrumptious buttercream are irresistible.


This is no ordinary buttercream.  It’s an amaretto Swiss meringue buttercream.  Swiss meringue buttercreams are special…silky and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.


And, amaretto?  Well, it’s just delicious, and it pairs beautifully with the strawberry cake.

A note on the strawberries called for in the cake: look for the sweetened sliced strawberries in the freezer section.  At my store, they’re called “Dessert Strawberries.”  That made me smile.


You’ll want to have them thawed and pureed before adding them to the recipe.
 
PS…the extra is really yummy on yogurt or in smoothies.

 

Strawberry Layer Cake with Amaretto Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes one 3-layer cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
3/4 cup Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 ounce container powered strawberry gelatin (not sugar-free)
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup puréed sweetened strawberries (from a thawed container of frozen sweetened strawberries)
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the buttercream:
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoon amaretto
Pinch kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350oF.  Butter three round 8-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, then butter the parchment.  Flour the pans; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and oil until fully blended.  Add in the sugar, strawberry gelatin and baking powder.  Beat several minutes on medium speed until combined and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. 

In a large measuring cup, combine the strawberry purée, milk and vanilla.

Add in the flour in three additions, alternating with the liquid mixture.  Begin and end with the flour, adding the salt with the last addition.  Beat just until incorporated.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula.

Bake the cakes for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few loose crumbs.

Cool in the pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment paper, and then set right-side up on the cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, not touching the water.  Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a temperature of approximately 160oF.

Immediately place the bowl on the stand mixer and whip on high using the whisk attachment until the frosting has become thick and glossy, forming a stiff peak.  Continue to whip the frosting until the bowl feels room temperature to the touch…a total of about 10 minutes.

Switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on low, drop in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.  If the frosting appears curdled or clumpy at any time, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.


Once all of the butter has been incorporated, mix in the amaretto and pinch of salt.

To assemble, spread about 2/3 cup frosting in between each layer of cake.  Use the remainder to cover the sides and top of the cake with an offset spatula.

Store in the refrigerator.


Thank you for helping us reach our goal to donate 2.7 million meals! You can pin this recipe to contribute 9 meals to Feeding America. Pin more recipes from Land O’Lakes here to contribute even more meals.  

If you don’t have a Pinterest account…and boy, are you in for some fun…creating one is free and easy.  Visit  https://pinterest.com/join/signup to learn how.


{$1 helps provide 9 meals* secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. The Land O’Lakes Foundation guarantees a minimum of 2.7 million meals* (monetary equivalent of $300,000.00) to Feeding America and member food banks from March 28 through May 31, 2014}

Bake at 350 has partnered with Land O'Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for the Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes.