Printable Recipe: Sunny Day Strawberry Cake Recipe

Sunny Day Strawberry Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes for Easter cakes, based off of a recipe created by Taste of Home. It's fresh and springy, it's gorgeous, and it's got to be the best strawberry Easter cake you'll ever have. Like strawberry short cake on steroids!

The final result is a moist and springy cake with a wonderfully light frosting. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients. The flavors somehow combine to create something much greater than the sum of its parts. Served with vanilla-strawberry ice cream, it's a little slice of heaven.

This is the Easter cake recipe to make if you want to know how to make Easter cakes that will really impress.

Serves 12.

Ingredients:
1 C. egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. sugar, divided
5 egg yolks
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. flour

Strawberry Filling:
1 (3 ounce) pkg. strawberry Jello
1 C. water
1/2 C. ice water
2 C. fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 C. Cool Whip (or other whipped topping)

Frosting and Garnish:
2 C. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 C. Cool Whip (or other whipped topping)

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. To prepare the cake, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Bit by bit, beat in one cup of the sugar, a tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks until they are a bit thickened, 5 minutes. Bit by bit, add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat the yolks until they're a thick, lemony-colored mixture.

4. Beat in water and lemon, almond, and vanilla extracts.

5. Sift the flour into the egg yolk-lemon mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in the egg whites (don't over-blend).

6. Pour mixture into a 10" tube pan or a 9" cake pan (ungreased). Using a butter knife, move the knife through the batter in the pan. This helps to release air pockets and make for a more uniform consistency. Smooth top of batter.

7. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until the middle and sides are springy. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert it (leave the pan on) onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely before attempting to remove it from the pan. It helps to run a butter knife around the edge to loosen it before removing.

8. Meanwhile, prepare your strawberry filling. Bring the 1 c. of water to a boil and stir in the gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the ice water.

9. Place your bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes, or until it's just a bit thicker. Stir in the strawberries. Fold in the Cool Whip.

10. Slice your cooled cake into three equal layers with a serrated knife. Use strawberry filling mixture between the two layers-- you'll want to use it all up.

11. Frost top and sides of the completed cake with Cool whip and garnish with sliced strawberries. Refrigerate this recipe for Easter cake until ready to serve.