Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream: This fluffy vanilla cake is light, airy, and topped with the most amazing, fresh strawberry buttercream! They make perfect cupcakes too!

It’s Monday! That’s my public service announcement for the day in case you didn’t already know. You’re welcome.

So, have you seen that hilarious Lowe’s commercial where the guy tries to learn how to fold a fitted sheet? I don’t know if truer words (and sentiments) have ever been spoken.

That’s exactly how I feel about fitted sheets. And Mondays. My fitted sheets usually end up in a ball in my closet, because I believe that after trying something a hundred times with the same result, it’s time to move on.

Since that logic doesn’t quite work with Mondays, I’m all about drowning the Monday blues with cookies. And candy. And cupcakes.

As you can see, being a nutritionist is totally out of the question.

Unlike that Lime Coke stuff that I was over after the second sip, I don’t think I will ever tire of cake. I will probably single-handedly keep the cupcake craze in business. Well, my sister and I, that is. We really, really, like cake.

It’s a blessing and a curse really. But, you know, such is life and all so what else are you going to do except eat the cupcake?

There really aren’t any other solutions.

Getting down to the details of this cake batter, what actually makes this cake so incredibly airy is that it only calls for egg whites rather than whole eggs. Not only do the egg yolks create a denser cake, they also leave a yellow hue to cake, which is fine for yellow cake, but not so fine for white cake.

The egg whites have to be beaten beforehand, and then gently folded into the batter. This makes for an incredibly light and fluffy cake.

Another highlight to this cake is that it only has a few other ingredients yet it tastes amazingly decadent: butter, flour, baking powder, cornstarch, milk, Greek yogurt, pure vanilla extract, and sugar.

The frosting is equally delicious, and the strawberry flavor comes from fresh strawberries. However, it is important to note that the more flavorful your strawberries are, the more flavorful your frosting will be. If you have particularly unsweet strawberries, I’d suggest macerating them in a bit of sugar beforehand just to bring out the natural sweetness.

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

This fluffy vanilla cake is light, airy, and topped with the most amazing, fresh strawberry buttercream! They make perfect cupcakes too!

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Ingredients

 

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Cake

• ▢ 3/4 cup butter (softened)
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ▢ 3/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• ▢ 5 egg whites

Strawberry Buttercream

• ▢ 1 cup butter (softened)
• ▢ 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced strawberries
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream

Topping (Cake only)

• ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 whole strawberry + 8 halves

Topping (Cupcakes only)

• ▢ 24 strawberries
• ▢ sprinkles

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9" cake pans (or line a 12-cup muffin pan).
• In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt.
• Alternately add dry and wet ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
• Beat egg white until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into the cake batter.
• Pour batter into cake pans, dividing evenly between the two. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. If making cupcakes, bake for 16-17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Buttercream

• Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time (start with 4 cups).
• Add in chopped strawberries, vanilla extract, and 2 Tbsp of heavy cream. Beat well, until the strawberries are well combined and the frosting has turned pink in color. If the frosting is too thin, add in the last cup of powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add in the last Tbsp of heavy cream.

Cake Topping (if making cupcakes, skip this step)

• Beat heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Once the cakes have cooled, place one of the layers on a cake stand or plate. Spread 1/2 - 3/4 cup of frosting on the layer, spreading it evenly to the sides. Place the second layer on top, and use the rest of the frosting to evenly coat the cake.
• Pipe whipped cream around the top of the cake and in the center and place a strawberry on each, halves on the outside and a whole in the middle.

Cupcake Topping

• If making cupcakes, spread frosting on each cake. Top with a whole strawberry and add sprinkles if desired!
• Enjoy!

Notes

*The sweeter your strawberries are, the sweeter your frosting will be. If your strawberries are not that sweet, try sprinkling them with a bit of sugar beforehand.

The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Course Cake, Dessert

Make sure to tag me on Instagram and leave a rating below and let me know how it turned out!

Here are some other cake recipes you might like:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oreo Cake

Lemon Coconut Cake

Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Cupcakes