Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Sophie really wanted a strawberry cake for her birthday and I didn't want to use a mix for the cake.  Most of the recipes I found used strawberry Jello in them and I didn't want to go that route either.  After poking around for a while, I found this recipe.  The reviews mentioned that it didn't taste very much like strawberries so I decided to substitute some of the strawberry puree with strawberry preserves.  It tasted great and was very moist.  I made cupcakes out of this as well and I thought the cupcakes were the better than the cake.  Jake did most of the decorating on this cake and I thought it turned out pretty cute.  We used rice krispy treats for the bed then covered it in chocolate.  Yum!

Whole Foods Strawberry Cake
Serves 12

2 cups unbleached organic flour*
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted organic butter, melted
1 cup pureed strawberries, fresh or frozen, thawed (I used 1/2 cup pureed strawberries and 1/2 cup strawberry preserves)
1/2 cup organic milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter (or spray) and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13 cake pan. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together. Add to dry, beating with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

Meringue Buttercream

This recipe was from Baking with Julia.  It was originally for a chocolate buttercream but I substituted strawberry preserves for the chocolate and it tasted delicious.

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 oz good quality, seedless strawberry preserves

Using a whisk and working in a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar.  Place the bowl directly over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves, a layer of foam forms over the liquid portion of the eggs and the mixture is hot (really hot) to the touch.  (Other recipes recommend bringing the egg whites to 160 degrees F).

Transfer the whites to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed until the meringue forms glossy peaks.  Unlike ordinary meringue, this meringue will not double in volume; it will, however, firm up.

When the peaks have formed and the meringue is still ever-so-slightly warm, reduce the mixer speed to medium and start adding the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting until the last of the butter is incorporated each time before adding the next batch.  When all the butter has been added, stop the mixer, remover the bowl, pour in the preserves and use a hand whisk to incorporate it completely.  At this point, the buttercream needs to firm a little before it can be used.  Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator until it reaches a spreadable consistency.  Give the buttercream a few turns with the whisk to smooth it before use.

You can chill the buttercream for up to 3 days, but it will have to be warmed before it can be used.  Put chilled buttercream over direct heat for a minute or so to soften and then beat until smooth.  (I refrigerated my buttercream then placed the mixing bowl in a sink filled with warm-hot water and whisked it until it was spreadable.