Strawberry Lime Layer Cake Recipes

LIME-MINT POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY FILLING

Steps:

• Place strawberries, sugar, and lime juice for filling in a nonreactive pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Mash strawberries into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla extract. Pour 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in 1/2 of the yogurt until just combined. Repeat once more with flour and yogurt, then with remaining flour. Gently fold in mint leaves.
• Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Carefully spoon the cooled filling over the batter, keeping it away from the sides and center tube of the pan. Carefully spoon remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely.

STRAWBERRY MASCARPONE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes., Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottoms of two 8-in. round baking pans; line with parchment. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together twice; place in another large bowl., In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1-1/4 cups sugar, oil, water, orange zest and almond extract until blended. Add to flour mixture; beat until well blended., With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites., Gently transfer to prepared pans. Bake on lowest oven rack until top springs back when lightly touched, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., Meanwhile, for whipped cream, in a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour. For filling, in a small bowl, beat mascarpone cheese and cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until assembling., Drain strawberries, reserving juice mixture. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes if domed. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Brush with half of reserved juice mixture; spread with 3/4 cup filling. Arrange half the strawberries over top, creating an even layer; spread with remaining filling. Brush remaining cake layer with remaining juice mixture; place layer over filling, brushed side down. , Gently stir whipped cream; spread over top and sides of cake. Just before serving, arrange remaining strawberries over cake.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and set over medium heat until the water steams.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop about a quarter of the strawberries and combine in a medium heatproof bowl with the sugar. Cover the bowl tightly and set it over the saucepan. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the water just below a simmer and allow the berries to sit, swirling the bowl once or twice to dissolve any stubborn sugar clumps, until they've released all their juices, are mushy, and swim in a translucent red liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, uncover and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strawberry syrup.) The mushy berries will have given off their color and flavor, and even though you won't use them in the cake, they're still tasty. Reserve the berries for spooning over pancakes or yogurt.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously by hand, or beat with a hand mixer on medium-high, until thick, light and holding a medium peak. Chill the bowl of whipped cream. Thinly slice the remaining raw strawberries lengthwise.
• Invert the sponge cake on a flat serving plate or cake stand. Holding a long serrated knife horizontally and parallel to the work surface, use it to lightly score all around the side of the cake at the midway point. Then, using long, even strokes and still holding the knife parallel to the surface, slice clean through the cake, using the score marks as a guide, to cut it into two even layers. Set the top layer aside.
• Use a pastry brush to dab several tablespoons of the strawberry syrup across the bottom layer, lightly soaking the entire surface. Pull the bowl of cream from the refrigerator and dollop about half of it across the soaked layer, then spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then place the second cake layer on top of the first, cut side up. Lightly soak the top layer of cake with the strawberry syrup, reserving any remaining syrup for serving. Spread the remaining cream on top of the cake, then pile the remaining sliced strawberries over top. (If not serving immediately, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.)
• Slice the cake with a serrated knife and serve. Drizzle the slices with any remaining strawberry syrup. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 3 days.