strawberry confetti quadruple layer cake

strawberry confetti quadruple layer cake

Alternating strawberry and vanilla cake layers are sandwiched between strawberry cream cheese frosting and iced with confetti swiss meringue buttercream in this delicious strawberry confetti quadruple layer cake.

Two layers of strawberry sprinkle cake +  two layers of vanilla sprinkle cake + strawberry cream cheese frosting + sprinkled up swiss meringue buttercream = the only kind of math I want to be doing in life.

A former self of mine used to kind of enjoy multivariate calculus, but I was young and naive then, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know that cakes like this existed. I was too busy eating dining hall chocolate pudding and thinking it actually tasted good. WRONG on so many levels.

Look, if you want a weekend project that’s going to make your quality of life significantly better – it’s this cake!! And I promise that reading the recipe is more arduous than actually making the cake, despite outward appearances.

I’ve actually had designs on making this cake for YEARS. It’s from the Layered cookbook and though I’ve flipped through the book about a gazillion times since purchasing it, I’ve always been overcome by cake fear and didn’t actually follow through on any of my cake dreams. BUT the.boy pretty much said this is the best cake I’ve ever made, so obviously I’ve got to bake from it more.

Dessert goals, you guys. Let’s make it happen.

Strawberry Confetti Quadruple Layer Cake

 

Alternating strawberry and vanilla cake layers are sandwiched between strawberry cream cheese frosting and iced with confetti swiss meringue buttercream in this delicious strawberry confetti quadruple layer cake.

Yield: 1 4-layer cake

Ingredients

For the strawberry puree

• 12-15 medium strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt

For the strawberry confetti cake

• 1½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¾ cups strawberry puree (recipe above)
• 2 tbsp milk
• ½ cup rainbow sprinkles

For the vanilla confetti cake

• 1½ cup + 2 tbsp cake flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ tsp clear vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup rainbow sprinkles

For the strawberry cream

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp strawberry puree

For the confetti buttercream

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2½ cups vanilla swiss meringue buttercream (recipe below)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 cup rainbow sprinkles

For the vanilla swiss meringue buttercream

• ½ cup large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the strawberry puree

1. Combine the strawberries, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

For the strawberry confetti cake

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the sugar into the bowl and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, with the mixer running on medium-low speed. Then add in the vanilla and ¾ cups of the strawberry puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the flour and baking powder. Add the milk and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds or until just combined. Fold in ½ cup of sprinkles.
5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the vanilla confetti cake

1. While the strawberry cakes bake, prepare the batter for the vanilla cakes. Grease 2 8-inch baking pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the sugar and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. With the mixer on medium-low, add in the vanilla, almond extract, and the egg yolks, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again.
4. Turning the mixer to low, add the flour and baking powder in three additions, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined. Fold in ½ cup of rainbow sprinkles.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and place in the oven to bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the strawberry cream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well combined. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar as well as the remaining 3-4 tbsp of the strawberry puree.Turn the mixer speed up to medium and mix until smooth. Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside. Wipe out the mixer bowl.

For the vanilla swiss meringue buttercream

1. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place over a medium saucepan that has been filled with a few inches of water to form a makeshift double boiler. Place over a burner and set to medium-high heat. Make sure the bottom of the mixer bowl does not touch the water.
2. Heat the egg mixture until it reaches 160F, whisking constantly. Once it comes to temperature, place the mixer bowl onto the mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the hot egg white mixture on high speed for 8-10 minutes or until it holds medium-stiff peaks and the bowl is now at room temperature.
3. Remove the whisk attachment and replace it with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to low and add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Then add the vanilla. Turn up the mixer speed to medium-high once everything has been incorporated and beat until the buttercream is thick and smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

For the confetti buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-low for 2 minutes. Add in the swiss meringue buttercream and almond extract. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles.

To assemble

1. Once the cakes are cool, place either a strawberry or vanilla layer on a cake plate or serving dish. This will be the bottom layer. Spread ½ cup of the strawberry cream over the top of the layer with an offset spatula. Top with the next layer, alternating vanilla and strawberry, and spread another ½ cup of the strawberry cream over the top. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and cream, ending with the fourth layer.
2. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the confetti buttercream, decorating as desired.

source:https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2018/05/strawberry-confetti-quadruple-layer-cake.html