Golden Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

How were your Easter and/or Passover celebrations? Ben and I had a few people over on Saturday and then went to another Easter dinner on Sunday. I won a pork crown roast from Snake River Farms over at Rhubarbarians, and it was pretty great. I also made this cake--we enjoyed one of the layers on Saturday, and brought the other one, pictured here, to the party on Sunday.

So, yes, I've been sitting on this cake recipe for an entire week. I apologize! I had one of those very busy weeks that I should have seen coming, but instead somehow managed to take me completely by surprise. Am I the only one that happens to? Between papers and evaluation reports and trying to get at least a little shuteye, it took me all week just to edit these photos.

For this shoot, I moved my photography setup to the dining room so I could take some pictures on our red vintage table. I usually take all of my photos in the kitchen because the light is stronger, but I think these turned out pretty well! It's nice to have a colorful background for a change.

So, this golden cake. It's gently sloped and just begs to be filled with a massive amount of whipped cream and topped with some juicy strawberries.

This isn't just any whipped cream, though--it's whipped cream with mascarpone, which means you can make it ahead and stash it in the fridge and it will stay fluffy and delicious for days. If you've ever been desperate to finish up a whipped cream-frosted cake before it starts to melt and weep, worry no more. I learned about this awesome trick over at Food Apparel and have been adding mascarpone to my whipped cream ever since.

For this cake, I added a dash of almond extract to the whipped cream, which gives the cake an extra little oomph. You can almost taste a hint of marzipan, but it's nothing overpowering. If you're not a fan of almond flavor, you can definitely leave it out.

The cake itself is moist, rich, and buttery, with a tiny bit of crunch around the edges, and the combination of all the components is like a strawberry shortcake on steroids. It's perfect for spring birthdays, celebrating the return of warm weather, or just using up any strawberries that might be in your fridge.

Do you have a go-to spring dessert? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

P.S. There are still a couple more days to enter my blogiversary giveaway...

Golden Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream
Yield: Two 10-inch cakes (8-10 servings each)
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time
Bake time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 sticks (16 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups finely ground raw sugar or coconut sugar*
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 egg white, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk of choice (dairy, almond, or coconut)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups lightly packed almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For serving:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar, or to taste**

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved

*Pulse the sugar in a spice grinder until it's finely ground. Make sure to grind before measuring. If you prefer, you can just use regular granulated white sugar, which is already finely ground.

**Most powdered sugar is not grain-free because it contains cornstarch, but Whole Foods has organic powdered sugar made with tapioca starch instead. You can also find grain-free powdered sugar on Amazon.

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 10-inch round cake pans with butter. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom of each cake pan and grease the parchment, too.

Cream the butter until smooth in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer). Add the sugar and continue to cream until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time with the mixer on low, and then add the milk and vanilla.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The cakes should be golden brown and sloped down a bit in the middle.

Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a rack. Loosen the edges of the cake with a small knife, and then invert them onto plates and remove the parchment.

When you are ready to serve the cakes, beat the heavy cream, mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Spread half of the whipped cream on top of each cake, and decorate with the halved strawberries. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar if desired, slice, and serve.

Notes: You can try stacking the cakes if you'd like, but each cake is lovely on its own, like in these photos. If you want to serve one cake one day and another a few days later, just wrap the second cake and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring the cake to room temperature before topping it with whipped cream.

Because the mascarpone stabilizes this whipped cream, you can prepare it earlier in the day and refrigerate it until you're ready to decorate the cake. The decorated cake will also hold up well for several days in the refrigerator if you have leftovers, though it's best to top the cake right before serving.

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