…Or your Mother-in-Law in my case 😉

What do you when its a loved ones birthday, not just any loved one but a loved one who is not allowed to eat any form of chocolate (cocoa powder included)?

A loved one who doesn’t care for any form of icing or frosting?

What do you do when said loved one is actually your mother in law …… who you are going to be visiting interstate for her birthday in just a few days time….??

You find the best ever vanilla cake recipe (I recently discovered I didn’t have a vanilla cake recipe I really care for….but I do now, and so do you……your welcome 🙂 ), then you fill it will delicious sweet strawberry jam and cream (or in my case dream whip) and top it will my her all time favourite lollies.

Sweet, light, fluffy vanilla cake layers with the tiny flecks of real vanilla seeds….its truly a beautiful thing. Worthy of royalty.

This cake is now very dear to me, I plan to make it often….as should you.

Strawberry and Cream Fluffy Vanilla Cake

Serves 12 (One 4-layer, 8-inch round cake)
Adapted from Sweetapolita
Ingredients

5 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk (I use this recipe to make my own, its so easy)
1 Vanilla bean
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup butter

To Serve –

2 cups (approx) Whipped cream/dream whip
1 Packet of strawberries and cream (possibly 2 packs….how good is your self control??)

Method

Preheat oven to 175’C (350°F) and line 2 x 8 inch pans with baking paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl add the egg whites

and whisk until soft peaks form.

While your egg whites are whisking, using a sharp knife (careful now…) slice your vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds.

Then add the vanilla seeds to your egg whites,

followed by the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Gradually pour in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and whisk until just combined. Then set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium bowl and whisk on low speed very briefly, just to combined.

Next add the butter and mix until just combined (because of the very little amount of butter in this recipe it will look like a very fine, dry sort of crumb mix, just a little FYI….because I love you :))

then add the apple sauce and mix for about 30 seconds

until it looks like slightly larger, more moist crumbs.

Gradually pour in remaining 3/4 cup of buttermilk,

mix on low speed until just smooth.

Add 1/3 of your egg white mix and mix until just combined, repeat with remaining 2/3 of the egg white mix.

Beating until just combined.

Pour the batter in to your two prepared baking pans as evenly as you can.

Bake for approx 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the center (I tend to rotate my pans at 12 mins because my oven can be a little…how should I put it politely….temperamental…. at times and I want to make sure they cook and colour evenly).

Once baked allow to cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing from pans and allow them to cool completely on the wire racks covered with a clean, dry tea towel.

Once completely cooled, if you want to make a 4 layer cake (which I did) slice each cake in half.

Spread each half with strawberry jam.

Then spread a layer of cream (or dream whip) and place another cake layer on top, repeat until all layers have been used.

Now for the really fun part….frost your cake with remaining cream/dream whip

decorate with strawberries and cream to your hearts content……

I like to use the “one for the cake, one for me” method of cake decorating, how about you?

I find it best to refrigerate the cream covered cake for an hour or so before serving just to allow the cream to set a little more firmly….but thats just me…feel free to do your own thing….its your cake, do what you feel is right….its delicious either way I promise 🙂

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Printable Version –

Strawberry and Cream Fluffy Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

To Serve –

2 cups Whipped cream/dream whip
1 Packet of strawberries and cream (possibly 2 packs….how good is your self control??)

Method

Preheat oven to 175’C (350°F) and line 2 x 8 inch pans with baking paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl add the egg whites and whisk until soft peaks form.

While your egg whites are whisking, using a sharp knife (careful now…) slice your vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds.

Then add vanilla seeds to your egg whites, followed by the vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Gradually pour in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and whisk until just combined. Set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium bowl and whisk on low speed very briefly, just to combined.

Then add the apple sauce and mix for about 30 seconds until it looks like slightly larger, more moist crumbs.

Gradually pour in remaining 3/4 cup of buttermilk, and mix on low speed until just smooth.

Add 1/3 of your egg white mix and mix until just combined, repeat with remaining 2/3 of the egg white mix.

Pour the batter in to your two prepared baking pans as evenly as you can.

Once baked allow to cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing from pans and allow them to cool completely on the wire racks covered with a clean, dry tea towel.

Once completely cooled, if you want to make a 4 layer cake (which I did) slice each cake in half.

Spread each half with strawberry jam.

Next spread a layer of cream (or dream whip) and place another cake layer on and repeat until all layers have been used.

Now for the really fun part….frost your cake with remaining cream/dream whip and decorate with strawberries and cream to your hearts content……I like to use the “one for the cake, one for me” method of cake decorating, how about you?

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