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4.5 from 18 votes

Strawberries and cream naked cake

A spectacular 'strawberries and cream' naked cake that's perfect for birthdays, wedding showers and celebrations.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 569 kcal
Course: Dessert , Cake
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

For the cake
  • 330 g | 11.6oz plain flour
  • 330 g | 11.6oz caster sugar
  • 50 g | 1.7oz ground almonds
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200 g | 7oz unsalted butter cool but not hard, cubed
  • 100 g | 3.5oz buttermilk
  • 150 g | 5.3oz strawberries hulled and quartered
  • cooked with 50g 1.7oz sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
To fill & decorate
  • 400 ml | 14fl oz cold double cream
  • 200 g | 7oz icing powdered sugar
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • 1 tbsp Elderflower cordial
  • 300 g | 10.5 oz fresh strawberries to fill and decorate

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease and flour 3 x 20 cm cake tins.
  2. Put the hulled and quartered strawberries in a small saucepan with the sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Drain any liquid and reserve. Blitz the cooked strawberries in a food processor or mini chopper until you have a smooth purée.
  4. Put all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, soda & salt) in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix together using the paddle attachment on low speed.
  5. Add the cubed butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
  6. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a couple of times.
  7. Mix the buttermilk with 100g (3.5oz) of strawberry purée.
  8. Add buttermilk/strawberry mixture and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Mix on low then high speed for a couple of minutes.
  9. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure the batter is completely smooth and divide it equally into the prepared tins.
  10. Bake for 25-30 minutes.The cakes are ready when springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  11. Cool on a wire rack and then gently tap the cakes out of the tins. Make sure they are completely cool before frosting. Cakes can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept, wrapped, at room temperature.
  12. <br>
  13. <b>To fill and decorate</b>
  14. Put the icing sugar, vanilla, elderflower cordial and double cream in your stand mixer and whisk at high speed until you have firm peaks. Transfer the cream into a large bag fitted with a large round tip.
  15. Brush the reserved strawberry liquid over the tops of the cakes.
  16. Pipe a wide ring of whipped cream all around the edge of the bottom cake layer and a large dot in the middle.
  17. Fill the space between the whipped cream with chopped strawberries. Repeat on second layer and top with the third.
  18. Pipe some cream on top of the cake then smooth it down to create a flat surface. Push any excess cream down the sides of the cake.
  19. Smooth the cream along the sides of the cake using a plain edge side scraper. You want to create a crumb coating but still be able to see the sponge underneath. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  20. Decorate the top of the cake with whole strawberries (cut the top off so they lie down flat) and some edible flowers if you can find them.
  21. Best eaten on day of decorating although it can be kept in the fridge for one day.

Notes

  • I love 'naked' cakes. Almost certainly the invention of a baker who had either run out of frosting or time (or both) they are a very easy way of frosting a cake without having to worry about perfection. If you want to frost the cake 'properly', make a little extra whipped cream and frost after the crumb coating sets in the fridge (step 6).

Nutrition Information

Calories 569kcal (28%) Carbohydrates 71g (24%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 30g (46%) Saturated Fat 17g (85%) Cholesterol 123mg (41%) Sodium 347mg (14%) Potassium 243mg (7%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 47g (94%) Vitamin A 980IU (20%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Calcium 104mg (10%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 569

% Daily Value*

Calories 569kcal 28%
Carbohydrates 71g 24%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 17g 85%
Cholesterol 123mg 41%
Sodium 347mg 14%
Potassium 243mg 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 47g 94%
Vitamin A 980IU 20%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Calcium 104mg 10%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.