Strawberry Crunch Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 26, 2011
Yield
Serves 10 to 12 (Makes one 8-inch layer cake)
Ingredients
Meringue
2 large egg whites ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugarCake
¾ cup milk 2 large eggs, room temperature½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon table salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still coolStrawberries and Whipped Cream
2 quarts strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, plus 12 whole strawberries for garnish3 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream Confectioners' sugarBefore You Begin
Strawberries are the unofficial fruit for Valentine’s Day, and this dessert—with tender yellow cake, sweet whipped cream, and crunchy baked meringue—shows them at their very best.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Use bottom of 8-inch round cake pan to trace circle on sheet of parchment. Flip parchment over and set in rimmed baking sheet.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer set to medium-high speed until frothy. With mixer running, add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until egg whites hold stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Using spatula, spread meringue over traced circle on parchment. Bake until lightly colored and completely dried out, about 90 minutes. Then turn off oven and let meringue cool completely in oven, about 2 hours.
- Transfer meringue (with parchment) to wire rack. Let cool completely. Peel off and discard parchment. (Meringue can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 day.)
- While meringue is cooling, increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch round cake pan with parchment.
- Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in medium bowl.
- Using electric mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until blended. Add butter and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened, about 2 minutes. Add milk mixture and beat until just combined, then increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is golden and cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, run paring knife around edges to loosen cake, and invert onto large plate. Remove parchment and invert cake back onto wire rack. Let cool completely.
- Toss sliced strawberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar together in bowl and stir occasionally until sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes. Beat cream and remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar with electric mixer at medium-high speed until cream just holds stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slice cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over cake layer. Arrange half of sliced strawberries on whipped cream, then top with meringue. Arrange remaining sliced strawberries on meringue, spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over strawberries, then top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spoon remaining 1 cup whipped cream on top of cake and garnish with whole strawberries. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
for the meringue
for the cake
for the strawberries and whipped cream
to assemble
Yield
Serves 10 to 12 (Makes one 8-inch layer cake)Ingredients
Meringue
2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
Cake
¾ cup milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
Strawberries and Whipped Cream
2 quarts strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, plus 12 whole strawberries for garnish
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Meringue
2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
Cake
¾ cup milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
Strawberries and Whipped Cream
2 quarts strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, plus 12 whole strawberries for garnish
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Meringue
2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
Cake
¾ cup milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
Strawberries and Whipped Cream
2 quarts strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, plus 12 whole strawberries for garnish
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more failproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in September of 2021. To keep our Strawberry Crunch Cake’s meringue layer crunchy and light, we whipped egg whites stiff with a little cream of tartar, then baked the meringue until it was dry and crisp. For our Strawberry Crunch Cake recipe’s other layers, we prepared our favorite yellow cake recipe, sliced the cake in half, and sandwiched meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries between the layers.
Before You Begin
Strawberries are the unofficial fruit for Valentine’s Day, and this dessert—with tender yellow cake, sweet whipped cream, and crunchy baked meringue—shows them at their very best.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Use bottom of 8-inch round cake pan to trace circle on sheet of parchment. Flip parchment over and set in rimmed baking sheet.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer set to medium-high speed until frothy. With mixer running, add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until egg whites hold stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Using spatula, spread meringue over traced circle on parchment. Bake until lightly colored and completely dried out, about 90 minutes. Then turn off oven and let meringue cool completely in oven, about 2 hours.
- Transfer meringue (with parchment) to wire rack. Let cool completely. Peel off and discard parchment. (Meringue can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 day.)
- While meringue is cooling, increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch round cake pan with parchment.
- Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in medium bowl.
- Using electric mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until blended. Add butter and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened, about 2 minutes. Add milk mixture and beat until just combined, then increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is golden and cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, run paring knife around edges to loosen cake, and invert onto large plate. Remove parchment and invert cake back onto wire rack. Let cool completely.
- Toss sliced strawberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar together in bowl and stir occasionally until sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes. Beat cream and remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar with electric mixer at medium-high speed until cream just holds stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slice cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over cake layer. Arrange half of sliced strawberries on whipped cream, then top with meringue. Arrange remaining sliced strawberries on meringue, spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over strawberries, then top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spoon remaining 1 cup whipped cream on top of cake and garnish with whole strawberries. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
for the meringue
for the cake
for the strawberries and whipped cream
to assemble
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