As most of you know this weekend was the start of a week of baking for me. My children have their birthdays 3 days apart and, with each one wanting a cake or cupcakes for school, a cake for the day of their birthday and a cake for the party, I usually end up baking the whole week.

Zoe, who turned 5 yesterday, is a real strawberry monster so it wasn’t very hard to decide what kind of cake she would enjoy for her birthday. I have so many recipes that I have collected that I have quite a collection to choose from. I chose this recipe because of its inclusion of fresh strawberries and it was very well received. I had also never made Swiss Meringue frosting before so this was the “challenging” part of making the cake.

I found the recipe over here and there was something about this cake that made it extra special. I think the fresh fruit in both the frosting and the cake made it less sweet than you usually would expect from a pink birthday cake and it was very satisfying. Since this recipe was originally created for cupcakes, I extended the baking time by about 10 minutes but do use your discretion and start checking from about 25 minutes as your oven may differ from mine. When I make a cake from a cupcake recipe it sometimes has to bake for as long as 40 minutes depending on the mixture.

Fresh Strawberry Cake with Swiss Meringue Frosting

By Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

• 825ml cake flour
• 15ml  baking powder
• 5ml  salt
• 220g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 560ml sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 250ml milk
• 7.5ml vanilla extract
• 500ml strawberries,  finely chopped, plus small strawberries for garnish

Strawberry Buttercream:

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 450ml sugar
• 330gunsalted butter, cut into small blocks and at room temperature
• 375ml fresh strawberries, pureed

Method 
Preheat oven to 180°C and prep 2 round cake tins with non stick cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.

1. Reduce speed to low. Mix remaining wet ingredients in small bowl and set aside. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter between cake tins leaving enough space for the mixture to rise while baking..
2. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes testing by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake to see if it is cooked through. Allow to cool in tins on wire racks.

Strawberry buttercream:

1. Place whites and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees celcius on a candy thermometer.
2. Remove from heat, and attach bowl to a mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking well after each addition.
3. Switch to a paddle attachment. With mixer on low, add strawberry puree, and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Use immediately, or cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)