Strawberry Solstice Cake
Summer solstice is the longest day of the year and marks the start of summer. My family loves to celebrate this event by coming together outdoors, wearing flower crowns, and making lots of delicious food. This recipe is a chiffon cake, which is lighter than a regular cake, and is also layered with whipped cream. Combined, these two things provide the perfect backdrop for the fresh lemon and strawberries.
Yield: Makes one 6-inch three layer cake
Things you'll need
Ingredients- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 batch Whipped Cream
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- Small whole strawberries
Equipment
- Three 6” round cake pans (Ro Baking Line by Wilton)
Let's get started!
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Make the lemon chiffon cake: In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, ½ cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt.
- In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the oil, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and water until smooth and light.
- Pour the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk just until no dry streaks remain. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out of the pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and vanilla until frothy, about 4 minutes. Continue beating, slowly adding the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter and mix until well combined. Repeat this process two more times.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Level off the tops with a cake leveler or a large serrate knife.
Time to decorate!
- Make the whipped cream.
- Stack the cakes with whipped cream and sliced strawberries in between the layers.
- Top with whipped cream and whole strawberries.
Written By Rosanna Pansino
