Strawberry Country Cake
maxine March 17th, 2008
Makes two 8″ cakes (you can also use 9″ pans, but they’ll come out a little shorter).
This cake keeps up to 6 months frozen; cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic.
Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
½ tsp. grated orange zest
½ tsp. grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Filling for each cake:
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour.
Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 30 minutes, then remove from pans (run a thin, sharp knife along sides to loosen) to wire racks and let cool to room temperature.
To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar to taste with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (if making several hours in advance, add a dash of cream of tartar to stabilize the cream). Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, serrated knife. Place bottom slice of cake on a serving platter, spread with half of the whipped cream, and scatter with strawberries. Cover with the top slice of cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.