We're experiencing a week of false spring in Sonoma County at the moment -- cold nights, sunny, warm afternoons, and flowers blooming in my garden. With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to celebrate these out-of-the-ordinary days not with chocolate - though I love chocolate - but with a lovely vanilla strawberry cream cake that feels light and airy, just like the weather.
This cake is so simple to put together, with just oat and sweet rice flours whisked with about a cup of almond flour. It's baked on a lower heat so the cake cooks uniformly and doesn't over brown. The result is a soft yet sturdy cake that is infused with vanilla and pairs perfectly with strawberry jam. Buttery layers of cake have an almost caramelized flavor from the oat flour and maple sugar, making this one really stand out.
A cloud of whipped cream takes the cake over the top; you could of course omit the cream and swap it for a vanilla buttercream or serve it plain with a little bit of extra jam or fresh strawberries. Other options could include lemon zest folded into the batter or ¼ teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla, and sandwich cherry preserves between the layers rather than strawberry.
This is a cake that is perfect to serve to your Valentine or save the recipe to make during true spring, which is, finally!, coming up fairly soon. To sunnier days!
Til next time - N x
Gluten-Free Strawberry Cream Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup maple sugar or sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup/120 g almond flour
- ¾ cup/85 g gluten-free oat or sorghum flour
- ¼ cup/35 g sweet white rice flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon whole milk, at room temperature
- ½-1 cup strawberry jam, depending on your preference
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Butter two 8-inch cake tins and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. I have been trying to extend the beating time of this step to 3-5 minutes as it really helps get air into the batter. Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the flour mixture to the butter mixture on medium speed until well combined, then add the milk to lighten up the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and let rest up to 30 minutes. Near the end of the resting period, heat the oven to 325° F.
- Place cake tins in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Check at 30 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven, place on a rack, and cool 10 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
- When cake is cooled, place one round on a plate. Spread the strawberry jam across in an even layer, then top with one third of the whipped cream. Cover with the second cake round, then cover the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream.
- Cake will keep, well-covered in the fridge, for 3 days.
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