Strawberry Cake — The One I Make When I Want Someone to Know They Matter

Second anniversary of CJ and Shanice's wedding. They did not go to the beach — Caleb is eight weeks old and beach trips are not the move yet. Instead Shanice's parents came and the Carters watched the baby for the day while CJ took Shanice to a restaurant in Huntsville and then they walked in a park and came home early and sat on their back porch. CJ described it as the best anniversary they could have had, which I believe, because sometimes the anniversary you have is better than the one you planned because it is honest about where your life actually is.

I sent them a caramel cake — the same one I have made in various iterations for the milestones of their relationship — and CJ texted a photograph of them eating it on the back porch with Caleb asleep in the carrier on CJ's chest. Three people in a photograph that last year had two. That is a thing that cannot be fully captured in words and that I am not going to try very hard to capture, just note: there he is. Caleb Marcus Simms, two months old, asleep against his father's chest, oblivious to the anniversary being marked around him, already completely part of the story he doesn't know he's in yet.

My freezer supply for them has been replenished twice now — I send a box every few weeks, packed in the good cooler with dry ice. This is not something they have asked me to do or that I announced I was doing. They open the shipments and text me things like "there are fifteen more containers in the freezer" and I text back "I know" and that is the whole conversation. It works for us.

The caramel cake I sent CJ and Shanice is its own recipe and its own story, but the cake I keep coming back to for new seasons — new babies, new rhythms, the kind of ordinary Tuesday that turns out to matter — is this strawberry cake. It is the one I make when I want someone to feel celebrated without ceremony, which is exactly the energy that photograph on the back porch had: no fuss, just presence. If you are looking for something to put in a box, or on a porch, or on a table where a two-month-old is asleep against someone’s chest, this is a good place to start.

Strawberry Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced
• 2–3 drops red or pink food coloring (optional)
• For the strawberry buttercream:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, pureed and strained (about 3/4 cup whole berries)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Alternate flour and milk. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix just until combined after each addition — do not overmix.
6. Fold in strawberries. Gently fold in the diced fresh strawberries with a spatula. Add food coloring if desired and fold to distribute evenly.
7. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
8. Cool completely. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting — at least 1 hour.
9. Make the buttercream. Beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add the strained strawberry puree, vanilla, and salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2–3 minutes until light and smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.
10. Assemble and frost. Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake board. Spread an even layer of buttercream over the top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake. Garnish with fresh sliced strawberries if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 73g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 180mg