Poteet Strawberry Cake

By Editor | April 23, 2024

There’s something pretty special about finding a local(ish) to us recipe in a commercially produced cookbook. We don’t often talk much about how incredible the brush country area is, but there really is so much wonderful that is produced here.

Poteet Strawberry Cake

From Sweet On Texas by Denise Gee, 2012

Ingredients:

Cake

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups puréed fresh or thawed frozen strawberries (but it’s April, and that means fresh and IN SEASON!)

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 cups cake flour (see Note)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

5 egg whites

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

6 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or more to taste)

½ cup mashed ripe fresh strawberries, drained well

Garnish: fresh strawberry slices

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour (or coat with baking spray) three 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar and butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the puréed strawberries, sour cream, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer bowl and stir just to combine.

In a cold and clean metal bowl, use cold beaters to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with an icing spatula to ensure evenness.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Untold the cakes onto the racks and allow them to cool completely top-side up.

To make the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and strawberries and blend on low until well incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional minute, until the frosting texture is fluffier.

Spread the frosting between the cooled cake layers, then over the top and sides; garnish with sliced strawberries, if desired. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes to set the icing.

Store the cake, tented with plastic wrap or in an airtight cake container, in the refrigerator for about 1 week or freeze in an airtight container for several months (just thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving). Keep refrigerated before and after serving.

**Note: As a substitute for the 3 cups cake flour, place 6 tablespoons cornstarch in a 1-cup measure and fill the rest with all-purpose flour before leveling off and placing in a medium bowl. Then add another 2 cups all-purpose flour to the bowl.