Published May 1, 2006.
What could possibly ruin the heavenly trio of cake, cream, and ripe strawberries? How about soggy cake, bland berries, and squishy cream?
We found no shortage of recipes for strawberry cream cakes that looked good, but we were disenchanted by their mediocre taste and texture.
We wanted a sturdy cake, a firm filling, and strawberry flavor fit for a starring role--a cake that would serve a formal occasion better than a simple strawberry shortcake.
We had to solve three crucial problems. First, we realized that tender butter cakes couldn't support a substantial strawberry filling, so we developed a chiffon-style cake that combined the rich flavor of a butter cake with the light-yet-sturdy texture of a sponge cake. Second, we made a flavorful berry "mash" with half of the berries and then reduced the macerated juice in a saucepan (with a little Kirsch) to help concentrate and round out the flavor. We sliced the rest of the berries and placed them around the edges of the cake for visual appeal. Another problem arose when the cake was sliced: The filling squirted out and the layers fell apart. To correct the problem, we reduced the number of layers from four to three and fortified the whipped-cream filling with cream cheese.
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