Strawberry Funfetti Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
This homemade strawberry funfetti cake with strawberry buttercream is a fluffy vanilla cake filled with homemade strawberry cake filling and topped with the best strawberry frosting! This funfetti strawberry cake is so fun and festive—it would make a perfect Mother’s Day dessert, birthday cake or baby shower cake!
Servings: 10 slices
Ingredients
Strawberry Funfetti Cake
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour*
- 1/4 cup cornstarch*
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup milk (whole milk is best)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional, but adds a lot of flavor)
- 1 cup colored jimmies (cylindrical sprinkles)
Strawberry Filling
- 1 cup strawberries, chopped
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup crushed freeze dried strawberries
- 3-4 Tbsp heavy cream
- salt, to taste
Topping:
- Strawberries
- Jimmies
Instructions
Strawberry Funfetti Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 8” or 9” circular cake pans.
- With a standing or hand mixer, whip egg whites until they reach stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Cream butter with a standing or hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add in oil and granulated sugar and beat for another 1-2 minutes (this really creates a light texture). Set aside.
- Sift flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder together.
- Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Add in vanilla extract, almond extract and sprinkles and stir until just combined.
- Fold egg whites into the cake batter, gently mixing until the whites are combined.
- Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans and spread in an even layer.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Strawberry Filling
- Mix strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and flour in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to continue cooking until it has reduced and thickened up (about 10-12 minutes).
- Allow to cool completely.
Strawberry Buttercream
- Beat butter with a standing or hand mixer for 3-4 minutes (this makes the frosting extra fluffy).
- Gradually add in powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, beginning with 3 cups.
- Add in 3 Tbsp of heavy cream, beating until combined. If the frosting seems too thin, add in remaining powdered sugar. If the frosting seems too thick, add in remaining heavy cream.
- Add in crushed freeze dried strawberries and mix until combined.
- If desired, add in a pinch of salt, as this helps cut down the sweetness in the frosting.
Assembling the Cake
- Place one funfetti cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate.
- Spread a thin layer of strawberry frosting over the top of the cake layer.
- Place some of the frosting (about 1/3 of the frosting) in a piping bag (you can use a large tip, but you don’t need one) and pipe a thick border around the edge of the cake (this creates a dam effect and keeps the filling from seeping out of the center of the cake).
- Spoon strawberry filling in the center of the cake.
- Pipe a thin layer of frosting over the top of filling and with a knife or offset spatula, carefully spread the frosting in an even layer (this keeps the filling from seeping into the top layer of the cake).
- Place the second cake layer on top and press down gently.
- Spread remaining frosting on top and around the edge of the cake.
- Top with strawberries and sprinkles, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Leftovers should be refrigerated (because of the fresh fruit filling), but cake is best eaten at room temperature (it comes to room temperature from the fridge in about 30-60 minutes; individual slices come to room temp much more quickly).
Notes
*Instead of using all purpose flour and cornstarch, you can substitute 2 1/4 cups cake flour.