Naked Strawberry Cake for Mother's Day

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325˚F (160°C). Line four 7 inch (18cm) springform tins with baking parchment, grease the sides and dust with flour. Set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl mix flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. In a smaller bowl purée the strawberries, add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and mix until combined. Add some food color if needed (optional). Whisk the eggs in another bowl until foamy. Add the strawberry-oil mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix slowly until just combined. Add the whisked eggs and also mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool down for 5 minutes, then remove from the tins (run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the tin) and let cool down completely on a wire rack.

Step 3

Whip the heavy cream with the confectioner’s sugar until very stiff peaks form. Fill into a piping bag with a large round tip. Set aside. Cut the strawberries for the filling into small dices.

Step 4

To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand (even out the top of the cake layers if they are domed too much before assembling the cake). Pipe small amounts of whipped cream around the edge of the cake and make a second round with some smaller portions. Add diced strawberries to the center – you should get – more or less – one even layer with the whipped cream. Place a second cake layer on top and press gently down a bit. Repeat the piping and filling with strawberries until you added the last cake layer on top. Pipe small amounts of whipped cream all over the top of the cake and decorate with the small whole strawberries. Store in the fridge until serving.