Homemade Olive Garden Strawberry Cream Cake
Ingredients
- Flour: 2 1/4 cups of cake flour.
- Sugar: 1 1/3 cups of white sugar for the cake and 1/3 cup of sugar for the whipped cream and strawberry filling use according to preference.
- Baking Powder: 4 tsp of baking powder.
- Egg: 6 Large Egg Whites.
- Salt: 1/2 tsp of salt for the cake use according to preference.
- Milk: 1 cup of whole milk at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp of vanilla extract for the cake and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract for the whipped cream and strawberry filling.
- Butter: 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: 32 oz heavy whipping cream.
- Cream Of Tartar: 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar.
- Strawberry: 2 cups of strawberries cut into thin slices. And 1 more cup for garnish.
- Water: 2 tbsp of water to make the strawberry sauce.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Make sure there are no lumps.
- In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then beat in the oil, milk, and vanilla extract until uniform.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat for 2 full minutes until completely smooth and homogenous.
- On low mixer speed, carefully pour in the hot coffee. Beat just until incorporated - do not overmix. The batter will seem very thin.
- Evenly divide the batter between prepared cake pans. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter out evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans set on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then run a knife along the edges and carefully invert onto the racks to cool completely.
- Once cakes are cooled, use a long serrated knife to carefully cut each layer in half horizontally.
- Place 1 cake layer on your serving platter. Spread about 3/4 cup chocolate ganache evenly on top. Top with another layer and repeat.
- Finish stacking cake layers, spreading ganache between each. Place the final layer on top.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake. Chill for 30 minutes before the final coat.
- Frost the cake with the remaining ganache. If desired, press sprinkles or almonds into the sides. Keep cake chilled until ready to serve.
Notes
Temperature of the Ingredients: Make sure your butter, milk, and eggs are at room temperature. This helps create a smoother cake batter and creamier filling.
Soft Peaks for Whipped Cream: When whipping the cream, stop when soft peaks form. Over-whipping can make it too stiff. And under-whipping can ruin your cream.
Serving: Let your assembled cake chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together for a better taste.