Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Strawberry Chiffon Buttercream Cake

I spent this past weekend at Sebago Lake up in Maine for my friend's birthday.   In addition to the abundance of dogs I got to play with, I also started a new book and got some open water swimming in :)   What made the weekend, however, were the friends I got to spend it with!   Between sparklers, taboo, grilling, and some shenanigans, the weekend was over all too quickly.


While there's no topping last year's cake, this year I embraced summer and chose Jen's Strawberry Chiffon Buttercream Cake.   Strawberry puree-studded chiffon cake, layered with Grand Marnier and strawberry puree, topped off with a silky, not-too-sweet strawberry swiss meringue buttercream frosting...


The frosting came together two nights before the trip, and the cakes baked the night before.   Everything traveled safely and assembly went pretty smoothly even after a couple of drinks ;)   A makeshift piping bag (aka ziploc bag) even allowed me to do a little decorating!


Wow.  There was some deliberation as to how it compared to the chocolate-peanut butter delight that was last year's cake, but I think we decided they are different categories, and both are amazing.   It was certainly a winner, and I'm already looking for another occasion to make it!!


I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of the cake flour I didn't have.   Instead of the 14.5oz cake flour,  I used 2oz cornstarch (6T) and 12.5oz white whole wheat flour, sifting it twice before proceeding with the recipe.    While I haven't tried the original, my swap seemed to work out just fine!

Happy Birthday Rebecca!!

24 comments:

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

My goodness you are clever! That cake looks betetr than the ones you buy in the store!! :)

Lauren said...

YUM!! As a kid, I would almost always request strawberry shortcake on my birthday. Had my mom offered to make this cake, I would have gladly accepted :). The decorating truly looks professional!

xoMeghan said...

Loved the cake and the company!!! Even though I have NO business trying to run with a tri-athlete!!! Always happy to be your guinea pig.

Delicious Dishings said...

Gorgeous cake! And I love all those flavors. Swiss meringue buttercream is so good!

(Thanks for your comment on my giveaway. I may be arranging a blogger trip to KAF for a baking class, so I'll keep you mind!)

♥peachkins♥ said...

I'd give an arm for a slice of that amazing cake!

Joanne said...

I remember playing with sparklers as a kid. I think I need some more of them in my life. Sounds like such a fun weekend!

And oh my god that cake. I might have to make it for my dad for his birthday. Mostly because now I am seriously craving a strawberry infused cake.

Elina said...

Happy belated birthday, Rebecca! The cake looks fantastic. I remember last year's... and obviously you do too so it must have been amazing. Now if I can only think of an occasion to make this cake before the strawberry season is over...

brandi said...

That cake looks amazing! I guess I need to practice more - mine are always uneven ;)

Unknown said...

Thank you, Shannon, once again, for making my birthday treats about as memorable as possible! So freaking good. Ry had the last piece last night and I was shocked to find the plate this morning with a few smears of frosting still on there... I would have licked it clean! :-)

Kelly said...

Gorgeous. Based on the photo I would agree that your swap worked wonders. I'd also never know that you used a baggie. So smart!

Natalie said...

okay this is beautiful! I'm making my very first layer cake this weekend and I hope it turns out as perfectly as yours :)

Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly said...

Holy cow that looks amazing!!! You are quote the chef! :)

Erica said...

Glad you had fun with your friends! The cake looks amazing. I much prefer fruity desserts to chocolate, so I'd be ALL over this! Great job on the decorating

Faith @ LovelyAsCharged said...

Wow, that totally trumps the Publix cakes I usually wind up with for my birthday!

Jess said...

That's a beautiful cake and I bet it tasted fantastic!

Esi said...

Great cake! Want to do my birthday cake in a few weeks? :)

Jaime said...

what a pretty cake.

Sophie @ yumventures said...

BEAUTIFUL!!

Dewi said...

Happy birthday to Rebecca!!!! You guys look gorgeous, love that layer birthday cake, especially wit strawberry.

sophia said...

OMg. Fantastic choice. My best friend's birthday is coming up, and THAT is the cake I MUST make for her!

Kerstin said...

I'm so impressed you decorated it with just a plastic bag! It sounds absolutely amazing and so perfect for summer!

Rosiecat24 said...

Oh, how sweet! I love that you put so much effort into making and transporting all the goods for a homemade birthday cake. What a friend! What a cake!

Anonymous said...

that cake looks so good and your very lucky you were able to get away for the weekend, in the future if you ever dont have the time to go to the grocery store for your ingredients or just dont have the time to do some other house hold errand you should check out taskrabbit.com, its a company that allow you to hire background checked runners to do your errands or tasks for you and you name your own price , hope this helps

Simply Life said...

that cake is beautiful!

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