Spelt Strawberry Layer Cake

Sue Maree P -

Seriously this spelt strawberry layer cake is the easiest celebration cake I have ever made. The homemade buttermilk ensures it is light and fluffy topped off with a not too sweet white chocolate buttercream frosting.  I love this muffin method of cake making beating sugar, butter and flour together first, mixing all wet ingredients separately before combining the two. I have a simple homemade buttermilk recipe by souring milk with vinegar or lemon juice 20 minutes before starting, to make buttermilk. Yes, that simple. I hope you try this delicious spelt strawberry layer cake when you are wanting to impress a loved one for their birthday or this is perfect for a Mother's Day celebration cake or when you just want to eat cake.

This recipe is inspired by Hummingbird Bakery, Home Sweet Home book however, I have tweaked it over to add my own touches.

Takes = 20 mins prep.
Bakes = 30 mins
Makes = 10-12 slices

Ingredients for the sponge

  • Unsalted softened butter – 110g , 4 oz (about 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
  • Caster sugar – 320g (about 1 cup + 1/3 cup + 2 tsp)
  • White Spelt Flour – 320g, 11 oz (about 2 cups + 1/8 cup)
  • Baking powder – 4 tsp
  • Fine salt – 1 tsp
  • Lemon zest – 2 tsp
  • Homemade buttermilk *– 320ml (about 1 cup + 1/4 cup) = milk + 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, white or a.c vinegar
  • Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
  • Large eggs – 3

White Chocolate Frosting

  • Unsalted butter – 150g (about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)
  • Sifted Icing Sugar – 400g (2.5 cups)
  • Milk or cream – 1 tbsp
  • White chocolate melted, cooled – 100g

Decorations

  • Strawberries – 1 punnet
  • Chopped Pistachios (optional)
  • Strawberry jam (optional) – 2-3 tbsp

Method

  1. Oven 170˚C grease and line the 20cm x 3 (8inch) baking tins with baking paper.
  2. PREPARE homemade buttermilk 20 minutes before starting, by adding 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to milk stir and rest at room temperature.
  3. BEAT with paddle attachment butter, sugar, zest, salt, sifted flour and baking powder.
  4. MIX in a jug by hand milk and eggs then pour slowly in the flour mix and gently combine until smooth.
  5. POUR batter into prepare tins, about 420g-460g per cake tin.
  6. BAKE for 30-35 minutes
  7. COOL for 2 minutes before gently removing the cakes from the tin.
  8. COOL completely before adding the frosting.
  9. FROSTING – using an electric hand mixer or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer cream the butter. Add the icing sugar a little at a time and mix on low. Drizzle in the vanilla and cream and scrape the bowl as you go, then increase the speed to high to whip for 3 minutes to make it light and fluffy, then reduce to low for a final minute to ensure it is smooth. Then using a spatula fold a few times to remove any larger bubbles. Rest in the refrigerator until needed.
  10. LEVEL off the cakes before adding the frosting.  Spread over the cooled cakes, starting with the bottom layer. Adding a layer of strawberry jam if desired then the frosting. Repeat with each layer.
  11. DECORATE – slice the strawberries