Strawberry Chantilly Cake

Happy Birthday to Meggo, Happy Birthday to Meggo!! Today she turns 25! For Meg's Bday, I made a Strawberry Chantilly cake about a month ago (before I left Wichita). She seemed to like it because she was very particular about who she would share with :) The actual cake isn't that hard to make, but make sure you spray your cake pans with a baking spray with flour! I forgot to do this, and it was a disaster- that is why Meg ended up with a three layer half cake rather than a whole two-layer cake. Anyway, on to the actual cake...the cake itself is a fluffy white cake with a sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries in between the layers. The cake has a light texture to it and is complemented well by the not-too-sweet chantilly cream and strawberries.


For the Cake (recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated):
Ingredients-
Nonstick cooking spray with flour
2¼ cups cake flour (9 ounces)
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1¾ cups granulated sugar (12¼ ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds with cooking spray
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs.
4. Add all but ½ cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1½ minutes. Add remaining ½ cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cakes rest in pans for 5 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks.

For the Chantilly Cream:
Ingredients-
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsps vanilla extract

Directions-
Combine all ingredients in a chilled bowl and whip just until stiff peaks form but not too long because you don't want it to be over-whipped!

Strawberries:
1. Wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Remove stems and slice lengthwise.


To assemble cake:
1. Once cake has cooled, place one layer on cake stand or plate.
2. Cover with Chantilly cream, place fresh sliced strawberries on top of cream covering the top of the cake.
3. Place second layer of cake on top and cover completely with Chantilly cream.
4. Smooth cream all around the cake and decorate top as desired.