This light and fluffy white cake is filled with layers of vanilla pastry cream. Serve with fresh berries and bananas. Topped with a light whipped cream frosting.
According to my family, there are only three types of cake: Cherie's Chocolate Cake, Swedish Birthday Cake, and Banana Cake. Whenever a birthday comes up, there is always a debate about which to make.
Why you are going to love this cake.
It may feel a bit like a strawberry shortcake. It is! I would argue that it is a strawberry shortcake done one better.
Imagine a moist white cake or sponge cake with vanilla pastry cream filling, topped with whipped cream and strawberries! It's delicious.
How do you make a traditional Swedish Strawberry Cake?
When you break it down, this Swedish Cake is made up of layers of white or a traditional sponge cake.
Between each layer is a healthy slather of vanilla or almond pastry cream and bananas or berries.
The whole cake is then topped with whipped cream (as icing) and more berries. Traditionally, cut strawberry halves are used to cover the entire top of the cake.
For my version, I made a white cake, filled it vanilla pastry cream and mashed bananas, topped it with whipped cream, and decorated it with berries.
Strawberries and Cream Cake
Ingredients
Classic White Layer Cake
- 1 cup whole Milk room temperature
- 6 egg Whites room temperature (Save the yolks for the pastry cream.)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups cake
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter softened, cut into 12 pieces
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean
Cake Assembly
- 3 cups whipped cream
- 2 bananas peeled and mashed
- 1 batch vanilla pastry cream
- 2 pints strawberries halved or sliced, as desired
Instructions
Classic White Layer Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. (I used three 8-inch rounds.) Line with parchment paper. Grease parchment and flour pans.
- Whisk milk, egg whites and vanilla together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed until combined. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-sized pieces remain.
- Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture. Beat until incorporated. Give it a final stir by hand.
- Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops with a spatula and gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter. Bake 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, remove parchment and let cool completely on a rack.
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Mix the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the eggs are fluffy and light in color.
- Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Add the vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer of medium heat. Remove the mixture from the heat and remove the vanilla bean.
- TEMPER THE EGGS: Add a ladle of the heated milk mixture to the whipped eggs. Quickly whisk the eggs so that the hot milk doesn't cook the eggs.
- Pour the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the milk. Whisk until the mixture is combined.
- RETURN TO THE HEAT: Place the on the heat again, gently heat the mixture while continually whisking until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir for another 2 minutes.
- Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl. Let cool at room temperature. Once at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is pressed into the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate.
Assemble Cake
- Stack cake layers. Adding a thick slather of pastry cream and mashed bananas between each layer.
- Cover the entire cake with whipped cream, using it like icing.
- Decorate the whipped cream with berries. [The traditional approach is to cover the top with halved strawberries.]
PS. The recipe for the vanilla paste wasnโt below is what I meant to say.
Thank you! I will add that back in today! I forgot that I had taken it out as a separate recipe.
You said the recipe was below, but it wasnโt.