I picked up some strawberries on sale the other day. I was originally thinking of doing a sort of ice cream parfait with them... but then we ate all the vanilla ice cream, so I perused the cookbook for other strawberry recipes.

I appreciate how quick-cooking this cake is, but I do feel like the size is a little off. The recipe instructs baking in a 9" raound pan. And doing this certainly does make it quick to bake and cool. However, I feel like the high surface area also makes the assembly more difficult and the proportions feel off. Because the cake is so thin, it's a bit tricky to split into layers. And the high surface area makes it difficult to get good coverage with the toppings/filling. Next time I think I'd try baking it in a 20cm (8") round pan and just bake it and cool it for slightly longer. Other than that, this was great though! (The Kidlet was especially enthusiastic.)

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Strawberries and Cream

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 125g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract, divided
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 450g fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1-2 Tbsp. Cointreau
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line the bottom of a 20cm (8") round pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the pan!
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Whisk in 1/4 c. of the sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks into the canola oil.
5. Mix in 1 tsp. of the vanilla and the water.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until foamy.
7. Increase speed to high and add 1/4 c. of sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
8. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
9. Add ~1/3 of the meringue and stir to combine.
10. Add the remaining meringue and gently fold it into the batter.
11. Pour the prepared batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
12. Bake at 180°C (350°) until done¹.
13. Transfer to wire rack to cool in pan for ~20 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, remaining 1/4 c. of sugar, Cointreau, and lemon zest and set aside.
15. Combine the cream, icing sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract and beat until cream stiffens.
16. Run a thin spatula around the edge of the pan and then turn the cake out onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper from the bottom, and allow to cool for another 10-20 minutes.
17. Carefully split the cake into two separate layers.
18. Place the bottom layer, cut-side-up, on a large plate.
19. Spoon about half of the strawberries (with any accompanying juices) onto the bottom half of the cake.
20. Spread ~1/2 of the whipped cream over the strawberries.
21. Top with the other cake layer (cut-side-down).
22. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top and top with remaining strawberries.

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¹ My cake took 17 minutes, but I was baking it in a 23cm (9") round pan. I would expect it to take a bit longer in a 20cm (8") pan, maybe 25 minutes, but I would recommend checking at 20. ^Back