Birthday Cake Club: White Chocolate Strawberry

with a kaleidoscope of berries on top.

Hi Bakers!

Another summer, another opportunity for a strawberries and cream cake. This classic combination never gets old, and I love the challenge of creating new versions of these flavors every few years. 

For our June babies (myself included), I went for an epic 4-layer cake with an explosion of fresh berries on top. From the fan of berries to the multiple layers of sponge, jam, and cream, it looks striking and elegant. But truthfully, this cake is much easier to put together than you might think with its simple sponge and 2-ingredient frosting.

I was inspired by these large and low wedding cakes with their berry-full tops. Similarly, Millefoglie is an Italian wedding cake made with puff pastry, Chantilly cream and fresh berries. Translated to “a thousand leaves,” these cakes make a big impact. 

For the home baker, large cake pans big enough to make these types of cakes are not very practical. Instead, I used my go-to sponge cake for a fluffy, four layer cake. Perhaps we will revisit the extra large puff pastry version soon (or this pavlova one), but for today, this stunning celebration cake is just as ahh-worthy while highlighting the best of summer strawberries.

Victoria Sponge Cake, Fraisier Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake are just a few examples of classic strawberry cakes. So how do we keep creating new and equally enticing strawberry cakes?

In addition to the full-coverage berry topping, this one features a silky whipped white chocolate ganache. At just two ingredients, it is sweet, smooth, and perfectly balances the purposely plain nature of the sponge cake.

Hot milk sponge is so easy while producing the fluffiest layers. It also remains soft after refrigeration, which is prefect for a cake like this that needs to be chilled.

Tips and Tricks:

• Be really mindful of the temperature of the ganache. It must be cool to whip. 

• DO NOT over-whip the ganache. You can always give it a few extra whisks if it's too soft when applying to the cake. The more that it is worked, the stiffer and grainier it will become. 

• If the ganache gets too stiff, you can try adding a little more cream and whisking by hand to combine. If all else fails, you can remelt the whole lot, cool, and try again.