Recipes

How to make Lola's Strawberries & Cream Cake

The perfect pair! Make the strawberry and cream cake of your dreams.

What are the most famous double acts you can think of? Sonny and Cher, Morcambe and Wise, Ant and Dec? But are any of them really as successful as the delicious double act of strawberries and cream? It’s an all time classic! And, is there a better way to celebrate this pairing than with this delicious cake? We think not!

A lot of strawberry cakes rely on artificial flavours, but we wanted to develop a cake that uses real strawberries to get that lovely fresh strawberry flavour. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. Our strawberry buttercream uses real strawberries so you get that sweet fruity flavour without the sickly sweet notes of more artificial flavourings. We’ve paired this heavenly buttercream with the Lola’s signature vanilla sponge.

Our vanilla sponge has been perfected over the years at Lola’s, and, after all this time, we think this is one of the tastiest vanilla cakes out there. It’s light, fluffy and deliciously moist and you won’t believe how straightforward it is to make.

Plus, the cherry strawberry on top of the cake - it’s so easy to decorate. Topped with whole fresh strawberries, and finished with a biscuit crumb, this cake is an effortless showstopper that looks amazing.

The perfect time to make these, of course, is summer time when British strawberries are at their best! This means you’ll get the most scrumptious strawberry flavour in your cupcakes. This cake is perfect for a summer picnic, or a Wimbledon party! But there’s nothing stopping you from making this quintessentially British cake all year round.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
230g unsalted butter
300g sugar
4 eggs
350g plain flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
250ml milk
1 tbsp vanilla essence

For the strawberry buttercream:
160g fresh strawberries - save 6 for the top!
225g butter
424g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
A couple of hob knobs - or any biscuit really! (optional)

How to make the strawberry and cream cake:

1. Get your butter out of the fridge and leave until it’s at room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC / Gas Mark 4.
3. Grease 2 cake tins with butter, line with baking paper and then grease again.

Top Tip: don’t skimp when it comes to greasing your pans, you don’t want your cake to stick to the tin!

4. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.Throw in the vanilla essence.
6. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir with a whisk and add it to the butter mixture followed by the milk.
7. Mix everything together.
8. Divide the batter evenly between your cake tins.
9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Top Tip: You can tell if your cakes are done by sticking a skewer into the middle of one of the cakes and checking that it comes out clean.

Top Tip: We know that decorating the cake is the most fun part, but if you’re cakes aren’t completely cool when you put the icing on, it’ll just melt off!

10. Next, we’re going to make your strawberry buttercream! Using a food processor, whizz up your strawberries until they turn into a smooth puree.
11. Transfer your strawberry puree to a saucepan over medium heat.
12. Bring the mixture to the boil, and stir often, until puree is reduced by at least half, which should take about 20 minutes.
13. Remove your saucepan of strawberry goodness from the heat and let it cool.
14. Beat butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy.
15. Now, mix the icing sugar into your butter until it’s blended.
16. Add your vanilla extract.
17. Pour in your strawberry puree and stir until it’s completely mixed into the buttercream.
18. Assembly time! Take one of your cakes and place it top down on a serving plate.
19. Spread a nice thick layer of strawberry frosting onto the cake.
20. Add your other cake on top, this time with the top facing up.
21. Add icing to the top and the sides. Then stand back and admire your cake!
22. Chop the stalks off your remaining strawberries and use them to decorate the top of your cake.
23. If you want, you can smash the biscuits and press the crumbs into the side of your cake for a little extra decoration.

Top Tip: The best way to smash biscuits is to put them in a zip lock bag and attack with a rolling pin. This keeps things tidy and is also an amazing stress release.

So there you have it. A light, fresh summer cake that’s easy to make and tastes delicious. What’s not to love!

If you love the sound of a strawberry and cream cake, but not sure if you've got the time to make one from scratch, why not order one from us here! Our strawberry & cream cakes combine strawberry buttercream with cream cheese icing for an extra kick of scrumptious flavour.