Description
A festive holiday cake made with soft vanilla layers, light whipped frosting, and fresh strawberries decorated to resemble Santa hats, creating a joyful and elegant centerpiece dessert.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: 2 1/2 cups
- Baking powder: 2 1/2 teaspoons
- Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter: 1 cup, softened
- Granulated sugar: 1 3/4 cups
- Large eggs: 4, at room temperature
- Vanilla extract: 2 teaspoons
- Whole milk: 1 cup
- Heavy cream: 2 cups, cold
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup
- Fresh strawberries: 2 pounds
- Shredded coconut: 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter, mixing gently until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool briefly in the pans, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft, stable peaks form.
- Assemble the cake by stacking the layers with frosting in between, then frost the outside evenly.
- Decorate the cake with strawberries placed upside down, add small dots of frosting on top, and sprinkle with shredded coconut.
Notes
- Use cold heavy cream for the best whipped frosting texture.
- Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting.
- Choose firm, evenly sized strawberries for the best Santa hat appearance.
- Chill the decorated cake briefly to help the frosting set before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
Keywords: Santa Hat Cake, holiday cake, Christmas dessert, strawberry cake, festive cake, whipped cream frosting