Strawberry Shortcake Cake

As I have stated before, nothing says summer like strawberry shortcake. So when I saw this gorgeous cake on Made by Mel, I knew I had to make it for one of our dinner party desserts this week. Check out Mel’s gorgeous cake and other delicious recipes! Mel adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
The cake part of this cake is sooooooo unbelievably good. I swear I passed out a bit on my first bite! The butter cake, delicious fluffy frosting and oh so good Grand Marnier Strawberry filling….TO.DIE.FOR!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
Cake:
3 cups flour
6 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined. Pour into greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake will be very golden. Remove from cake pans as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Strawberry Filling:
1 pound strawberries
4-5 tablespoons sugar, divided-I added only three
I also added 2 tbsp Grand Marnier

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. Add Grand Marnier. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries with a fork. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of sugar ( I didnt they were already very sweet and soft) and let sit until sugar is completely dissolved. Mash any remaining large pieces of strawberries and set aside.

Cream Cheese Icing:
1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature.
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and vanilla into the  mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Assembling the Cake:

Level the cakes with a cake leveler or a very sharp serrated knife. Spread strawberries evenly over the bottom layer(cut side up), pouring on all the juices (you may not use all of the strawberries).

Place the second layer on top. Spread cream cheese icing over the top and sides of the cake. You may need to stop icing and refrigerate the cake for a bit if the icing starts to get too soft. Leave plain or garnish with fresh strawberries.

Important note from PW: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

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