Project cake: strawberry faultline cake

As far as consistent recipe writing goes, the five cooking magazines I bought the other day and timely pinterest intervention had me up and ready to type the assembly of words you are reading at this moment.

Things in life you desire should not be taken casually: those gushing, deep, dreamy vibes, total sync of elements ...you know, ingredients required for perfect cake. More specifically, a strawberry cake I longed for a number of weeks leading to its arrival.

I struggled a bit. Google's top five searches were sacrilegious... falsities where gelatin was key in achieving moist crumb. Baking mix, the second main ingredient, had me all but cry. I absolutely loathe cake from a box and if the said were the only blueprints available, then I probably would've invented my own. 

Of course, there was a better recipe. A prior fruit reduction taking pink cake to a level of awesome I desperately needed. It compensated for a lot of bygone cravings, awash of nostalgic elements and the reason flavored pastry exists. 

But really, y'all, this actually could be the cake of my dreams. With fruit screaming though every crumb of its structure. And a structure so intentionally marred, it's perfect.

If ever misshapen had a higher calling, this would be it. 

Faultline cakes. Might take you back to grade school Science class and how well you paid attention .  Not that you'd imagine volcanoes in correlation to it, but that it goes against the very theorem of proportionate caking; a congruency vital to a layered build. In fact, the more warped the faultline is, the better the whole show gets. If only all things in life harmonized to a similar fashion.

But there is a deliberateness in roughing up the buttercream edges, so they aren't too Jurassic in nature. The extra frosting coat gets a gold dust gild. A variety of adornments, like the cut berries and flowers force even the unimpressed to wonder... "just how did she do it?'.

The middle layer is what your gaze transfixes on. It makes the effort of baking/stacking/assembling/ painting multiple sizes of a project much more meaningful. 

There it is; strawberry cake, replete with fresh flavor, densely moist and assembled in a cavalcade of pretty you just can't take your eyes off of.

Can you find fault with that?

Recipe adapted from: Liveloveandsugar
Faultline cake tutorial: Sugar Geek show
Strawberry cake~
Ingredients:

• 3 cups quartered strawberries
• 3/4 cup plain nonfat yoghurt
• 1/4 cup full fat milk
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1-2 dots of Wilton pink gel food coloring

Directions:

• Puree strawberries in blender until smooth. There should be approximately 1 1/2 cups puree.
• Boil the puree in a saucepan on medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until it's reduced to 3/4 of a cup. About 12 minutes into boil, measure the reduction and if more than 3/4 cup, add it back to pan and boil a little longer. 
• Place into a measuring cup and allow to cool to room temperature. This step can be done  a few days in advance.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/ flour pans and cover bottoms with parchment paper. (I used two 6 inch rounds and one 5 inch round)
• Combine the yoghurt, milk, eggs in a large bowl. Separate 1 cup of this wet mixture and leave aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add butter to the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, until it clumps and resembles moist sand.
• Add the larger egg mixture to this. Mix on the lowest speed until blended, then mix on medium high for about 1 minute.
• Scrape down the sides of bowl and stream in the remaining egg mixture. Combine for about 20 seconds on medium high.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove cakes from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto racks to cool completely.
• Frost/decorate as desired.

Vanilla buttercream~

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3-5 cups confectioner's powdered sugar, sifted (depending on stiffness and consistency)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp cream

Directions:

• Beat butter in mixer for a few minutes on medium speed until smooth.
• On lowest speed, gradually add your powdered sugar, until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
• Increase to medium speed again and add vanilla extract and cream,. Beat until  frosting reaches desired consistency.

Notes:

If you desire more height to the layers, proceed in doubling the recipe and tripling the amount of icing used, as well as the fruit.

October:

2016-Indian cashew fudge (caju apples)

2015- Basic chicken curry

2014: Besan laddoo

2013- Macarons

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Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 

 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6