White Chocolate with Strawberries

For my sisters birthday she requested strawberries, and she also said maybe not with chocolate! Not chocolate! What! She loves chocolate and really loves dark chocolate so this better be very strawberryie.

Ingredients 

Cake

1 Cup Butter, softened

2 Cups Sugar

4 Egg 

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk *

1/4 Cup water

Frosting

8 oz Cream Cheese softened 

1/2 Cup butter softened (1stick)

4 squares (1oz each) White chocolate melted and cooled

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

6 Cups Powder Sugar

Filling

15 oz container frozen sliced Strawberries in sugar (thawed)

2 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Sugar

Sliced Strawberries

Direction

Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Prepare your pans you will need three 9inch round pans. I use the spray and wax paper rounds. 

Using your mixer cream the butter and gradually add the sugar till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla.

In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk and water, mixing well and making sure to scrape the sides down.

Pour into your prepared pans. 

Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely. 

Filling

Seperate the strawberries and the syrup reserving both. Pour the strawberrie syrup in a medium sauce pan. Add the cornstarch and sugar, combin well. 

Over medium high heat, heat to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook till thickened about 5 minutes whisking constantly. 

Add the strawberries and heat well.

Cool completely.

Frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter together till well combined and fluffy. Add chocolate and vanilla. Gradually add the powder sugar till the consistency you want it. 

Assembling the cake

Get your pretty cake plate, place one cake layer centered on the cake plate, make sure you cake is even if not take a long sharp knife, not serrated and even it up. Take some of your frosting and spread it over the cake and leave a lip or edge on it, you can also pipe a wall all the way around using a #10 or 12 tip. Using the filling that is cooled spoon that on top of the frosting staying in the lip that will help hold in. Place another layer on top of that, put the frosting down and the filling. Place the last layer and frost the whole thing. Place the sliced strawberries on the top and garnish with white chocolate curls.

 

* if you don't have buttermilk you can make your own with milk and white vineger or lemon juice. For 1 cup buttermilk, take your measuring cup and put 1 Tablespoon of the lemon juice OR white vineger, fill the rest of the measuring cup up to the 1 cup line with the milk, stir and let sit 5 minutes and you have buttermilk.