Simple Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

Sponge cake

• 1 cup premium flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberries and cream

• 1000 ml strawberries
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream 33%
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a 20cm round baking pan with butter, line with parchment paper, grease the paper with butter, and lightly dust with flour.
2. Sponge cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
3. Fill the prepared baking pan with batter and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
4. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake upside down out of the pan, flip it back over, and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Strawberries and creamSet aside half (about 500 ml) of the prettiest whole strawberries to decorate the cake later. Remove the stems and thinly slice the remaining berries and mix with granulated sugar. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Refrigerate.
6. Assembling the cakeUsing a serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a cake stand or serving tray, cut side up. Drizzle both halves of the cake with the strawberry juice left over from slicing the berries. Place a couple of tablespoons of whipped cream on top of the sliced ​​berries and spread the mixture over the bottom layer. Place the other cake half on top, cut side down. Spread the remaining cream over the top of the cake and decorate the cake with whole strawberries.
   
   
   Tips for mastering the cake: cutting the cake into layers is quite simple: saw, rotate, and separate. Start by sawing the cake in half horizontally. Just before you reach the middle, rotate the cake 90 degrees. Continue sawing almost to the very center, then rotate the cake 90 degrees again and saw again until you reach the starting point. Saw the cake completely through the center and separate the layers.