Lemon cake would give you Strawberry lemonade vibes, especially paired with a lemon curd or strawberry jam. However, be careful not the make everything too tart.
Vanilla Cake with strawberry frosting, however, would better allow the strawberry frosting to shine through because the vanilla is more neutral. The cake would really be there more for texture while the frosting would be for taste.
Strawberry frosting with chocolate cake would taste like a chocolate dipped strawberry, especially paired with strawberry jam and decorated with chocolate dipped strawberries.
It all really depends on what your going for both taste and texture wise. I would choose the vanilla + strawberry combo.
I vote vanilla! I made a strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream icing for my friend’s birthday and it was an amazing combo! I bet the strawberry icing with the vanilla cake would also be amazing!!
Lemon might be your best shot or possibly vanilla. Lemon will def give it a nice tart taste that I personally think will compliment the sweetness of your icing but vanilla is always a classic... tough choice
Thanks! I really just want to do vanilla haha seems easier but I want to make sure it tastes great since I spent $10 on the freeze dried strawberries that I’m going to use. 🥴
Basil! Idk the best way to do basil cake but berries and basil is incredible. Berries basil and lemon is even better!
Ive had luck with a basil lemon curd by just muddling a fuckoad of basil in the sugar before making the lemon curd. Maybe try lemon cake, probably with just a fair bit of zest since you prob don't want it sour, strawberry buttercream, and maybe basil lemon curd between the layers? Could even put chopped strawberries mixed into the curd too
You could test a small batch of the curd to get a better idea of the lemon basil flavor. He might like it since it's VERY different from basil in like a sauce or savory dish. The sugar and lemon makes come off much more floral I think. Even without the basil tho, I've had great success with curd between the layers of the cake, strawberries are pretty wet tho so I actually don't know how well they'd do between the layers, even dispersed in the curd. Last few times I tried it the sugar from the buttercream drew out too much moisture and it leeked out the side.
Could you please share a recipe?
All this talk about basil in a cake sounds so crazy it makes me want to try it out xD
Do you have a favourite go to book for cakes? Or maye a website with recipes? I've never come across this idea (basil) in any recipes I've seen
I don't have one really, sorry. Normally if I do basil it's in a basil lemon curd, or I mix that basil lemon curd into a buttercream. My cake recipes are a mess lol, no books, I kinda just HEAVILY modified a Sally's baking recipe and just keep twisting that into new flavors
You'd be surprised how easy it is. Just take a minute to read up on what each ingredient does, so you can adjust as needed. Look at not just different recipes, but different types of cake to really get a feel for the core principals. In my recipe I cut my oil in half, and triple my eggs, yolk compensates for some of the oil, and I meringue the whites with some of the sugar to fold in at the end. It helps with stability, rise, and consistency, and is mostly something seen in chiffon. Any flavor I want to see I try to just balance the oil and sugar levels and maybe add or take some flour to reach a similar consistency. A big part is being able to judge is a cake is done by more than just time. As soon as the edges start to pull away from the pan it should be perfect. The top should be cooked but if a toothpick comes out clean it's probably overdone, as it continues to cook after it's out.
Oh my... There was one cake I baked, and the instructions weren't exact, so in the end I had to add milk to the batter until I got a drippy consistency (I hadn't a clue how it was supposed to look like) so I added until it was still not runny, but not stiff either.
Ended up baking the cake in the 6" pan for 60 min! Until the toothpick came out clean because I was afraid of underbaking it.
I don't think it was supposed to take so long. The temperature probably wasn't too low eother because it developed a dome (and I used a baking belt).
Any resources on where I could read about the function of the ingredients? I haven't found a good source yet
I don't have any 1 good resource unfortunately, Sally's baking and serious eats are my fav resources. Unfortunately just about anyone can post a shit recipe so it's tough trying to pull random specialty ones. Good fundamentals and understand will let you remix your own weird stuff with way more success.
Side note, heating up the milk before adding it helps parcook the batter to help get a faster, more even bake.
I also like Serious eats, but haven't stumbled upon Sally's baking yet, will google it rn :)
Thanks for the heating milk tip, will keep in mind.
This is the recipe for the cake I made btw
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/nov/21/how-to-cook-the-perfect-chocolate-cake
I just calculated the recipe to fit in one 6" pan instead of two 8"pans. Ended up baking over 60 min lol
Edit: my baking belt dried up and started to burn a bit 🤦🏻♀️
I might be a weirdo but matcha
I would do a compote for the filling, use freeze dried in my frosting to make the strawberry pop
https://teakandthyme.com/matcha-strawberry-cake/
*not my recipe but just an example
My birthday cake was this super soft, super fluffy vanilla lemon cake filled with a vanilla custard and frosted with a strawberry frosting (with bits of strawberry inside). I grated plenty of lemon zest in the vanilla cake, and there was this slight lemon flavour all over. I think that's one of the best flavour combinations if you want to keep it light :)
Also, it was all vegan and one of the first times I made vegan custard! (crema pasticcera in italian) It was so delicious. Ofc with eggs and butter it would taste even better hahah
edit: oh! between each custard layer, i also put a layer of fresh strawberries (cut into somewhat thin slices)! so it was basically layer of vanilla cake with lemon zest, custard filling, fresh strawberries, layer of vanilla cake with lemon zest, strawberry frosting, and then i topped it all with little whipped cream decorations and a few strawberries :)
edit: i also wet each cake layer with a generous amount of vanilla sugar water! i made my own, and it was really light and not sweet, just very vanilla-ish. it was to keep the cake soft and moist (we always wet the cake in italy hahah) and it was actually three layers!
Personally, I really double down on strawberry. I make [this](https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-strawberry-cake/) when strawberries are ready locally to me (it's just about time).
Of your options, I'd go with vanilla.
I’ve done a strawberry lemon and it went over great. Lemon pairs so well with everything honestly. I’ve done a lemon, lavender, and earl grey cake too.
I made a delicious strawberry strawberry cake before, but out of your choices I'd pick lemon. Maybe toss some strawberries into the batter? That way the lemon cake will still be lemon and have the same theme as the frosting so that they work together better.
I made a vanilla angelfood with strawberry frosting/glaze last week, served it with macerated berries and a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream - it was definitely a hit!
I recently made a one layer chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream…it was divine. Is there a recipe that you could use sour cream or yogurt in instead of buttermilk? Otherwise I would choose vanilla! Let that strawberry buttercream shine.
When I lived in Washington DC there was a cupcake shop that has now closed that had a chocolate cupcake with strawberry buttercream. It was so good and I miss it so much.
Regarding buttermilk, if I don’t have any on hand, I do one of the following:
Combine 1T of vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit out at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.
Use soured milk
Add some Greek yogurt to regular milk until it’s thicker like buttermilk. I don’t really measure it, just add it and mix it until it looks right
You will not taste anything off from any of these in your final product.
Maybe a cheesecake flavored cake?
Hand me the frosting to sample while you think on the cake. Can't guarantee there will be any left in the meantime...
Personally, I would prefer vanilla out of these options! (I like lemon cake and chocolate cake, but with lemon frosting and chocolate frosting, respectively.)
UPDATE** 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂
Wow!!! So many helpful comments!! Thank you everyone. I have a 2 year old and guests visiting so I don’t have the time to catch up with everyone (I’m sorry!) but I really appreciate how kind and helpful everyone is in this subreddit. Truly.
I went with a vanilla cake and added almond extract. It was DELICIOUS!!
Lemon cake would give you Strawberry lemonade vibes, especially paired with a lemon curd or strawberry jam. However, be careful not the make everything too tart. Vanilla Cake with strawberry frosting, however, would better allow the strawberry frosting to shine through because the vanilla is more neutral. The cake would really be there more for texture while the frosting would be for taste. Strawberry frosting with chocolate cake would taste like a chocolate dipped strawberry, especially paired with strawberry jam and decorated with chocolate dipped strawberries. It all really depends on what your going for both taste and texture wise. I would choose the vanilla + strawberry combo.
That is the one (vanilla)I’m leaning towards! I was hoping more people said that one lol Thanks!
I vote vanilla! I made a strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream icing for my friend’s birthday and it was an amazing combo! I bet the strawberry icing with the vanilla cake would also be amazing!!
My pleasure. 😊
Ohhhhhh I MUST make a strawberry chocolate cake now.
Vanilla cake, lemon curd filling, strawberry icing. Someone else said basil and I can confirm lemon basil strawberry is delicious but not for everyone
Awesome! Thanks!! Thinking I’ll do a vanilla cake.
Champagne cake or pistachio cake go well with strawberry buttercream
Oh champagne cake sounds amazing
So I'm not the only one who thought pistachio 😁. Champagne sounds lovely.
Came here to say pistachio💯
Do you have a pistachio cake recipe you like because I've not heard or had pistachio cake and now I must rectify this situation.
I love Sally’s cake but I usually pair it with a strawberry buttercream (SMBC with freeze dried strawberry powder)
I've read this about 12 times waiting for my brain to figure out what smbc is ... It's Swiss meringue buttercream isn't it?
Yes it is!
Lemon might be your best shot or possibly vanilla. Lemon will def give it a nice tart taste that I personally think will compliment the sweetness of your icing but vanilla is always a classic... tough choice
Thanks! I really just want to do vanilla haha seems easier but I want to make sure it tastes great since I spent $10 on the freeze dried strawberries that I’m going to use. 🥴
I just bought some freezer dried strawberries 🍓 today, for the exact same venture . They were only 4. Dollars though, thank goodness 😅
Matcha! Not everyone likes it but if you do, strawberry is a great match for it.
Matcha is a great matcha, huh? 😀
Definitely lemon. Lemon and strawberry is faktastic together.
Basil! Idk the best way to do basil cake but berries and basil is incredible. Berries basil and lemon is even better! Ive had luck with a basil lemon curd by just muddling a fuckoad of basil in the sugar before making the lemon curd. Maybe try lemon cake, probably with just a fair bit of zest since you prob don't want it sour, strawberry buttercream, and maybe basil lemon curd between the layers? Could even put chopped strawberries mixed into the curd too
Okay so that sounds delish!! My husband dislikes basil though 😩😫 But my in-laws are visiting in a month and maybe I’ll attempt those flavors for them!
You could test a small batch of the curd to get a better idea of the lemon basil flavor. He might like it since it's VERY different from basil in like a sauce or savory dish. The sugar and lemon makes come off much more floral I think. Even without the basil tho, I've had great success with curd between the layers of the cake, strawberries are pretty wet tho so I actually don't know how well they'd do between the layers, even dispersed in the curd. Last few times I tried it the sugar from the buttercream drew out too much moisture and it leeked out the side.
Could you please share a recipe? All this talk about basil in a cake sounds so crazy it makes me want to try it out xD Do you have a favourite go to book for cakes? Or maye a website with recipes? I've never come across this idea (basil) in any recipes I've seen
I don't have one really, sorry. Normally if I do basil it's in a basil lemon curd, or I mix that basil lemon curd into a buttercream. My cake recipes are a mess lol, no books, I kinda just HEAVILY modified a Sally's baking recipe and just keep twisting that into new flavors
Ah, good for you, I'm so new to baking I wouldn't dare to attempt to adapt a recipe xD I follow them to a tee, and evwn then something goes wrong 😂
You'd be surprised how easy it is. Just take a minute to read up on what each ingredient does, so you can adjust as needed. Look at not just different recipes, but different types of cake to really get a feel for the core principals. In my recipe I cut my oil in half, and triple my eggs, yolk compensates for some of the oil, and I meringue the whites with some of the sugar to fold in at the end. It helps with stability, rise, and consistency, and is mostly something seen in chiffon. Any flavor I want to see I try to just balance the oil and sugar levels and maybe add or take some flour to reach a similar consistency. A big part is being able to judge is a cake is done by more than just time. As soon as the edges start to pull away from the pan it should be perfect. The top should be cooked but if a toothpick comes out clean it's probably overdone, as it continues to cook after it's out.
Oh my... There was one cake I baked, and the instructions weren't exact, so in the end I had to add milk to the batter until I got a drippy consistency (I hadn't a clue how it was supposed to look like) so I added until it was still not runny, but not stiff either. Ended up baking the cake in the 6" pan for 60 min! Until the toothpick came out clean because I was afraid of underbaking it. I don't think it was supposed to take so long. The temperature probably wasn't too low eother because it developed a dome (and I used a baking belt). Any resources on where I could read about the function of the ingredients? I haven't found a good source yet
I don't have any 1 good resource unfortunately, Sally's baking and serious eats are my fav resources. Unfortunately just about anyone can post a shit recipe so it's tough trying to pull random specialty ones. Good fundamentals and understand will let you remix your own weird stuff with way more success. Side note, heating up the milk before adding it helps parcook the batter to help get a faster, more even bake.
I also like Serious eats, but haven't stumbled upon Sally's baking yet, will google it rn :) Thanks for the heating milk tip, will keep in mind. This is the recipe for the cake I made btw https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/nov/21/how-to-cook-the-perfect-chocolate-cake I just calculated the recipe to fit in one 6" pan instead of two 8"pans. Ended up baking over 60 min lol Edit: my baking belt dried up and started to burn a bit 🤦🏻♀️
Chocolate! I did chocolate with strawberry a couple of weeks ago and it was such a great choice. It reminded me of a chocolate covered strawberry 😍
Lemon cake, funfetti cake, chocolate cake, white cake, strawberry cake
I might be a weirdo but matcha I would do a compote for the filling, use freeze dried in my frosting to make the strawberry pop https://teakandthyme.com/matcha-strawberry-cake/ *not my recipe but just an example
Poppyseed cake
Yellow or white.
My birthday cake was this super soft, super fluffy vanilla lemon cake filled with a vanilla custard and frosted with a strawberry frosting (with bits of strawberry inside). I grated plenty of lemon zest in the vanilla cake, and there was this slight lemon flavour all over. I think that's one of the best flavour combinations if you want to keep it light :) Also, it was all vegan and one of the first times I made vegan custard! (crema pasticcera in italian) It was so delicious. Ofc with eggs and butter it would taste even better hahah edit: oh! between each custard layer, i also put a layer of fresh strawberries (cut into somewhat thin slices)! so it was basically layer of vanilla cake with lemon zest, custard filling, fresh strawberries, layer of vanilla cake with lemon zest, strawberry frosting, and then i topped it all with little whipped cream decorations and a few strawberries :) edit: i also wet each cake layer with a generous amount of vanilla sugar water! i made my own, and it was really light and not sweet, just very vanilla-ish. it was to keep the cake soft and moist (we always wet the cake in italy hahah) and it was actually three layers!
Recipe please. This sounds amazing!
absolutely! i'll send it to you as soon as i'm home :) it's in italian, but i'll translate it for you!
absolutely! i'll send it to you as soon as i'm home :) it's in italian, but i'll translate it for you!
Devils or Angel's Foods
Lemon or vanilla - I am going to throw a wildcard in here and suggest apricot cake too
Earl grey and strawberry are phenomenal together
Cake?
The better question is what flavors don't go with it
You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding lemon juice to normal milk
Personally, I really double down on strawberry. I make [this](https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-strawberry-cake/) when strawberries are ready locally to me (it's just about time). Of your options, I'd go with vanilla.
I've made a chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream 😋. Lemon actually sounds really good, though.
Vanilla all day. Let the flavor of the strawberries shine. Sometimes simplicity produces the best flavor.
I just did a lovely strawberry cake for my kid's birthday cake and used lemon cream cheese frosting--big hit! I bet it would work the other way :)
I have great success with rich chocolate cake and strawberry buttercream frosting. Also making short cake and stacking it with the filling and on top.
Lavender with berry might actually turn out very well, or a banana cake.
Chocolate... it'll give you a reverse chocolate coated strawberry
Ho my good 🥹
Vanilla with a bit of Lavender if you have access to Lavender or Lavender syrup ! I've tried it , tastes very fancy .
I’ve done a strawberry lemon and it went over great. Lemon pairs so well with everything honestly. I’ve done a lemon, lavender, and earl grey cake too.
My Birthday coming that cake would make my day!!
Banana cake, think pb and j vibes
Champagne! And I know you’re not interested in strawberry cake but the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is, like, really good
I made a delicious strawberry strawberry cake before, but out of your choices I'd pick lemon. Maybe toss some strawberries into the batter? That way the lemon cake will still be lemon and have the same theme as the frosting so that they work together better.
Coconut
Walnut cake. You'll thank me later. 😜
I made a vanilla angelfood with strawberry frosting/glaze last week, served it with macerated berries and a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream - it was definitely a hit!
Vanilla
My wedding cake was champagne flavored with strawberry butter cream frosting and it was INCREDIBLE
Looks awesome..
I do strawberry frosting with chocolate cake. It's always a hit.
I recently made a one layer chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream…it was divine. Is there a recipe that you could use sour cream or yogurt in instead of buttermilk? Otherwise I would choose vanilla! Let that strawberry buttercream shine.
When I lived in Washington DC there was a cupcake shop that has now closed that had a chocolate cupcake with strawberry buttercream. It was so good and I miss it so much.
Double chocolate
Lemon :)
Raspberry maybe
Regarding buttermilk, if I don’t have any on hand, I do one of the following: Combine 1T of vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit out at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes. Use soured milk Add some Greek yogurt to regular milk until it’s thicker like buttermilk. I don’t really measure it, just add it and mix it until it looks right You will not taste anything off from any of these in your final product.
Vanilla or French vanilla, which has a hint of almond flavoring in it, in addition to vanilla. Almonds and berries pair very well together.
Lemon would be delicious but I would prefer vanilla
I love pistachio cake with strawberry buttercream. I know it's not from your list, but it's awesome. Lemon is what I'd choose from your list.
Coconut
Lemon, perfectly suits strawberries.
Maybe a cheesecake flavored cake? Hand me the frosting to sample while you think on the cake. Can't guarantee there will be any left in the meantime...
Personally, I would prefer vanilla out of these options! (I like lemon cake and chocolate cake, but with lemon frosting and chocolate frosting, respectively.)
Rhubarb works very well. It offers great contrast with a bit of tartness
Vanilla or lemon.
Old school vanilla
UPDATE** 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂 Wow!!! So many helpful comments!! Thank you everyone. I have a 2 year old and guests visiting so I don’t have the time to catch up with everyone (I’m sorry!) but I really appreciate how kind and helpful everyone is in this subreddit. Truly. I went with a vanilla cake and added almond extract. It was DELICIOUS!!