How to Make a Strawberry Vanilla Whipped Cream Cake

These are a type  of cake. We call them "Lego Cakes." You bake the cake in 9 x 13-inch pan and then cut it in two and stack the pieces to build a two layer frosted cake--a square layer cake. And you're using a cream cake, not a fluffy, airy store cake mix.  A  cream cake is a "pudding-in-the-cake, cake.  It's denser and more moist--not as dense as a pound cake but twice as dense as a store cake.

But that's not all. We frost them with whipped cream frosting. Yes, you can use buttercream frosting but whipped cream frosting is way better. We'll show you how.

And that's still not all, we get a little crazy with the inclusions. You can add fillings, syrups, and sauce to either the frosting, cake, or--in this case--strawberry slices between the layers.

So they're better three ways:

• The cake is way better
• The frosting is wonderful
• You can get all creative with inclusions--like strawberry slices.

Besides, you build them like Legos.  These aren't just better, they're more fun.

Let's get started:

How to Make Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake

Use a Vanilla Bean Baby Cake Mix.  It's a cream cake, "made with pudding," and a little denser and moister than the light, fluffy mixes found in the grocery store but not as dense as a pound cake. It'll hold up better to handling and decorating. 

Make the cake according to package directions. Bake the cake in a 9 x 13-inch pan. After it cools, trim the edges and cut the cake horizontally across the nine-inch direction into two equally sized pieces. Those are your "layers".

Now it's time to stack and decorate them.

Make the frosting with the recipe below. It's a whipped cream frosting with both cream cheese and meringue powder as stabilizers. It's a superior frosting. You guests will love it but even with stabilizers it won't hold up for more than a day.  If your going to hold art of the cake overnight, use a buttercream frosting.

1. Place one of the cakes on a serving platter and spread a layer of frosting over the top of the cake.
2. Use a strawberry slicer to cut thin, uniform slices of strawberries. Layer them on top of the frosting.
3. Place the second cake layer over the strawberries. If you want the vertical surfaces frosted, do so now.
4. To frost the top, put the rest of the frosting in a pastry bag loaded with a round tip.  Pipe the frosting diagonally across the cake, one "round ribbon" of frosting next to another so that you cover the top off the cake.
5. Finely chop some nuts for decorations. Sift them onto the top of the cake from the palm of you hands into attractive rolls across the ribbons of cake.
6. Strategically place strawberry pieces across the cake for decorations. Cut pieces with a serrated knife.

Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe

This is a cheesecake flavored frosting. You could double the meringue powder and omit the cream cheese if you wanted avoid the cheesecake flavor.  But this is a very good frosting. 

Cream 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 4 ounces of cream cheese.  Add one teaspoon vanilla, two tablespoons of meringue powder, and two cups heavy whipping cream--Darigold or equal.  

Whip until it is very stiff. Whipped cream frosting is better if used the same day.

It's as easy as an everyday round layer cake.