I hosted a small Easter dinner on Sunday. Since my dad and brother rarely make it out to visit us, I let them pick the dessert menu. My dad of course chose chocolate; more specifically chocolate mousse, which I will post later this week. My brother, Jared being his typical laid back self said he would be content with anything I made.
I opted for an adapted version of Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse from David Lebovitz and a Strawberry Cream Cake from Ina Garten. I thought both of these recipes would be perfect and produce brilliant (this is my new word, thanks to Jamie Oliver) results–how can you go wrong with David and Ina?
The first recipe I will be posting is Ina’s Strawberry Country Cake, I whipped this together Easter morning and the results were splendid. A moist, citrus infused cake topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries… this simply screams spring and was the perfect end to a great Easter dinner.
The recipe is easy enough to follow; however, it does yield two 8 inch round cakes. Apparently the intention is to use one of the cakes immediately and freeze the other for later use. I didn’t pay attention to this important tidbit until after baking the cakes. If I would have actually read the recipe, I would have simply cut it in half.
The result? Ina never fails me…this is a seriously delicious cake, it’s simple, scrumptious and perfect for spring. A definite must make in my book!
A special thanks to my bro, Jared for helping me cut strawberries, style and shoot the cake before we scarfed it down! If I ever need an assistant, you’ll be number one on my list!
Looking for more strawberry recipes? Check out these posts:
Meyer Lemon Strawberry Muffins from My Baking Addiction
Mini Angel Food Cakes from My Baking Addiction
Layered Strawberry Trifle from Recipe Girl
Strawberry Cream Pie from The Cooking Photographer
Individual Strawberry Shortcakes from Living Tastefully

Strawberry Country Cake
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I used zest of 1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (I used zest of 1 orange)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream, chilled
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.
3. Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.
5. To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.
[pinit]
Pam
Saturday 9th of January 2016
the cake turned out well but when i was whisking the cream, all curdled and yellow lumps formedĀ
Jamie
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
Hi, Pam! I'm so sorry to hear that. Sometimes cream curdles when it's over stirred. I'm glad you enjoyed the cake. Let me know if I can help you any more.
Maria
Wednesday 28th of October 2015
Can I make this a day ahead and refrigerate?
Jamie
Wednesday 28th of October 2015
You sure can, Maria. Thanks for stopping by. -Jamie
Corissa
Tuesday 26th of August 2014
Hi Jamie,
I cannot find any inexpensive 8 inch round pans available to buy today. Can I use 9 inch pans instead?
Jamie
Wednesday 27th of August 2014
Hi Corissa, Nine inch cake pans will work but you may need to adjust the cooking time. I hope this helps!
-Jamie
Shelby Shim
Friday 23rd of May 2014
The strawberry cake looks perfect! It looks kinda hard but I should try it in my house for my mother's birthday :D Thank you for sharing great recipes!
Jamie
Saturday 24th of May 2014
Shelby- Thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy the cake. -Jamie
Rachael
Thursday 1st of August 2013
I know this post is a few years old, but I wanted to say that this cake is amazing! I actually used it as my wedding cake! It turned out beautiful AND delicious! (I tried to paste a pic in my post, but it didn't work - so try pasting the link below in your browser to veiw the cake.) We were so excited that it came out so well. the baker (my mother-in-law) was a nervous wreck over it bc it's such a heavy cake, but it turned out fabulously, and everyone loved it. :)
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/1/?ui=2&ik=5ea45b76ab&view=att&th=13f3341789a7d3e7&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hht2vvvm0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P__3V1SB6QOlMGXeTyx-XyA&sadet=1375375515538&sads=7kChisFk-AHG961L_pDP0QSLdLU&sadssc=1