Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the sides of four, 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
Place the butter and white chocolate in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until melted. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Combine vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour and baking powder together into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary while mixing.
Divide batter evenly between the four prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes come out clean. Rotate your pans in the oven halfway through baking.
Remove from oven and leave to cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes on wire cooling racks, then carefully turn cakes out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment paper once cooled.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, milk and vanilla extract. Beat on low for 2 minutes and then on high for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
If necessary, trim tops of cakes so they are flat and the same thickness. Place three of the four cake layers on top of each other. Set the fourth cake layer aside. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the middle from the three stacked cake layers. Do not remove the center of the remaining layer.
Carefully place one layer of cake without the middle on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a small amount of frosting (about ⅓ cup) on top of the first layer. Repeat with the two remaining layers that have no middle, stacking them on top of each other after frosting the tops. Once these three layers have been stacked and frosted, spread a thin layer of frosting around the inside of the hole.
Fill the center of the cake to the top with candy-coated chocolates and sprinkles. Place the remaining full cake layer on top. Use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
Decorate by sprinkling freeze-dried strawberries over the top and pressing them into the sides of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
If your oven is too small or doesn’t bake well when full, halve the recipe, mix a half batch of batter and bake two layers at a time for 18-20 minutes. As the cakes cool, prepare the remaining half of the batter for baking. Be sure the cake pans have fully cooled before reusing. If you halve the recipe, do not mix the full amount of batter. The raising agents start to work as soon as the batter is mixed. Leaving mixed batter out of the oven may result in cakes that don’t rise once baked.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour the sides of four, 20-cm round cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
Place the butter and white chocolate in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until melted. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Combine vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour and baking powder together into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary while mixing.
Divide batter evenly between the four prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes come out clean. Rotate your pans in the oven halfway through baking.
Remove from oven and leave to cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes on wire cooling racks, then carefully turn cakes out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment paper once cooled.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, milk and vanilla extract. Beat on low for 2 minutes and then on high for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
If necessary, trim tops of cakes so they are flat and the same thickness. Place three of the four cake layers on top of each other. Set the fourth cake layer aside. Using a 7.5 cm round cookie cutter, cut out the middle from the three stacked cake layers. Do not remove the center of the remaining layer.
Carefully place one layer of cake without the middle on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a small amount of frosting (about 70 grams) on top of the first layer. Repeat with the two remaining layers that have no middle, stacking them on top of each other after frosting the tops. Once these three layers have been stacked and frosted, spread a thin layer of frosting around the inside of the hole.
Fill the center of the cake to the top with candy-coated chocolates and sprinkles. Place the remaining full cake layer on top. Use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
Decorate by sprinkling freeze-dried strawberries over the top and pressing them into the sides of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
If your oven is too small or doesn’t bake well when full, halve the recipe, mix a half batch of batter and bake two layers at a time for 18-20 minutes. As the cakes cool, prepare the remaining half of the batter for baking. Be sure the cake pans have fully cooled before reusing. If you halve the recipe, do not mix the full amount of batter. The raising agents start to work as soon as the batter is mixed. Leaving mixed batter out of the oven may result in cakes that don’t rise once baked.
Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
