Naked Florida Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

Preparation

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with non-stick spray. Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until the butter and sugar mixture has creamed. Add eggs slowly and 1 at a time, letting them fully incorporate before adding the next egg. Add in the vanilla and orange zest. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients until mixed well; gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix on low to combine. Add the milk and mix the batter until smooth, without overmixing. Evenly divide the cake batter into both baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 to 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool. Once the cakes have cooled, carefully remove them from the cake pans. Use a long knife to cut each cake evenly in half horizontally, essentially making 4 cakes out of 2.

Frosting

In a cake mixer, combine the butter, orange zest and cream cheese. Mix on low speed until combined, then add the vanilla. Mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on low until fluffy. Remove the cream cheese frosting from the bowl and store refrigerated until ready to use.

To Assemble

Add the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag or large plastic baggie. Cut off a corner of the baggie and pipe a quarter of the frosting on the top of the first cake. Place the second layer of the cake on top of the first and frost the top of the second cake evenly with the second quarter of frosting. Repeat this process until the tops of all 4 cakes are frosted and carefully stacked. Cut a few of the strawberries into quarters or halves, and creatively decorate the cake along with the fresh mint leaves. Keep cake cold.

Nutrition

• Calories Per Serving732
• Fat39g
• Cholesterol157mg
• Sodium450mg
• Carbohydrates88g
• Fiber2g
• Protein8g