Galentines Cake Strawberry Buttercream (Printable Version)

A festive vanilla layer cake with pink ombre strawberry buttercream and fresh strawberry garnish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Vanilla Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Strawberry Buttercream

09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely ground
12 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt
15 - Pink gel food coloring, optional

→ Assembly and Decoration

16 - Fresh strawberries, optional for garnish
17 - Edible glitter or sprinkles, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until well incorporated.
03 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops.
07 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.
09 - Beat butter in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and ground freeze-dried strawberries. Mix in cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat until fluffy and smooth.
10 - Divide buttercream into three bowls. Leave one plain. Tint the second bowl a light pink, and the third a deeper pink using gel food coloring.
11 - Place the darkest pink buttercream in a piping bag. Repeat with the medium and light pinks in separate bags.
12 - Level cake layers if necessary. Place first cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with a layer of lightest buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers, using medium and dark buttercream as you stack.
13 - Spread the darkest pink buttercream around the bottom third of the cake, medium pink in the middle, and lightest pink on top. Smooth with an offset spatula or cake scraper to blend the colors slightly.
14 - Garnish with fresh strawberries and edible glitter or sprinkles if desired. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing for clean layers.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent all day at a professional bakery, but you actually pulled it off in an afternoon.
  • The freeze-dried strawberries give real strawberry flavor without making the frosting watery or grainy.
  • Three cake layers mean you get those picture-perfect slice moments that make everyone lean in for a closer look.
  • The ombre effect is easier than it sounds—no special skills needed, just three piping bags and a steady hand.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients sound fussy, but they genuinely change the texture and make emulsifying easier—I learned this the hard way when I used cold eggs once and ended up with a grainy, separated batter.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries are the MVP here because fresh strawberries add moisture that makes buttercream greasy, but the freeze-dried version gives you all the flavor and color with none of the water content.
  • Don't skip leveling your cake layers—uneven layers will cause your ombre to look wonky and your whole cake might lean like the Tower of Pisa.
03 -
  • If you want the ombre to really pop, make each shade distinctly different—pale, medium, and deep pink—rather than subtle gradations that might just look muddy.
  • Using gel food coloring instead of liquid coloring means you add color without diluting the buttercream consistency, which is the difference between smooth frosting and something that spreads like soup.
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