This cake looks a little like it had a hard night of partying. Perhaps that’s appropriate since it has champagne in it at every turn.
I like champagne. I like drinking it, and though this was my first time baking with it, it turns out I like that too. When drinking champagne it’s easy to fall in love with the bubbles and light, fruity flavors. When baked into a cake, obviously the bubbles are nowhere to be found, so you’re left with subtle hints of the flavors. You might wonder what’s in the cake that makes it different from a simple vanilla cake.
The same goes for the homemade strawberry jam and the cashew cream cheese frosting. Adding champagne to both of those probably made them a little less stable than they otherwise might have been. I’m okay with that. I mean it’s hard to deny the glory of the jam oozing onto the slice of cake and the frosting slumping over.
I used Bev Glitz in this cake from top to bottom. I do love a fancy bottle, and I’m honestly not too bad at popping the cork, which totally blew my mind. Though I most definitely get nervous every single time. But Bev is women owned, pretty clean, and honestly quite tasty. It was the perfect thing to use in this no refined sugar, relatively clean eating cake.
I feel good about indulging responsibly in Bev and this cake with the delicate sponge, the wonderfully sweet and tart and bright jam that lets the strawberries shine, and the insanely creamy vanilla flecked frosting that really doesn’t need cake or jam, just a bowl and a spoon.
I went with ramekins for baking because I wanted a mini-ish cake, but you can definitely use standard round pans, just keep an eye on them while baking, but they should hit near the 20 minute mark.
Together though, they do make a pretty irresistible combination of a cake worthy of a celebration, perhaps even this fourth of July weekend.
Strawberries and Champagne Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
A celebratory layer cake with champagne sponge, strawberry champagne jam, and champagne cashew cream cheese frosting. Grain free and refined sugar free.
Ingredients
Cake
2 ¼ cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca flour, ¾ cup coconut flour)
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut oil, room temperature
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup maple sugar
5 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup champagne
Jam
5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
¾ cup honey
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup champagne
Frosting
2 heaping cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup champagne
2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder
Instructions
Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 325 degrees F convection. I have officially become a fan of convection and can see the difference in my baked goods. If you have it, use it! Oil 3 medium sized, tall ramekins, or bowls, and line the bottom with parchment. You can also use two larger cake pans for thinner, wider cakes.
In a large bowl, beat together the oils and sugar using a whisk or hand or stand mixer. Beat in the egg whites one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, followed by half of the flour. Add the champagne, the rest of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix until well combined and divide among the prepared pans.
Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool completely in the pans.
Make the jam. In a large saucepan, place the strawberries, honey, vanilla, pod and all, cinnamon, and champagne. Place over medium low heat and stir frequently, cooking for 30-40 minutes until berries are broken up and the jam has thickened some. Pour into a bowl, cool to room temperature and then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 1 week.
Make the frosting when ready to assemble the cake. In a high speed blender place the lemon juice, syrup, and champagne. Place the cashews on top and blend, using the tamper if necessary until the mixture is super smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, and blend one last time.
Assemble the cake. Place one cake on the stand of your choice. If you want to split the cakes for more layers – go for it – this is your masterpiece! Place a ring of frosting around the outer edge of the cake, fill the center with jam. Top with another cake with a ring of frosting and jam. And if you wanna really go for it, repeat one more time.
Frost the entire cake, top with some fresh strawberries and refrigerate for at least two hours in an effort to make it more stable. Cake may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Liv for Cake
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
I don’t think I’ve ever baked with champagne. Well, I know I’ve baked while sipping a glass, but you know what I mean. 🙂 Anyway, this looks terrific — and the strawberries are SO good right now. Wait until you taste those January strawberries in Florida — I still miss those. Best ever.
Ooooh, yes, I am looking forward to Florida strawberry season. And definitely baking while enjoying a cocktail 🙂
I love champagne! Sounds delicious. And super nice to drink a glass while baking…you know for quality control purposes, of course!!
★★★★★
Oh yeah, quality control. Like making sure the cake and frosting are good too 🙂