What Valentines would be complete without our heart shaped flavor of the month, strawberry?! Strawberries can be used in a diverse number of applications from wines, to ice cream; even the fruit dipped in chocolate is a winner. Sovereign flavors are kicking off this romantic holiday season with some of our favorite flavor pairings. 

We offer various strawberry profiles, from Sweet Strawberry Cream to a Sour Strawberry along with strawberry flavor blends (strawberry kiwi / banana / lemon / guava / dragon fruit). Our talented flavor chemists can create any flavor you can imagine. Want to see how we pair our best strawberry flavor? – Check out our recipe below! 

A hint of Sovereign’s very own strawberry flavor in a vanilla cake makes for the perfect dessert. The vanilla complements the strawberry nicely. Since the recipe contains our Sovereign Flavoring, there is a delicious strawberry flavor in every bite. The best part is that it doesn’t change the coloring of the cake itself! 

How do you make a strawberry cake for Valentine’s Day?? 

Total Time: 2 hours (including baking and cooling times)

Active: 20 mins 

Yield: 12 slices 

For the cake:

• 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt (I use Morton’s for this recipe)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups bakers sugar
• 2 teaspoons sovereign Flavors Vanilla 2X WONF
• ½ teaspoon Sovereign Flavors natural Strawberry WONF
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk

 For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half, insides removed and reserved
• 8 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Strawberries, for the top

Make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter 2 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 
3. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy.  
4. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until incorporated, about 3 minutes.  
5. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is mixed in before adding the next. You may have to stop the mixer and scrape the bowl down a few times.  
6. Next add the vanilla and strawberry extract. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the buttermilk until just combined.  The mixture will look curdled-don’t worry, that is ok! 
7. Lastly, add the dry flour mixture in 3 parts, making sure it is combined before adding the next. 
8. Once the last bit of dry mixture is incorporated, spread the batter evenly among the cake pans, and rap the pan on the counter to eliminate air bubbles (I always fold a dish towel and rap it on top of there, as to not damage the counter top!) 
9. Bake the cakes until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. 
10. Cool the pans on a rack about 20 minutes to allow the cake to pull away from the sides; this makes demolding it a lot easier! Invert the cakes on the rack and remove the parchment paper, then cool completely.

Make the frosting:

Since this whipped cream has the added stability of gelatin, it gives you a little flexibility when making this cake.  The finished frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator overnight to frost the cake the following day.

1. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and the cold water. Allow the gelatin to bloom for about 5 minutes.  
2. Heat the gelatin in the microwave in 10 second increments until the gelatin has dissolved.  
3. Add the heavy cream and the inside of the vanilla bean into a bowl fitted with the whisk attachment.  
4. Turn the mixer to high and mix the cream.  When the cream starts to thicken, add the powdered sugar and continue beating.  
5. When soft peaks begin to form, add in the dissolved gelatin mixture and continue to beat until firm peaks form.  
6. Use on the cooled cake, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. 

Take a look at other recipes from previous flavors of the month!