Chocolate, vanilla, AND strawberry - it's the best of all worlds! This Neapolitan cake - made from scratch and without any food coloring - is a totally decadent and delicious treat!
There's no way around it so I'll just be honest: this cake is kind of labor intensive. But if there was ever a time to taste and savor the fruits of your labor - my friends, this is it! This cake is rich and moist and over-the-top decadent. And totally worth the effort. So if you find yourself with a free Saturday - or if you really want to impress someone you love - then roll up your sleeves and let's get to work making a Neapolitan cake!
First we have the chocolate layer. A rich chocolate cake smothered in chocolate buttercream frosting. Need I say more?
Next, the vanilla layer. This layer is anything but boring. Sour cream creates a moist cake batter, and the resulting cake is topped with rich and creamy vanilla buttercream frosting.
Finally, the strawberry layer. Both the cake and the buttercream frosting are flavored and colored with homemade strawberry puree made with fresh strawberries and nothing else. Just throw them in the food processor and you're done. So simple! I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a recipe for strawberry cake that doesn't use jello powder or food coloring, so now here we have it! The fresh strawberry cake is coated with - you guessed it - fresh strawberry buttercream.
There are no tricky steps or fancy decorating tools tools needed for this cake. It will require some time to mix up the three cake batters and a little bit of patience while frosting the cakes. But once your cakes are baked (and cooled!) and your classic buttercream frosting is whipped up your Neapolitan cake masterpiece will be ready to eat in no time!
Neapolitan Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅜ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup boiling water
Vanilla Cake Layer:
- 1 ¼ cup sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅞ cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
Strawberry Purée
- ¾ pound strawberries
Strawberry Cake Layer:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅜ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup strawberry purée
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 ⅛ cup vegetable shortening
- 18 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 9 cups confectioners' sugar
- 5 Tablespoons whole milk
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons strawberry purée
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare one 9-inch cake pan by lightly buttering and flouring the pan.
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine.
- Add milk, applesauce, egg, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix on medium speed until well combined. Carefully add boiling water to the cake batter, mixing on low speed until well combined. After you've added the water, the cake batter will be thinner than usual cake batter; don't panic!
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes; then remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare one 9-inch cake pan by lightly buttering and flouring the pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat the butter on high speed for about one minute, until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until creamed together, about two minutes. Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed while mixing.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low speed, slowly add the milk and stir just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Make the Strawberry Purée
- Wash, dry, and hull the strawberries. Place the berries in a food processor and process until puréed. Set aside to use in the strawberry cake and strawberry frosting.
Make the Strawberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prepare one 9-inch cake pan by lightly buttering and flouring the pan.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the applesauce, strawberry purée, vanilla, and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add them to the batter and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes; then remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Buttercream Frosting
- Cream shortening and butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add vanilla and mix well. Add sugar slowly – one cup at a time – beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the icing will be dry. Then add milk and beat at high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. Divide the frosting evenly among three bowls.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring frequently, then allow to cool for a few minutes. The chocolate should still be smooth and spreadable but not hot to the touch. Add the chocolate to one of the bowls of frosting and whisk to combine.
- Add the strawberry purée to one of the other bowls of frosting and whisk to combine. This frosting will be slightly thinner than the others because of the additional liquid. Place the bowl in the fridge so the frosting can firm up ever so slightly until you're ready to use it.
Assemble the Cake
- Place the chocolate cake layer on a cake stand. Top the chocolate cake with the chocolate frosting and spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake layer. Place the white cake on top of the chocolate cake. Top the white cake with the vanilla frosting and spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake layer, carefully matching the edges of the vanilla frosting and chocolate frosting. Place the strawberry cake on top of the white cake. Top the strawberry cake with the strawberry frosting and spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake layer, carefully matching the edges of the strawberry frosting and vanilla frosting. Using a large offset spatula or a cake scraper, smooth the sides and top of the cake. Serve and enjoy!
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