Galentines Cake Strawberry Buttercream (Printable)

A vanilla layer cake frosted with smooth strawberry buttercream featuring a pink ombre finish.

# Components:

→ 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

# Method:

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 evenly combined.
03 - In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula.
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 to room temperature.
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 white. Tint the second bowl 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 pink buttercreams in separate piping bags.
12 - Level cake layers if necessary. Place the 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 to ensure clean layers.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The ombre frosting is pure theater—it looks complicated but the technique is forgiving enough that even a nervous baker can pull it off.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries ground into buttercream give you authentic strawberry flavor without the moisture that fresh berries bring, so your frosting stays perfectly creamy.
  • Three thin layers mean every slice has that cake-to-frosting ratio that actually satisfies, not those sad cake-heavy pieces from thicker layers.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable for this recipe—cold butter won't cream properly, cold eggs won't emulsify smoothly, and cold milk can break your batter, so take everything out of the fridge at least an hour before you start.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries are completely different from fresh ones; they're dehydrated and shelf-stable, so they won't leak juice into your frosting like fresh berries would, and they grind into a fine powder that distributes evenly and gives that true pink color.
03 -
  • Keep an offset spatula or bench scraper nearby when you're blending the ombre colors—dipping it in warm water and wiping it clean between strokes prevents frosting buildup and gives you cleaner color transitions.
  • If your buttercream is too stiff to spread, add cream one tablespoon at a time and beat until you reach the perfect consistency; if it's too soft, refrigerate it for 15 minutes to firm it up slightly.
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