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Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake…because it’s SPRING!
Or it will be on Tuesday, so close enough. And Yes, I know that a lot of you are still covered in snow right now, but I think this cake will bring on the spring vibes, and in turn the weather will play along. It’s all about positive thinking, right?
Yes, right.
Also, happiest FRIDAY!! I am very excited the weekend is here, and hoping for a little bit of down time after a busy week. We have been working endlessly over here on multiple projects, the biggest one being the studio barn. There has been lots of decision making and hair pulling, so I know everyone over here is ready for a bit of a reset. We probably will not get it, but hey, it’s all going to be worth it in the long run!
Thankfully, a lot of my “hard” work and days spent in the kitchen this week resulted in a few beautiful creations, like this strawberry cake that makes ending the work day, extra, extra sweet.
As most of you probably know, I am normally all about the chocolate desserts. Read, the more chocolate the better. See this cake for example. BUT that’s not to say that I don’t still love a good fruity dessert. Granted it took me a while to warm up to fruit based desserts, and I do still think of them as more of a brunch type of item than dessert, but regardless, I now love them.
With spring on its way and Easter coming up in less than two weeks, I knew I needed to share this strawberry chamomile cake that I’ve literally been thinking about since December. I’ve said this before, but sometimes I get ideas in my head months and months before I actually create them. Sharing a strawberry cake in December really does not make sense, so I waited and waited and finally the time has come.
And guys? To be expected, I LOVE this cake.
For one, it’s covered in chamomile flowers, which you all know I am obsessed with.
Two, and most importantly, this cake honestly is so DELICIOUS. It’s light, springy, perfectly sweet, hinted with warm chamomile flavors, and studded with fresh springtime strawberries.
Basically, this cake is spring in cake form, and it is good! I also say this often, but you need this cake in your life. My grandpa said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten!
I made this cake with Easter in mind, but it’s obviously great for any and all spring (and summer) occasions. Mother’s Day, a spring brunch, or just a simple weekend treat.
It’s pretty easy to make, and I love that it’s a naked cake, as opposed to a cake covered completely in frosting. Naked cake means easy, peasy, and doesn’t require any fancy decorating or really any decorating skills at all. Layer everything up, add strawberries, and done.
Yes, please!
The cake base is my favorite vanilla cake with sweet strawberry jam swirled throughout. It’s simple, but really delish. I used a strawberry jam instead of fresh berries in the cake because I found that using jam was easier. The jam actually resulted in a better strawberry flavor, and baked up prettier than using fresh berries in the cake.
For the topping, originally I was planning on doing a frosting, but during my second attempt at the cake I realized that a lighter topping would compliment the cake much better, so I made a chamomile cream to slather all over cake layers. I love that the cream is hinted with the warm tones of chamomile tea and has just the right amount of sweet. It’s perfect topped with plenty of fresh strawberries.
SO, what do you think? Is this your new Easter cake? Are you going to make it next week to celebrate the start of spring? Or maybe save it for Mother’s Day? Whatever you decide, just be sure to make this cake. The sooner the better, because as soon as you make it this cake will be come your new go-to fruity dessert.
Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake
Servings: 28 servings
Calories Per Serving: 314 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup high quality strawberry jam
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- honey, for drizzling
Chamomile Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 chamomile tea bags
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Gently swirl in the strawberry jam, leaving large streaks and not fully incorporating the jam. 3. Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 28-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.4. To make the chamomile cream. Add 1 cup cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, but do not boil, simmer 1 minute and remove from the heat. Add the tea bags, cover and steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bag and place the cream in the fridge to chill completely. Next, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy, add the chilled chamomile cream and remaining 1 cup cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stored in the fridge. 5. To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and drizzle lightly with honey. Spread 1/3 of the chamomile cream over the cake and add a handful of fresh chopped strawberries. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Be careful not to over fill your layers with fruit or the cake will be hard to slice. Serve or store in the fridge for up to 1 day. If desired, decorate the cake with chamomile flowers.
Layers and layers of spring strawberry perfection.
I made this for my family’s Christmas Eve dinner party and it was a hit! This totally hit the spot as we as a family aren’t big fans of super sweet frostings.
Thank you so much Clary! xTieghan
I was so excited to make this cake, after falling in love with the photos and the flavor combination. I tried this recipe, as well as the Blackberry Lavender Naked Cake recipe and they both had the same issue: the frosting. While the cakes turned out moist and flavorful, the frosting did not work. I ended up making a buttercream and infusing the chamomile tea into the butter beforehand, which saved the dessert.
Hi Olive! I am really sorry to hear that the frosting did not work for you. Can I help you with any questions? Please let me know! xTieghan
Thank you for sharing your recipe; I made it for a friend’s birthday afternoon tea and it was a real hit. Initially I wasn’t convinced about making the camomile cream but it was lovely so I’m glad I did. This recipe will definitely go into my regular recipe file ?
I am so glad you loved this one Sherlene! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times it’s turned out great! I used 9 inch pans because I don’t have 8 inch ones but it still looks really good and tastes even better!
Thank you so much Sasha! xTieghan
Hi – my kids have been requesting this cake for the past couple birthdays 🙂 I was recently diagnosed with celiac so I can’t have gluten. I’m curious if you’ve ever made with a GF flour blend, or heard from someone who has? Hoping it can work!
Hey Adrienne! I have never made this with GF so I can’t really say how it will turn out. If you do try it, I recommend Bob’s red milk GF flour blend. Please let me know if you have any other questions and how it turns out. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this cake today for a friends birthday! It was relatively easy to make, unique and everyone loved it! Got the thumbs up to make it again. The biggest issue I had was the chamomile cream wouldn’t hold it’s shape well, even after I chilled it in the fridge for a bit and cooled the cakes. Any tricks to make it a bit stiffer to hold it’s shape a bit better?
HI there! Was the creaam very cold to touch? It’s important it is COLD when you go to whip it or you will not get a whipped cream. You can also add cream cheese to the cream to help stiffen it up as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
hi!
I’d like to make this gorgeous cake, but the problem is: we really don’t like chamomile tea. Do you really taste it? And if yes, do you know a replacement?
thank you.
HI! I would recommend just omitting the tea from the recipe, it will be totally fine minus the tea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This cake looks amazing and I just made it for Easter and for my mom’s 70th birthday. I can’t wait to try it out. The taste of the frosting was not overwhelming with tea flavoring. Although, my icing did not come out as thick as your picture. I am not sure my guests will notice. Can’t wait to dive into the cake tomorrow!
This cake looks amazing and I have made it for Easter tomorrow along to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday. I found that my icing did not look as thick as yours and it seemed to be more temperamental, but overall, I don’t think my guests will notice.
Can I leave the jam out?? How will this effect the cake? I was think of making the cake with a hint of lemon instead?
HI! You can leave the jam out and add 1 tablespoon lemon zest. That will be so great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Any suggestions on what I can replace chamomile with? Not a huge fan of chamomile
HI there! I recommend just omitting the chamomile all together. the cake will still be just as delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! This looks so good and I’m hoping to make it for my mom’s birthday. My cake pan is 8.5″ in diameter, rather than 8″. Can I still bake at it the same temperature but just for a slightly shorter cooking time?
Hi Shawna! Yes, an 8.5 inch cake pan will work great! I do not think you need to adjust the baking time. It should be just about the same! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
HI, I LOVE the look and sound of this cake and want to make it exactly as you did. However, I cannot find edible Chamomile flowers. Any ideas on where I can buy these from?
HI there! I recommend asking your local grocery store or whole foods if they will order them for you. They should do this free of charge! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this cake for my Mom’s Birthday, and not only was it good, but it also was a showstopper. Never made a cake with canola oil, who knew. It was delish, and I enjoyed making it. It made me happy. Thank you for this, i’de definitely make this cake again and soon!
I am so happy to hear that!! Happy Birthday to your mother, Maggie! I hope you all had a great day! xTieghan
Hi! I have been searching for the edible chamomile flowers but I cannot find them. Where do you get your flowers from?
Hey Lisa! I get mine from my local grocery store or Whole Foods. Try asking your grocery store to order them for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan