Neapolitan Layer Cake
This Neapolitan Layer Cake stacks tender vanilla and chocolate cake layers with a silky strawberry buttercream made from real freeze-dried berries. It's a stunning, sliceable dessert that brings the classic ice cream trio to your cake stand.
Equipment
- Three 8-inch round cake pans
- Electric mixer
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder from about 1 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 pinch salt
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- pink food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and grease parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk in two parts, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- Divide batter evenly between two bowls (about 340g each). Stir cocoa powder into one bowl until no streaks remain.
- Spread vanilla batter into two pans and chocolate batter into the third. Bake 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For buttercream, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, strawberry powder, and salt. Beat in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until light and fluffy. Tint with food coloring if desired.
- Place one vanilla layer on a plate. Spread with buttercream. Top with chocolate layer, more buttercream, and final vanilla layer. Apply a thin crumb coat, chill 20 minutes, then frost with remaining buttercream.
Notes
Storage: Store frosted cake at cool room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature before serving.
Reheating: Serve at room temperature or chilled; no reheating needed.
Best Tips: Weigh the batter for even layers. Use freeze-dried strawberry powder for intense flavor without watering down the buttercream. Chill the crumb coat for clean frosting.
Variations: Swap strawberries for freeze-dried raspberries. Add mini chocolate chips to the chocolate batter. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.