I make all but two of my 20 cake recipes from scratch. They are the WASC cake and strawberry cake. I have found that the more I make the WASC cake, the more I can tell the "box mix" taste. So I think I'm ready for a tried and true traditional wedding cake recipe from scratch if anyone would like to share one. I have tried a few scratch strawberry recipe but none compare to the one that starts with a mix.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Unless you are making your own strawberry puree or using a really flavoured oil you probably wont get the hit of strawberry you are looking for. Nature does subtle, chemicals hit you in the mouth which is why these box things appeal to people who have never grown up with scratch home baking.

Leah (CC member) had a thread on Hero products, a Swiss manufacturer of high end flavourings which you could add to your lovely scratch cake recipes.

I make my strawberry cake...one of my most popular flavors...this way:

1.  Spray a microwave safe bowl with pan spray.

2.  Add 1 ound of frozen strawberries  (they have more flavor than fresh!).

3.  Microwave on high 5 minutes.

4.  Puree berries with an immersion hand held blender (or in a regular blender or food processor if you dont have an immersion blender).

5.  Microwave on high 5 minutes, then stir.

6.  Continue microwaving for 1-2 minute intervals and stirring until the berries are reduced to a thick paste.

7.  Add a couple drops red food coloring if desired to help maintain color during baking.

8.  Cool the mixture to room temperature (can be stored a week in the fridge for later use - bring back to room temp before using).

9.  Make your favorite white cake batter in the amount to make a standard 8 in layer caker.  Fold in the strawberry paste at the end until well belnded and bake as usual.

Sounds yum Jeff Arnett, be lovely with raspberries too  

Yep, Hero Compound, Icing fruits plus flavorings and emulsions.  I offered something like 32 flavors of cake - ALL built from the basic white cake recipe and the basic chocolate cake recipe.

Jeff Arnett, your strawberry cake sounds delicious. I'm going to file this in my memory bank for some June cake orders. Thanks!

This is the stuff getting lost Leah. I only got back on here yesterday after months. Hopefully your years of realtime experience wont be lost.

Lets try resurrecting the good stuff?

Pretty  bland at the moment eh? x

Here's my scratch recipe for an almond sour cream cake, next to my chocolate cake, this is the one most requested:

Hi, thanks for replying. I do make my own strawberry puree and I use vegetable oil. I've tried using strawberry extract which I ended up throwing out because it made the cake taste like cherries instead. But anyway, as you said the flavor was subtle and I've found the cake does not come out as moist. I have found that most of my customers that are my age and younger prefer a very soft, moist cake that compares to a box mix or store bought. But those who are a little bit older, like the cakes that are a bit dense but still moist. I appreciate both so I guess it's just a personal preference. And thanks for suggesting the Hero products, I will take a look at what they have and hopefully try some of their products.

@Serious Cakes, thanks for sharing your video recipe. I'll be testing this recipe out today. I plan to frost it with Italian Meringue Buttercream. What do you usually frost yours with?

I came up with a version of Wilton's buttercream:

I find the best way to make scratch strawberry cake is to add a heaping cup of finely chopped freeze dried strawberries to your favorite white cake recipe for 2 9" layers.  include all the fine powdery bits.  (freeze dried not dehydrated). I also add a tsp of good strawberry extract and 2 Tbsp dry strawberry jello powder for the pretty pink color, but is optional.   The freeze dried strawberries add a lot of flavor without interfering with the light texture of the cake.  HTH.  

@SeriousCakes Thanks for sharing your almond sour cream cake recipe. I tried it and I was very impressed with it! Delicious!

I'm glad you liked it! That's actually a version of my yellow cake recipe, because it's so versatile I use it for a lot of variations.