Make the strawberry reduction: Trim and hull 1 pound of fresh
strawberries. Place them in either a food processor or upright
blender and blend until you have a strawberry puree. Place the puree
into a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Cook until the contents
have been reduced by half, stirring frequently to avoid burning or
sticking, for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Place your strawberry
reduction in a shallow bowl. Let it cool in the refrigerator before
using (at least one hour). Let it come back to room temperature
before using.
Assemble all your ingredients (butter, milk, aquafaba) in advance so
they are at room temperature when you use them. Preheat your oven to
350?F. Line two 6" round baking pans with parchment paper. Grease
the sides with vegan butter or cooking spray. Prepare your strawberry
powder: Add freeze-dried strawberries into your food processor. Grind
until you achieve a fine powder. Place the powder through a sieve or
sifter to remove any large bits.
In a small cup, mix together your non-dairy milk with lemon juice and
set aside (this is your vegan buttermilk). In a large mixing bowl,
sift and whisk together the flour, sea salt, baking powder, baking
soda, and 1/4 cup of strawberry powder.
In a large mixing bowl (or to the bowl of your stand mixer), add your
sugar and lemon zest. Using your hands, massage the lemon zest into
the sugar, helping to release the lemon oils. Then, add your butter.
Using a hand mixer (or the whisk attachment), mix the butter into the
sugar until creamy (about 2 minutes). Add your aquafaba and mix until
frothy (about 30 seconds). Finally, add your strawberry reduction,
vegan buttermilk, vegetable oil, strawberry extract, a little vanilla
extract, and a couple drops of pink coloring and mix until fully
incorporated (about 4 to 5 minutes).
Add your dry ingredients to your bowl of wet ingredients. Using the
hand mixer, incorporate the dry ingredients, until all the dry
ingredients have been incorporated. Do not overmix. Divide your
batter equally into your prepared baking pans and bake until a
toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean (around
38 to 40 minutes). Allow the cake to cool completely. (You can even
wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight--doing
so will make frosting much easier).
Make Your Strawberry Frosting:
To a medium sauce pot over low heat, add your flour and sugar. Stir
the contents with a rubber spatula so that the sugar and flour get
slightly toasted (about 2 minutes). Whisk in non-dairy milk and
continue to whisk over low heat until it turns into a thick paste
(about 2 minutes). Pour the contents out into a shallow bowl and
cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is touching the top
of your roux (otherwise, it will develop an unpleasant "skin"). Place
it in the refrigerator (or freezer if you want to use it as soon as
possible) so that it cools down before you combine it with the
butter. Once your roux has cooled, place it, together with butter and
remaining strawberry powder, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of
your stand mixer. Mix together until you have a smooth, pink frosting.
