Well, hello! What an exciting few days it’s been. Lots going on, and as usual, no two days have been the same. As I mentioned in my last post, I was thrilled when Ree (The Pioneer Woman) chose two of my cake photos for her Food Photo Assignment–another one of her wildly popular photo contests. It meant so much to me, considering I’m pretty new at all of this, and there were, as usual, so many amazing entries. My blue birthday cake photo ended up winning as a finalist in the competition, so I could not be more pleased!
Coincidentally, most of what I learned about photography was from Ree. I find her photography tutorials to be particularly helpful, down-to-earth, and as always with The Pioneer Woman, charming. If you’d like to take a peek at my blue birthday cake photo and more about the results of the Pioneer Woman Photography Food Photo Assignment, you can view it here, along with the gorgeous winning photo by Jennifer Glass.
Speaking of birthday cakes, I was in a layer-cake kind of mood this week, both making and eating, of course. One of my favourite layer cakes is Neapolitan Cake: layers of rich chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla cake, layered with homemade strawberry jam. The flavours really work so well together, and I personally find it really unique and quite appealing, if not striking, once sliced. What’s interesting, is that most people know of it, and I think really enjoy it, yet I don’t see it often. I made Neapolitan cake for the first time last year for Neve’s birthday.
I had the idea to make a Neapolitan Cake based on the colour-scheme of her party, but wasn’t sure what would work for filling. I noticed Martha Stewart had done a 3-layer version using jam as filling, which I thought was perfect. The guests seemed to really enjoy it, and I had a lot of fun making it. I love when a cake looks pretty traditional and simple on the outside, but has an unexpected appearance on the inside. No matter how many cakes I make, I’m always secretly (or not so secretly) excited and eager to slice it and see what it looks like inside–particularly when it’s a multi-flavoured cake, like this one. Such anticipation! It seems people can’t resist peeking over my shoulder with curiosity when I first slice into a cake, and this one usually earns an “oh, wow!”
Kind of crazy looking inside, right? I love the contrast, but most importantly (always), it is really, truly a delight to eat. I find you don’t really taste the jam filling, but it adds a great strawberry flavour and makes the cake even more moist and yummy. It tastes so very Neapolitan and, to me, very reminiscent of my childhood. I feel as though even the cake itself with its colour-combination has a retro feel to it, which I really like.
This time, I went for a sugary pink Strawberry Frosting, for more of a fun birthday cake taste, and to carry through the strawberry flavour a bit more. The possibilities are endless, though, as you could opt for chocolate frosting, ganache filling, Swiss meringue buttercream and fondant, and more. Visually, I think I prefer it with a nice chocolate fondant over buttercream, but really, pink is never a bad idea (or rarely, at least!), and this Strawberry Frosting is so delicious.
I used simple homemade strawberry jam between the layers, which I prefer both for taste and look with the Neapolitan Cake. It’s also very quick and easy to fill that way. If you filled it with frosting, I feel it might be a bit much, since there’s already so much going on, but that is definitely personal preference, and the cake flavours lend to vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry fillings and frostings.
If you’d like to recreate this one, here’s what I did:
1. Baked my favourite Strawberry, Vanilla, and Chocolate cake recipes for 9″ round pans. You can layer any way you like, but I chose to torte my chocolate and strawberry 9″ round cakes into 2 each, and just used one vanilla. Each of the 5 layers are about 1″ high.
2. Using a thin 9″ round cake board, I placed the first layer down, filled with jam, and repeated until the cake was stacked. I then covered the whole cake in airtight container and placed in fridge for about an hour.
3. I made a batch of Strawberry Party Frosting, tinted it Strawberry pink, using a few drops of AmeriColor Electric Pink (I tend to use this brighter version of pink gel often, because with buttercream being a yellow tinge, it seems to cut right through the yellow, making the result a nice bright pink.). Once the cake was chilled, I frosted it, added my favourite white sprinkles, and then piped a classic birthday cake star tip border and shell border on the bottom, using a Wilton Open Star Tip #22 for both.
You can use your favourite Chocolate and Vanilla recipe, or you can use my favourites (links attached). I’ve included a recipe for Strawberry Cake, since it’s seemingly hard to find a good one. I really like this one that I found online last year and modified slightly. Keep in mind that with all of the white sugar in this Strawberry Cake recipe, the crust of the cake gets a bit more golden brown than the other flavours. This recipe makes two 9″ rounds, but I made cupcakes with the extra batter. You could divide the recipe in half.
Strawberry Cake {click here for printable recipe}
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 (3oz) package of strawberry gelatin (JELL-O)
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries (or you could use unsweetened and add a tablespoon of white sugar)
Method:
1. Prepare two 9″ round pans (butter and flour, or parchment lined).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix vanilla and milk together. Combine and whisk dry ingredients, adding to creamed mixture and alternating with milk/vanilla until just combined. Blend in strawberry puree. Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake in 350 F for about 25 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes, then inverting onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe for Strawberry Cake adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by GothicGirl.
Strawberry Party Frosting {click here for printable recipe}
One 9″ round (sliced in 2 horizontally) Rich Chocolate Cake from Rich & Ruffled Chocolate Celebration Cake post, or click here for printable recipe.
One 9″ round Snow White Vanilla Cake (sliced in 2 horizontally) from Old-Fashioned Party Cake post, or click here for printable recipe.
I hope you love this cake as much as we do! Seeing as Grant rarely eats cake, and he’s had 3 pieces so far, I think it’s a hit!
Good luck & enjoy!
OMG. i think i’ve died and gone to heaven… a neopolitan cake? this is phenomenal… i have to think up a good occasion to try this out! thank you for the inspiration!
Beautiful… As always !!
This looks fantastic. I’m definitely going to have to try this soon.
Love this! Must think of a reason to make a neapolitan cake soon!
This is outstanding! It looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it this weekend!
What a beautiful cake! I am not much of a cake decorator, but you are very inspiring, I may have to try this one.
Neapolitan…love the colour combination.
Your layers are perfect once again. Wish I could taste it :S
Ummmmmmmmm……….YUM! My b-day is in 9 sleeps, if you wish to practice again??? Lol! Amazing once again Rosie! Xo
This is the most stunning cake! I really am so amazed by the stark contrasts of the layers and the over-the-top gorgeous photography. Kudos! :)
What an absolutely gorgeous cake! I made a Neapolitan cake for my blogs 1 year anniversary this past year, but I must say yours turned out so much prettier then mine did. I love the multiple layers of strawberry & chocolate cake on the inside, I only used 1 layer for each flavor. And the pink frosting is a nice touch on the outside. I am going to have to revisit this cake using your recipe this time!
AMAZING as usual rosie! newbie or not, you deserve those photography accolades as your pictures jump off the computer screen, they are so lovely. and they are lovely because of the immense talent you have in creating and designing truly excellent and well-executed cakes!
I LOVE this neopolitan cake! slicing into this would be extreme dreamsville… ^_^
Thank you, Lyndsay–you always have the sweetest things to say! You know I think you’re amazing too!
i loved this cake the first time i saw it (and inhaled it on my ‘day after competition’) at Lovey’s birthday and it was sooooooooooooo tasty!!! definitely one of my faves…and the pics look amazing! xo
omg I’ve been thinking about making an extravagant cake lately, and this is it! except I want to do a raspberry variation
LOVE it!!! I was just trying to find the perfect cake idea for my mom’s birthday coming soon…she’s going to love this!! How do you get the icing to be so smooth and perfect like that?!
This is so beautiful. Anyone would be so excited to get this for their birthday.
This is so very lovely! I’ve always been a fan of pretty pinks and browns together!
I have not, however, been a fan of Neapolitan ice cream. Growing up, I liked the chocolate and vanilla, but never the strawberry (oddly enough, since I like strawberries). I imagine I’m going to absolutely love it in it’s cake form, though!! Neapolitan ice cream will always and forever remind me of my grandmother who used to only buy this ice cream! I can hardly wait to make this in honor of her…thanks for the wonderful idea!
Thank you, Darla! So funny you say that about the Neapolitan ice cream–I have never liked it either, for the very same reasons! How quirky, and now it’s good to know I’m not alone :)I can, though, say that in the cake form,the combo is strangely amazing. The ice cream also brings childhood memories to my mind. Funny how food can really affect us! Thanks for stopping by–I absolutely adore your blog and the photos are incredible. xo
M-m-m-m! Looks delicious, Rosie! A very photogenic cake. Well done, as always!!
Rosanne, I’m pretty sure that I do an audible *gasp* every time a photo of one of your delectable masterpieces appears on my homepage. I can’t say enough of how inspiring you are – you make me want to bake – every time! Unfortunately, that leads to eating! ;) Congrats on your photo accomplishments. You deserve every bit of praise that you get for your work!
Just so pretty (and delicious looking) Your skills are awesome and certainly to be admired. Congratulations on being a finalist in Ree Drummond’s contest :)
Thanks so much, everyone! xo
I LOVE your cakes. They are so classy, and look amazing. I bet they are delicious too! I can’t wait to try this one!
this cake is gorgeous and so fun! i think i’m in love.
I could not bake a cake to save my life, but I heart your blog. you have a beautiful style!!!
Beautiful, unique, scrumptious-looking, and whimsical all in one. This is one heck of a wonderful cake. Really spectacular!
after seeing this fabulous cake on tastespotting because the pink just popped right out at me, well, i just had to comment and tell you what an incredible job you did. i would love to recreate this at home just because of the colors. i know bad, but it’s soooo pretty.
I’m just about to make up the strawberry cake, but I’m substituting raspberries instead. I really hope it turns out well. I’ve read many comments over at Allrecipes that say it’s too sweet. I’ll give it a go and see for myself. If I get time I’ll make up a chocolate cake to make it a chocolate/raspberry cake.
Thanks for posting the recipe. I absolutely love your blog.
What a pretty pretty cake! I’d almost want to frame the photo and hang it on the wall rather than eat it! Although I would definitely eat it. LOL Congrats on being a finalist!
What a fun cake!
Your pictures are absolutely beautiful….and so is your cake! Thank you for the detailed tips on how to do it myself….now I just need something to celebrate!
Yumm yummmmm, Oh so yummy looking and no doubt is. So pretty to look at once sliced. I love neopolitan ice cream and I will sooo love this. Let’s see if mom will make me one for bday :) Awesome job Rosanne, as usual and the pics looks fabulous. Your photography is beautiful too!!
Wow! Your cakes are amazing! Love the pictures!!
GORGEOUS!!!! All around perfection, love it!
Oh my! This looks gorgeous!
Congrats on being a finalist in the photo assignment! That picture is absolutely gorgeous, as is this one!
I can not stop staring at the cake, it’s GORGEOUS!!!!!! And I agree, the flavor combo of neapolitan, SO GOOD!
Oh my goodness! I found your site through someone on Twitter and I’m so glad I did. This is absolutely gorgeous!!! Your creations are simply fabulous!
What a beautiful cake! so delicious ;d
You cake looks beautiful! I love how you paired the colors of this cake, and your previous cakes too! You love to decorate with sprinkles right? Anyway, LOVE YOUR CAKES
Wow that cake looks amazing. Wonderful photography too the contrast in the colours is amazing, I’m not surprised you were in the final, well done with that. I think I will bookmark this page and attempt this cake for my Mum’s birthday in a couple of months!
Gorgeous cake & those colors are breathtaking!!
Hello,! My name is Megan. I’m 15 and like you, I love to make food ! Like you, I have a blog.! I am very impressed with your blog and would like to include a link to your blog on mine. I also plan to make this beautiful cake for my mom’s Mary Kay Debut Party! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Here’s the link to my blog:
http://urbakinmecrazyy.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Have an EXCELLENT day
Hi Megan! I would love for you to include a link to my blog. How amazing that you have a baking blog at 15–I’m more than impressed! Thanks for stopping by and for your compliment! xo
Rosie, this cake is amazing! I love the colors, the strawberry frosting and those pretty sprinkles on the top. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Best wishes,
Irina
Thank you! xo
Well, I guess now I know what my next layer cake is going to be! This is absolutely captivating!
Neapolitan ice cream has always been one of my favorites because you really do get the best of all worlds (plus I’m incredibly indecisive when it comes to ice cream…I want it all!) but I’ve never seen it in cake form.
I am so glad I just found this post. I am so excited to make this cake for my niece’s birthday in April. I think she would be so impressed with her aunt! My absolute favorite strawberry cake recipe is from Paula Deen, but it uses a box white mix and a box of strawberry gelatin and I would rather make a recipe more from scratch. So, I cannot wait to try this recipe to see if it tastes similar. By the way, congrats on your cake photo being in the top running on Pioneer Woman’s site.
Rosie, this is gorgeous!! I love Neoopolitan anything! Ah, this has got to be my favorite cake from you.
Your work is absolutely stunning. :)
My sister once asked me if I could bake a cake for her just like this. I gave her an excuse saying that I didn’t have a recipe for it. Looks like I have no excuse now. It sounds delicious, so one day I’ll have to give it a try.
That is stunning!
bravo! this cake is lovely. the colors are so striking together.
This cake is so gorgeous! I love the contrast of the two colours and the decoration looks amazing. I can’t believe I haven’t stumbled onto your blog before, it’s beautiful.
Saw you pic on Tastologie, simply stunning! Just beautiful. Very worthy of Ree’s pick.
What a wonderful cake! I don’t usually have the patience for cake decorating, but this one just might be worth the try!
Nicely done…
I had to come back and let you know that my raspberry version of the strawberry cake was DELICIOUS! I had planned on making a neapolitan cake (just subbing the raspberry), but my daughter insisted she wanted “only pink!”.
It seems to be a very wet cake, moist is an understatement, but it is one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever tasted.
In all the excitement of her birthday party, I forgot to take photos of the cake, I guess I’ll just have to make another one ;)
That sounds fabulous, Sarah. I will try that someday soon! Happy Birthday to your daughter (only pink–rings a bell!)!
Hi Rosie:
First off, congratulations on being a finalist in Pioneer Women’s photo contest. Well deserved! It was from her blog that I found yours and I have to say, your creations are just gorgeous! My husband loves neopolitan ice cream (all the flavors) so I think I will make this cake for him for Valentine’s day. Could you tell me where you get those wonderful white sprinkles? I have never seen them that large and they really do stand out on top of the cake. Thanks so much!
Hi Judy!
Thanks for the comment and sweet words! The white sprinkles (aka “jimmies”) are available at my bulk shop here in Ontario. I’m not certain where you’re located, but if you’re in the US, I imagine they would also be readily available in better bulk stores, or if you’re in Canada, it’s Bulk Barn. I hope this helps! xo
Your cake and pics are amazing! Thanks for the recipe. We’d love to see your stuff posted at dishfolio.com!
I can not stop thinking about this cake. Definitely making this for my daughter’s Valentine’s Day birthday! Hmmmm, maybe I will practice first, quality assurance you know :) Yum!!
Looks absolutely amazing, so beautiful! I’m still learning how to level the layers and frost them evenly… It wouldn’t seem like it would be difficult, but it really is. I think I just have to get a hang of it!
Jess : )
That’s been my favorite strawberry cake recipe for a few years now, too! I’ve recently discovered that if you add freeze dried strawberry slices, the flavor is even more exceptional (and they keep their color nicely). I just fold them in at the end. I get mine for a very reasonable price at Trader Joe’s, but I know I’ve seen them elsewhere.
This is one of the prettiest birthday cake I’ve ever seen!! :) You should consider entering this cake into Recipe4Living’s 5th Birthday Recipe Contest! The site is turning 5 years old, and we’re giving away a Scharffen Berger gift basket to the top birthday cake that’s submitted!
This is so cute! What an adorable idea.
Totally breathless.
Totally unreal.
I am at a loss for words.
Love, V ;)
Thanks everyone! xo
This is so adorable. People who make amazingly cute cakes like this are so impressive to me because I totally lack the patience for something like this. Nice job!
Thanks so much, Katie!
I MUST make this! Now I just have to find an occasion to have it :) Great job and I love your blog!
Yum, looks very nice! Can almost taste it from here!
It looks beautiful! I’m going to have to bake it. I love pink!
This was the ultimate cake to make for my sister-in-law’s birthday. It was delicious!!!
wow! quite the baker you are! These cakes are beautiful and I love a good Neapolitan, this cake looks perfect.
http://www.thefinishing-school.com
Came from Annie’s Eats Blog, and WOW, what an amazing cake! :) Love it!
Hi Rosie
How do you measure a 120ml of whipping cream.
Hi Jackie,
I just use a liquid measuring cup to get 120 ml. Just a note that I’m referring to whipping cream in the carton, not whipped cream. Hope this helps!
Thanks everyone!
This is really sumptuous even without tasting it. This will be loved in Nigeria. Gonna try it. Thanks for sharing with us.
This looks really sumptuous. This will be loved in Nigeria and I will include it in my valentine recipes. Thanks for sharing with us
Wow your cake is absolutely positively gorgeous!!! This will def be one of my next projects!
Hi Rosie
Do I let the frozen strawberries thaw before I put them in a food processor.
Hi Jackie,
You can let them thaw a bit to make it easier to process, but you should have no problem chopping them up in the processor. I hope this helps! Thanks for visiting!
Can I replace the strawberry gelatin ? Because I’m not sure what it is… Maybe I can flavour another one of your great recipe with strawberry ?
Thanks for the note! Strawberry gelatin is strawberry flavoured Jello. I hope this helps!
Thanks so much for this delicious looking cake recipe. I linked to it today {I hope that’s ok- if not, let me know}. I can’t wait to try this out. Thanks~ Alisa
http://alisa-thesweetlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-do.html
Hello,
First off, thanks for sharing your amazing cakes and photos. I’m so overwhelmed by this cake that I’ve been trying to gather enough confidence to make it ever since you posted it!
And now that my birthday is coming up on the first of March, I’ve decided that making your cake would be my gift to myself.
I’ve studied the ingredients and have everything ready except for the Strawberry Oil. Is that the same as Strawberry Essence?! Excuse me, if that’s a silly question, but I’m from Egypt and things are often named quite differently from what they’re called abroad. One last thing if I may, I really want to try your Buttercream frosting recipe, but I’m kinda scared it would be too sweet? Does it make the overall taste of this cake too too sugary?..
Thanks again,
Sarah
Thanks so much for the kind words, Sarah. I’m so sorry that I somehow missed this comment and that you didn’t get a reply sooner! To answer your question, Strawberry Flavour Oil is actually a sweet manufactured flavour product, as where essence is extracted from real strawberries. Anything with a real strawberry flavour would work well, I’m certain. The buttercream frosting is definitely sweet, but it does work well with this cake. Truthfully, any frosting would be delicious with this cake! I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and thanks so much for visiting my blog. xo
Rosie,
I couldn’t resist trying my hand at this cake for my Dad’s birthday two weeks ago. I couldn’t get mine to look as pretty and perfect as yours, of course, but it was still very impressive with all those layers! Everyone raved over the cake. The strawberry cake was especially delicious, and a new thing for us. Thanks again for always being an inspiration! :)
Thank you for actually making this cake. Although it is a beautiful cake it took my forever to get to a comment where someone who has done more than admired this delicious cake..thank you for giving us your feedback I will be making this this weekend…
Oh, my! That looks divine!
This cake looks fabulous. This may be a silly question, but by strawberry gelatin do you mean something like Jell-o? Thanks!
Hi Kristina! Thanks so much. I happened to be online when you wrote your comment, so I wanted to let you know that yep, JELL-O is exactly it. I’ve updated the recipe, because, nope, that’s not a silly question at all! Good luck!
Great, thanks so much!
http://suppersatsunset.blogspot.com/2011/03/neapolitan-six-layer-cake.html
This was so good!! My version’s no where near as pretty as yours, but it sure it is yummy!
Hi! I was wondering how you kept the cake after it was all finished? Did you store it in the fridge? I am going to make this cake on Easter and was wondering how fresh it would stay if I made it on Saturday? Any tips/advice you have it much appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Lindsey! This cake is best kept on the counter in a cake-keeper for up to 3 days–it keeps it fresher and softer. If you make it on a Saturday, it should be good until about Tuesday, but of course, the sooner the better! Good luck!
Thanks so much Rosie for your response! Another question – how long did you bake the strawberry cake for when you made it as cupcakes?
Hi Lindsey,
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this comment until now! I believe the cupcake version took about 17 minutes to bake, but you’ll know as soon as they start to shrink up and the edges are slightly brown that they are likely ready. Test with a toothpick, and remove from oven the moment the toothpick comes just clean (with a few crumbs) to avoid them drying out. Hope this helps!
Hello!
im going to bake this cake on my parents anniversary
and since my mom isnt a big fan of swiss meringue buttercream,
i was wondering could i use cream cheese frosting and flavor/color it?
and if you have any recipe that will work great on humid weather it would be great!
thank you so much!
and cheers from mexico!
LOVE YOUR WEBSITE AND RECIPES haha :)
Hi Maggie! You can definitely do a cream cheese frosting and colour it/flavour it the same way–I think it would work just fine. Here is my recipe for cream cheese frosting: https://sites.google.com/site/sweetapolitaprintables/fluffy-cream-cheese-icing
Hope this helps! Happy Anniversary to your parents :)
Your cake looks amazing! I am definitely going to try to bake one for my daughter-in-law’s upcoming birthday.
Hi! I am planning to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. However I want to leave the chocolate out. Just strawberry and vanilla. Your recipe for strawberry cake makes 2 9″ cakes that are cut in half. But the Snow White Vanilla Cake makes 2 9″ cakes too? Do I cut the recipe in half to make only 1 9″ cake to cut in half? Also it the strawberry party icing good for making rose designs? I have seen cakes online that are fully covered in roses and wanted to try that. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
Also does this strawberry icing hold up in humid weather? Any additions to make it hold up better? I read about Meringue Powder… What do you think?
Your blog never fails me! It all started with the cinnamon buns, which were as delicious as promised, and then with this cake! My daughter’s first birthday is around the corner and I wanted to make her something special, I tried a vanilla cake I found on another site and it was quite disappointing. I came back to your recipe index at that point and tried this cake it was great! Every layer in it would be great on its own or in the Neapolitan cake. Thank you for the great recipe!!
~Kayla
Rosie, I adore your blog!! I have never been much of a cake fan, until I started making cakes from your blog. My first attempt was this Neopolitan Cake (I made cherry instead of strawberry, using pie filling instead of jam) and it was a huge success!! Your recipe for buttercream was delicious and as someone who loves buttercream but had never made it I found your recipe easy to follow and your cake baking tips made me feel like a real baker. I love your recipes and was even more excited to find out you were a fellow Canadian. Keep up the fantastic work!!!
Hi Rosie,
Is there any reason you didn’t use SMB (since you rave about it so much) for this cake instead of regular American buttercream? Just curious… :)
Such a beautiful cake! Now I just need to wait for someone to have a birthday so I have a reason to make it!
What am I saying? A cake that beautiful is its own reason :)
Hi Rosie, What an amazing cake! I have been looking for a pretty pink cake to bake for my niece on her first birthday and this one is it!!
I do have a few questions (sorry if they are silly). I would like to bake all of your favorite (vanilla and chocolate) cake recipes but when I look at the method of them, they are measured to make enormous cakes. To minimize wastage (and cost) what do I need to do to make it the ingredients for just one 9″ chocolate cake and one 9″ vanilla?? You said to half the ingredients in the recipe for the strawberry cake to end up with 2 x 9″ cakes is that right?? Do I just do the same??
Thank you so much for your help!! = )
Rosie – thank you again for the inspiration! I made a version on this cake yesterday. I did strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry with a thin strawberry cream filling and chocolate ganche on the outside. It was a big hit! My oldest daughter has claimed this as her next birthday cake!
Hi Rosie!
This is gorgeous!!! as all of your cakes! I leave in France and I’d like to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. Can I make the cakes and or the frosting in advance? ? Does the frosting keeps its form as the smb? is it better to taste? I hope you can answer me soon. birthday party is in two days! :) tanks a lot!
Thanks, Jobi! You can make all of the cakes about a week ahead and freeze, as long as they are double-wrapped in plastic wrap. You can make the SMB up to a month ahead and freeze, and remove from freezer the night before you need it. You will want to warm 1/3 of the SMB for about 10 seconds in microwave, then add it to remanining SMB, and remixing with mixer for a few moments to get it smooth and satiny again. The frosting definitely keeps its form well. I hope this helps!
Thanks Rosie! This is so much help to me!! You make everything seems so easy! Thanks for your time and keep making your so beautifull cakes!!!
Sure! Oh, and I didn’t mention that you can make, wrap tightly, and keep cakes on counter for up to 2 days before assembling (the sooner the better), but don’t keep in refrigerator. The SMB is best in fridge until about 8 hours before you need. Good luck!
Hello there, i have to say i love your blog and this neapolitan cake!! Making this today for my daughters bithday, she is 9 and loves this icecream, so in cake i thought what a great surprise!! Anyway, ive followed this recipe exactly, very good instructions by the way, but after 25 min in the oven at 350, my cakes are still raw as raw can be!! My oven was recently professionally calibrated for heat and levelness, since i had the heating coil replaced, so it couldnt be the oven. iam leaving it in longer, but im worried it may not turn out! has this ever been an issue with anyone before?? That the cake needs much longer than 25 min?? Just wondering, i so hope it turns out!
Thanks, Roseanna! I’m curious what happened with your cakes too. Did you bake the 3 types of cake at once? If for any reason the cakes still seem really raw after 25 minutes, that really shouldn’t be too big of a concern, as baking 3 cakes at once will take quite a bit more time. If you do attempt again, I would recommend not worrying about the timing, so much as just watching for when they are done. I find if I’m baking a few layers at once, that they do take quite a bit longer. I hope this helps!
This looks absolutely gorgeous! Like you mentioned, I had heard of a Neapolitan cake but had never actually seen or made one. Yours is absolutely STUNNING, and I think I might have to make myself a birthday cake in a couple of weeks…;)
Hi there,
First off, I must say that I absolutely adore your blog, and have loved any recipes I have tried from you!
This cake looks gorgeous and is perfect for my friend whose birthday is in a few weeks, loves pink, and requested a strawberry/chocolate cake. Before I make it however, I am wondering where you purchase the strawberry oil and the pink colouring… do you purchase them online, or in store somewhere? I live in Toronto,, and I know you live nearby, so any tips on local baking supply shops are much appreciated! Thanks, Rosie!
you r more than amazing and delicate, classic and inspirational!
I am planning on making this cake for my daughter’s birthday next week, but I’m a little confused about the layers. You mention torting the chocolate and strawberry but not the vanilla. So when I make the chocolate and strawberry recipes, I should plan on splitting the batter for each recipe between two 9 inch pans (or doing one pan of each, plus cupcakes), and then slicing that single 9 inch layer in half to get the two chocolate and strawberry layers for the cake? But with the vanilla, I should plan on baking the 9 inch layer but leaving it whole? Did you do this because the vanilla layer was thinner than the chocolate and strawberry ones?
Also (sorry, I just don’t want to mess it up!), a few of the ingredients vary slightly in proportion between the strawberry cake on the jelly bean cake page, and the strawberry cake here…was there a reason behind that switch? Is there one version you prefer now? One has more baking powder, one has half the amount of strawberry, etc.
Thank you! I discovered your site recently and love it–can’t wait to surprise guests with this neopolitan cake at the party.
I made your strawberry cake and fluffy vanilla cake and layered them with strawberry jam and chocolate buttercream for my mother in law’s birthday. It was amazing! Thanks for such great recipes. I love your blog!
That sounds fabulous, Rhondi–thanks for the sweet comment! Happy Birthday to your mother-in-law!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday party today, and though it didn’t look quite as pretty since I ended up with just 3 layers instead of 5, it was an absolute hit with everyone!! Thanks for sharing the recipes Rosie! This one is a keeper.
My mother turned 70 in December and she told me at her birthday party that her mother would always make her a neopolitan cake as her birthday cake every year. Had I known in advance I would have looked you up sooner! I will be trying this cake out on Mother’s Day, and repeating it for her birthday as long as she keeps having them, using your ideas for variations! Thank you so much for helping me give my mother a taste of her childhood!
I’ve had this cake pinned and I think it may be our Valentine’s day dessert! It’s so pretty! I featured it as part of a dessert collection today!
http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/02/17-valentines-day-desserts.html
i love it
it looks amazing
you are so creative and your work is so perfect
I wanted to thank you for your wonderful blog! You truly are an inspiration and a life saver! I have made five…yes five of your recipes in the last four weeks (a couple of them multiple times) and each one was absolutely delicious!
A pin of your Ruffles & Roses mini ruffle cakes brought me to your blog and once here, I died and went to heaven! I just HAD to make this Neapolitan cake for my youngest daughter’s 1st birthday (with ruffles of course!!!) I baked the cakes in 5inch rounds and used the rest of the batter for cupcakes. My middle daughter wanted a strawberry cake for her birthday so it was perfect!
Their birthdays are two weeks apart! So invaluable tips like a triple batch of SBC fits in a 5qt mixer bowl and freezes well, that the chocolate cake batter would be runny, and the size of scoop used for cupcakes were wonderful time savers and stress relievers! I found your instructions to be crystal clear and very informative. I knew what to expect each step of the way.
And by the way, your sugar cookies ARE perfect in every way! So once again thank you for your wonderful blog! And thank you for helping to make all of our parties a huge success!
This months baking adventures: Bakery-Style Vanilla Cupcakes (Superbowl cupcakes & vanilla layer of Neapolitan cakes for youngest daughter’s 1st birthday), Strawberry Cake x 2 (Middle daughter’s 3rd birthday cake, cupcakes & Neapolitan cakes), Rich and Dark Chocolate Cake (Neapolitan cakes & cupcakes), Swiss Meringue Buttercream x 3 (frosted all cakes and cupcakes), Perfect Sugar Cookies x 3 (both daughters’ birthdays & eldest daughter’s Valentines party at school) Phew!
Hi Rosie! Greetings from sunny Malaysia! I truly enjoy reading your blogs and looking at the beautifully captured photos of your bakes. You are truly my inspiration to bake beautiful and yummy cakes and cupcakes.
I would like to know what is the difference between the strawberry cake recipe above and the recipe in the strawberry layer cake with whipped frosting? I noticed some of the measurements for both recipe are different. Looking forward to your reply.
Thanks. :-)
OK, I made this for my 2 best friend’s birthdays that we celebrated together (they were born in the same week, but not the same day — Aries and me get along like a house on fire!). I am only an average baker, and am intimidated by layer cakes. I’ve attempted a few over the last year or so, but every one has leaned terribly… Rosie, I don’t know if it’s the cake recipes, or the fact this is filled with jam… or because I SO wished it to stand up straight, or perhaps I figured it out. But this cake was SO beautiful and delicious and ramrod straight and tall. My friend’s husband (they were visiting from out of town), texted me after they went home whining about missing the cake. It was lovely and tasted wonderful. It has given me confidence. Thank you for all of your good work! A lovely baker who can write and take pictures… a perfect trifecta.
Rosie, Do you have any suggestions to add to the strawberry cake instead of the package of strawberry gelatin? I’d like to make a mini version of this cake for my mom for Mothers’ Day and she has a food allergy to gelatin.
Hi Danielle,
Hmm…it is tricky with the strawberry cake because the gelatin gives it both the colour and flavour, in this instance. There are vegan gelatins on the market–would that also be out of the question? I might suggest making the chocolate and vanilla cake layers and strawberry frosting between the layers and frosted overall. Just a thought. Hope that helps!
I think I’m going to give the recipe you have minus the gelatin and see how it goes. I have a willing “cake tester” to try it on. If the cake isn’t strawberry enough I’ll take your advice to use the frosting. Fingers crossed!
Just wanted to say I absolutely love your blog and was inspired with your neopolitan cake. I made it into a strawberry shape for my little girl’s first birthday (although I couldn’t manage five layers – as it was my first attempt I stuck with just three). Not nearly as perfect as yours, but for a beginner I felt quite proud. :) (see http://flossmade.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/triple-layered-neopolitan-strawberry.html)
I’m in the UK and jelly (jello in the US) is usually made with blocks rather than crystals. I managed to track down crystals and they were totally different proportions and tasted far too strong in the cake. So, I replaced the crystals with red food colouring and a couple of teaspoons of strawberry essence and it worked perfectly.
Thanks!
What effect does using cake flour, like the original recipe, over all-purpose have?
Hi how many people does this cake serve?
I made this today, my first time making strawberry cake and it came out great! I ended up using your strawberry cake recipe, my favorite chocolate cake recipe and a vanilla cake recipe I found on Pinterest since your link is broken for the vanilla cake recipe you used. I also made a strawberry filling with frozen strawberries (thawed) water, cornstarch, lemon and sugar. I reduced it on the stove to make a thick sauce then blended it with a stick blender. I found that 8 cups of confectioners sugar was way too much and ended up adding more butter, cream and water. Plus they don’t sell the strawberry oil in my little town so I used some of the sauce that I filled the cakes with plus some food coloring. It was super awesome! Thanks for the inspiration!
For the 3oz of jello how much would that be? Mine says 22g for serving size and it has 8 servings
Hi,
I was wondering about your favorite chocolate and vanilla cake recipes. I have never baked a cake before, so I do not know how to half the recipe just to make one 9inch vanilla and one 9inch chocolate cake. I was wondering what measurements did you use to only get one of each? Thanks so much!
Thank you for the inspiration and thank you for sharing your recipes!
I am making this cake for my daughters 8th birthday party. I was wondering on the vanilla and chocolate cakes, how many cakes does each recipe make and will I need to cut each 9″ round in half or did you leave whole? Did you use the entire recipe for each cake besides the strawberry cake, in the finished cake? I am just wondering if I should cut each recipe in half.
Thank you for such beautiful inspiration!
Wendy
Just saw this cake on Pinterest and had to stop here to tell you how amazing this looks!! Of course I’ve pinned it too :))
Paula
lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com
I love this!! why have I never seen it before?! I know what I’m making this weekend….
I made this at the weekend for the new cake club I just joined. It looked fantastic and tasted amazing, I loved the strawberry receipe, I think that will get made again this summer when strawberries are back in season. Jell-o is a little tricky to track down in 3oz packs in the UK, but the smaller pack I used worked just fine and it was so beautifully pink! Thank you so much for this gorgeous cake recipe.
Wow! This just gave me an idea for my baby girl’s 1st birthday! So excited to make it :D I have the perfect vanilla and chocolate cake recipe to go with it! Thanks for the idea.
I am unable to locate the Cocao Barry Cocoa Powder.Does anyone have an alternate to this?
Hello! I saw this cake and instantly thought of my father. He has always wanted a neapolitan cake for his birthday. Unfortunately, he has become gluten free in the last couple of years. i was wandering, is there anyway to make the gluten free? And, in between each layer, can i put a small amount of frosting to hold the cakes better together?
Hi,
Can you tell me what brand of “whipping cream” you used for the frosting? Do you use the stuff in the can, “Redi-Whip” or “heavy cream”? Thank you
Wow, that looks amazing! Quick question, did you use a cake board between each layer? And for the cake layers, did you bake the strawberry and vanilla in two separate pans?
Just made this for my daughter’s second birthday. I frosted it as a ruffle cake and put rainbow sprinkles on top to fit the theme. It was wildly impressive, especially when I cut into it. Made my day, thanks for the recipe!
I made this cake for my daughters first birthday.
It. Was. Delicious.
I used a different kind of frosting that was made from egg whites and strawberry jam.
Best cake I ever made. And it was beautiful!
Thanks so much! I will defiantly make again… Not for a while though it was a lot of work for my tiny kitchen lol.
Traducción por favor
Hi,
I tried this recipe though mine didn’t looked so beautiful ,but it was awesome in taste! My whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Wow, again i have to say wow, what a recipe. I made this for my daughter on her birthday party and the whole party loved it thanks so much!
Lovely cake!!! I am planning to make this for my birthday :-) but was curious what jam recipe you used? Thank you so much!! I bake quiet a bit and somehow always find a recipe that leads me straight to you and they are nothing less than divine every single time!!! What a blessing God has given to you!!
I made this cake (with strawberry puree SMB) for my daughters 4th birthday at our church, had heaps of great comments especially that it was so moist. I had the strawberry layers frozen for about 10 days, the chocolate about 5 days and vanilla about 2 days. Premade the SMB as well and nearly gave up on it twice when it came to rewhipping it, would say make it fresh when adding a fruit puree as it took me probably 20 or more minutes with a hand beater and instead of a pretty fleck it went strawberry pink (literally). 4 days later the chocolate layer is by far the best keeper.
thanks heaps for the recipe, I had a lot of fun making it (except for rewhipping the buttercream).
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Many thanks!
I do you hope you see this in the next days but I would like to make this cake for my daughters party. If I baked them on Thursday and Friday and froze them would it be ok to defrost them and use them for the Sunday? Thanks so much!
Good morning!
WOW! Thank you so much for posting this. I made two of them and took them to class. They were devoured by all and sundry — who would have liked more.
Have a wonderful day:)
Hmmmm, this cake is gorgeous
we don’t have strawberry in season…. and frozen not available can i replace it with something else???
can we replace strawberry with something else???
Hi! I really want to make this cake for my daughter’s upcoming fourth birthday. Our theme is an ice cream party! My question is : is the strawberry icing sturdy enough to use as an “upsidedown ice cream drip cake ” you know the yummy dripping ganache and a cut upsidedown ice cream cone on top?? I’d make the ice cream ball of the come out of cake and icing (like a cake pop) in your opinion will this workout?? Thanks!!!