This naked strawberry honey sponge cake is moist, decadent and very versatile. It has the perfect balance of textures with spongy cake layers, smooth buttercream, sweet honey and fresh strawberries.
Grease two 6" (15cm) cake pans with some non-stick spray and lay some parchment paper at the bottom.
In a large bowl, sieve sugar, flour and baking powder.
In a mid-size bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla paste. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Melt the butter in the microwave, and add to the mix. Whisk well to combine everything without overmixing.
Split the batter between the two cake pans (approx. 420 g in each). Pop in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, it's ready!
Let it cool for 20 minutes on a cool rack and then brush the hot honey syrup. Allow the cake layers to cool fully.
Honey Syrup
In a small pot, mix the honey and the water and bring to a simmer for around 5 minutes.
Honey Swiss Meringue Bettercream
In a large bowl, add the egg whites and sugar, and place on top of a saucepan with some water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl (bain-marie, or double boiler method). Whisk slowly until the sugar dissolves completely, at around 70 ℃ - 158F.
Remove from the heat and, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, begin to whip until it cools down completely.
Change the whisk with a paddle attachment and add the butter (at room temperature) in pieces to the meringue, and the vanilla paste and honey.
Continue whisking until it has a fluffy and smooth consistency (if it looks curdled, keep whisking).
Cake Assembly
Place one cake layer soaked in the honey syrup.
Top with the fresh buttercream and some chopped strawberries. Drizzle some honey and add a bit more buttercream to seal the strawberries.
Place the other cake layer and repeat the process.
Decorate with fresh strawberries and optional edible flowers.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use different fruits or berries you have at hand (blueberries, raspberries, peaches, pear, even pineapple).
STORAGE: Store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge (but eat at room temperature). You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months.