Description

A moist, bakery-quality Neapolitan layer cake featuring distinct vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry layers made with real ingredients, topped with a light whipped cream frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (for vanilla and strawberry layers)
2 cups all-purpose flour (for chocolate layer)
4 ½ cups granulated white sugar (divided)
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened (divided)
9 large eggs, room temperature (divided)
4 teaspoons vanilla extract (divided)
2 ¼ cups whole milk (divided)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup strawberry puree
2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 oz cream cheese, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt for the base batter.
In a mixer bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla extract.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk in two parts, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
Divide batter into three portions. Keep one-third plain for the vanilla layer.
To the second third, add cocoa powder and reduce milk to ½ cup total for this portion. Mix until incorporated for the chocolate layer.
To the final third, add strawberry puree and reduce milk to ¼ cup total for this portion. Mix until uniform pink for the strawberry layer.
Pour each batter into a prepared pan. Chill pans in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
In a cold bowl, beat heavy cream, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Assemble cake by stacking layers with generous amounts of whipped cream between them and covering the top and sides.
Chill before serving.

Notes

Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for best emulsification. Chill the pans before baking to prevent doming. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a tough texture. The cake must be completely cool before frosting to prevent the whipped cream from melting. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 380
Sugar: 32
Fat: 20
Saturated Fat: 12
Carbohydrates: 45
Fiber: 1
Protein: 5

Keywords: Neapolitan cake, layer cake, strawberry cake, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, whipped cream frosting, homemade dessert, birthday cake