Strawberry Filling

• For the most intense strawberry flavor, make a strawberry filling for your cake. Drain the thawed strawberries, reserving the juice. Add water or apple juice to make about a cup of liquid. Sweeten it with sugar to taste, and thicken with cornstarch. A splash of lemon juice will brighten the flavors. Mix well and bring to a boil. When the mixture is thickened, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Mix in the strawberries. Pipe a thin border of buttercream icing around the top edge of the first cake layer. This will prevent the filling from spreading too far. Spread the strawberry filling on the bottom layer of cake, inside the border. Top with the second layer of cake.

Strawberry Buttercream

• If you prefer a subtler strawberry flavor, make strawberry buttercream. Mash thawed strawberries, draining and reserving the juice. Place the juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the juice by 1/4 to 1/3 of its original volume. Remove it from the heat, and mix in the mashed strawberries. Add the strawberry mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, to your buttercream, until it reaches the color and flavor you want. Use this flavored buttercream to fill your cake.

Layered Strawberries

• If you love the flavor and texture of pure strawberries, use the whole berry to fill your cake. Drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice. Place the reserved juice in a small saucepan and sweeten to taste with sugar or honey. Add a splash of lemon juice. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by a quarter of its original volume. While the liquid cooks, slice the thawed berries. Use a spoon or a pastry brush to brush the cooled strawberry syrup onto the cake. This will help it to stay moist. Spread a thin layer of buttercream across the top of the first cake layer. Pipe a border of buttercream around the top edge. Arrange the sliced strawberries inside the buttercream border, covering the entire top of the cake layer. Top with the second layer of cake.

Be Creative

• Experiment with techniques and ingredients to create new fillings for your cakes. Layer fresh bananas with sliced strawberries, or try sprinkling frozen, thawed blueberries on top of a layer of strawberry buttercream. You can even combine fillings in a single cake. Either add a third layer to your cake with a second filling, or simply combine two or more fillings between two layers of cake. Be sure to make each filling layer thinner than you normally would, or your cake will slide apart.