Valentine's and Birthday : pink ombré strawberry cake

Okay, this is the longest recipe I've ever written and anyone who read this probably won't even give it a try, because making the cake alone is difficult enough! But I have to say it is one of the best celebration cakes I've ever made - so light and just about the right sweetness. Too bad I didn't take a picture of the dissection and show the layers of the cake. 

This cake was made for the new friends I met in Chongqing who have birthdays in February. And I figure pink is a nice color for this month which coincides with Valentine's Day.  You won't need an 8" cake for your valentines but hey, this is a good recipe for birthdays, showers and housewarming parties :) There is always a reason for baking a nice cake! 

It's hard to resist ombre cakes and the cute layers of colors either inside or outside the cake. This is my second attempt of an ombre cake and I took the "artsy" approach by making a rustic gradient effect on the side (inspired by here and here). So far I haven't tried the ombre colors between cake layers. Maybe I will try it next time :) 

Yield one 21cm (~8") chiffon cake 

Ingredients: 

Cake base

4 Egg yolks

80g granulated sugar

80ml vegetable oil (commonly use olive or canola)

160g all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

160ml milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Egg whites

7 egg whites (I used 8 here because my eggs were slightly smaller)

60g granulated sugar

Filling

2 cups fresh strawberries

2 tbsp Contreau

3 tbsp jam 

half lemon juice

sugar (optional if desired)

Decoration

600g whipping cream 

red gel coloring (I used Americolor, 1 1/2 drop for darkest pink)

Steps:

Cake

1. Preheat oven 175 °C (347 °F), prepare unlined chiffon cake pan. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two individual mixing bowls
2. Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer and add sugar 1/3 at a time until it's mostly dissolved. The egg yolks should become thick and frothy, the color turns into a pale yellow
3. Add oil, milk, vanilla extract in sequence. Mix well each ingredient 
4. Gently mix in flour and salt. DO NOT over mix
5. Use a stand mixer/handheld electric mixer to beat the egg whites. First beat the whites in medium speed until it adds volume. Start adding 1/3 sugar at a time until soft peaks form
6. Check constantly on the consistency of the egg whites but testing the peaks. Stop beating when you notice the peaks are stiff enough to stand but drops slightly
7. Scoop 1/4 of egg whites into the egg yolk batter. Gently fold in the whites until combine
8. Pour (7) into the rest of the egg whites and fold gently from bottom to top
9. Pour mixture into cake pan and gently tap it on the table to get rid of air bubbles
10. Lower oven temperature to 170 °C (338 °F) and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Stick in a toothpick to test if it comes out clean
11. Remove from oven and let it cool upside down

Filling

1. While the cake is baking, prepare the strawberry filling for the cake
2. Slice strawberries into small thin pieces, set aside
3. Heat all ingredients in a saucepan in medium to high heat. Boil until the sauce condense into a syrup consistency. Remove from heat and let it cool 

Decoration

1. When the cake is cooled down, slice the cake in half and trim off the sides if needed
2. Take whipping cream straight from the fridge and beat when it's chilled. Beat until creamy but not too stiff
3. Divide cream into 3 bowls. Leave more for the white color. Drip food gel coloring to the one that you want the darkest color and mix until you reach a nice pastel pink
4. Scoop 1/2 cup of pink whipping cream to the second bowl and create a lighter shade of pink
5. Spread a generous amount on each layer. Top with the strawberry filling on the cream layer. 
6. Crumb coat the cake with the white cream. Smear the cake starting with darkest pink at the bottom and gradually add the lighter shade in the middle. Finally coat the top with the remaining white cream
7. Garnish the top with fresh fruits or pipe cream around it. Put in the fridge to let the cream settle