Strawberry Chiffon Buttercream Cake

I spent this past weekend at Sebago Lake up in Maine for my friend's birthday.   In addition to the abundance of dogs I got to play with, I also started a new book and got some open water swimming in :)   What made the weekend, however, were the friends I got to spend it with!   Between sparklers, taboo, grilling, and some shenanigans, the weekend was over all too quickly.

While there's no topping last year's cake, this year I embraced summer and chose Jen's Strawberry Chiffon Buttercream Cake.   Strawberry puree-studded chiffon cake, layered with Grand Marnier and strawberry puree, topped off with a silky, not-too-sweet strawberry swiss meringue buttercream frosting...

The frosting came together two nights before the trip, and the cakes baked the night before.   Everything traveled safely and assembly went pretty smoothly even after a couple of drinks ;)   A makeshift piping bag (aka ziploc bag) even allowed me to do a little decorating!

Wow.  There was some deliberation as to how it compared to the chocolate-peanut butter delight that was last year's cake, but I think we decided they are different categories, and both are amazing.   It was certainly a winner, and I'm already looking for another occasion to make it!!

I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of the cake flour I didn't have.   Instead of the 14.5oz cake flour,  I used 2oz cornstarch (6T) and 12.5oz white whole wheat flour, sifting it twice before proceeding with the recipe.    While I haven't tried the original, my swap seemed to work out just fine!

Happy Birthday Rebecca!!