This 2-Ingredient, No-Bake Strawberry Cloud Cake Is A Slice Of Heaven
If you're a fan of easy-to-make desserts that involve very few ingredients, then you need to know about this two-ingredient, no-bake strawberry cloud cake. Here's all you need: 4 ½ teaspoons of unsweetened gelatin powder and 1 ⅔ cups of unsweetened (no sugar added) strawberry applesauce. Alternatively, for a more subtle strawberry flavor, you can use half regular applesauce and half strawberry applesauce — although this would technically make the dish a three-ingredient recipe. Either way, make sure to stick to unsweetened applesauce, as any added sugar may make the cake too dense.
Start by combining the gelatin and the applesauce in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Then, you'll use the double boiler method — which refers to boiling a pot of water, then placing the heat-proof mixing bowl over the top — to dissolve the gelatin into the mixture. Once dissolved, remove the bowl from the stove and let it sit for about five minutes to cool off. Next, pour the mixture into a stand mixer and use the wire attachment to beat on high speed for about 15 minutes.
During this process, the mixture will become airy, with the volume increasing significantly. Finally, pour the batter into an eight-inch pan lined with parchment paper and place it in the fridge to set for at least one hour. The result is a cake that will feel like a slice of heaven — the texture is extremely light and airy. As for the flavor, it will taste just like strawberry applesauce, just in cake form, so there's plenty of sweetness and a little tartness.
How to customize and elevate your cloud cake
The easiest way to customize this cloud cake is to change up the flavor — you don't have to stick to just strawberry applesauce. You can switch to, say, mixed berry or mango peach, as long as it's unsweetened. Take a look at Tasting Table's ranked list of the best applesauce brands for some ideas. Given the simple nature of the recipe, you can eventually try out just about all the possible flavors. Speaking of sweetness, if you want to make this cloud cake taste more like a traditional cake, then you will want to add frosting.
Both classic vanilla buttercream and rich chocolate frosting will pair well with the strawberry cloud cake (or any other flavor you choose). You can also simply pair a slice of the cloud cake with a dollop of whipped cream to stick with the light and airy trend. Additionally, after you've frosted the cake, you can continue to customize it by adding sprinkles, chocolate chips, or nuts — or some combination thereof — to the top. You can even top the strawberry cloud cake with fresh strawberries or, for a mixed berry theme, blueberries and raspberries.