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–+ servings
Slice of homemade Neapolitan cake with chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla layers, topped with pink and white buttercream swirls on a plate.

Neapolitan Cake

5 from 1 vote
A three-layer Neapolitan cake featuring chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors inspired by classic Neapolitan ice cream. Each layer is made from a shared vanilla base batter with simple flavor additions, resulting in distinct colors and tastes without extra complexity.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Vanilla Base Batter
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter - softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs - room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk - room temperature
Chocolate Layer Add-In
  • ⅓ batch - vanilla base batter
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoon hot water mix with cocoa
Strawberry Layer Add-In
  • ⅓ batch vanilla base batter
  • ½ cup strawberry puree - Reduced from fresh or frozen berries
  • 2–3 drops pink food coloring - optional
Vanilla Layer Add-In
  • ⅓ batch vanilla base batter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract - additional
Vanilla Bean Frosting
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter - softened
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream - plus more if needed
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 whole vanilla bean - seeds scraped
  • 1 pinch salt

Equipment

  • 3 8-inch round cake pans (Greased and floured or sprayed with baking spray)
  • 1 Stand mixer or hand mixer (For creaming butter & sugar)
  • 1 Electric mixerOffset spatula (For frosting)
  • 1 Rotating cake stand (Optional but helpful)
  • 1 Bench scraper (For smoothing frosting)
  • 1 Serrated knife (For leveling)

Method
 

  1. Reduce blended strawberries in a saucepan for 8–10 minutes until thickened to ½ cup. Cool completely before adding to batter.
  2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until smooth without overmixing.
  3. Split batter into three equal portions using a scale.
  4. Bake all layers at 350°F for 25–30 min until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.
  5. Whip buttercream until fluffy 3–4 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (~150–170 g)Calories: 540kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 5gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 230mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 2gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 860IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

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