Let’s Go A Strawberry Feasting!

Strawberries awaken fond memories of red stained hands, balmy sunny days, playing carefree with friends and my mother watching Wimbledon tennis on the television. Even holiday times spent in Devon/Cornwall, taking cream teas of sweet scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a huge pot of tea. This is reminiscing of my childhood and I smile fondly of good times gone by.

In my part of England we are still waiting for our own strawberries but I could not resist buying out of season and bringing a little of summer into my home.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this cake, it certainly is irresistible on taste. Now who could resist strawberries, jam and cream engulfed in a light sponge, oh boy not I that is for sure!

Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
1½ tsp baking powder
175g (6 oz) softened butter
3 large eggs, at room temperature
175g (6 oz) caster sugar (super fine)
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
For The Filling and Decoration
120ml (4 fl oz) double cream (heavy cream)
4 large tbsp good quality strawberry jam
300g (11 oz) ripe strawberries, hulled
1 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

You will require 2 x20cm (2 x 8in) round cake tins. Grease with a little butter and line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into a large bowl, and then add the butter, caster sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat together until mixed, trying not to over mix the mixture. Spoon the mixture equally into the prepared round cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven on a middle shelf for about 25 -30 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn them out to completely cool on a wire rack.

Whisk the cream to a firm consistency for the filling. Place one sponge cake onto a serving plate and spread with the strawberry jam, followed by the whipped cream and a few of the strawberries sliced. Place the second sponge on top. Arrange a few strawberries over the top and dust with icing sugar. Serve on the day you bake this due to the fresh cream.

Lastly, cut into the cake, arm yourself with a slice, and enjoy that summer feeling of red ripe strawberries!

I am sending my Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake to a ‘dear’ fellow blogger Happy Cook- whom I affectionately call H.C. You can find H.C. @ My Kitchen Treasures who is hosting a great event called Strawberry Feasts! Now if you would like to partake in this event do call by H.C.’s blog to find out more details.

TRIPLE LEMON CHIFFON CAKE -THE CAKE SLICE BAKERS!

This month I am pleased to reveal yet another great bake from ‘The Cake Slice Bakers! This event is hosted by two lovely ladies Giggi and Katie. The nominated book we are baking from this year is, Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne and what a delicious cake for this spring period and just perfect in every way! I am pleased to share with you the ~ Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake. I am scheduled posting this bake this morning to ensure it is posted in good time today!

To describe this cake to you it really doesn't do this cake full Justice triple layer of chiffon sponge, with a delectable tangy homemade lemon curd layered between each sandwich; the grand finally is a lemon whipped fresh cream! Miss R. (my daughter) who didn’t inherit my fondness for all sweet things in life and who much prefers savoury foods, was bowled over wit this cake! It just wasn’t one slice she tried it became two – WOW- an encore and curtain bow from the delectable “Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake”!! This really is a fitting cake to bake for spring and even Easter not far away in our thoughts.

I made a few little adjustments of my own by colouring a little of the lemon fresh cream icing with a couple of drops of edible yellow food gel and made a cute little duck pattern in the centre filling with a few sprinkles. Topping off with yellow and white sugar flowers and a few gold sugar balls for a little bling-bling!!

TRIPLE LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

ADAPTED FROM: SKY HIGH IRRESISTIBLE TRIPLE LAYER CAKES BY ALISA HUNTMANS AND PETER WYNNE

FOR THE CAKE:

MAKES A 9-INCH TRIPLE LAYER CAKE

8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch][**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]

1. Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans.

2. In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

4. Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.

5. bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.

6. To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.

RICH LEMON CURD

MAKES 1 CUP
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.

Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.

LEMON CREAM FROSTING

MAKES 3 AND 1/4 CUPS

1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd

Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.

If you would like to view more Triple Lemon Chiffon Cakes made by other members of The Cake Slice, then please visit our blogroll site: The Cake Slice Bakers!

Easter Nest Chocolate Cake

Chocolate seems to be on everyone’s mind at Easter time and this recipe I am sharing with you has been one I have been baking for many years now since the age of 11 yrs. I first remember baking this at school and bringing my cake eagerly home to show my mum, gosh I felt so proud of my accomplishment. Like I have said before, food revokes fond memories of places and time. This cake is basically a chocolate Victoria sponge, sandwiched in the middle with chocolate buttercream with the top of one sponge having a hole cut out to make a nest. The top and sides of the cake are smothered in chocolate buttercream. Cadbury’s flakes are used chopped up to represent twigs in the nest and sugar coated chocolate eggs with little yellow furry chicks are placed sat on the eggs for finishing touches.

Rosie’s Easter Nest Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

200g (7 oz) self-raising flour

25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

225g (8 oz) softened butter

225g (8 oz) caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Butter Icing

450g (1lb) icing sugar

25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

50g (2 oz) softened butter

90ml (3 fl oz) milk

For Decoration

2 chocolate Cadbury’s flakes- cut into twigs

Sugar coated chocolate eggs, I used Cadbury’s mini eggs

Fluffy yellow chicks

A 23cm (9 in) cake board

You will also need x 2 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins greased lightly with butter and greaseproof paper based lined, you will also need a 10 cm (4 in) round cutter to cut out the centre of the top sponge.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together into a bowl and place aside. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs together with the milk and vanilla extract in a jug and add a little at a time to the butter mixture, beating until all incorporated. Add the flour mixture and fold through gently with a large metal spoon until fully combined. Divide the mixture equally between the two sandwich tins and smooth the mixture over with a spatula. Place into the preheated oven to bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until fully baked and feeling firm to a gentle touch in the centre. You can also test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the sponge and it should come out clean. Leave in the tins to cool for at least 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finishing cooling. When completely cold remove the base papers. Make the chocolate icing by beating all the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Taking one of the cold sponges cut out a hole in the middle with the round cutter. Place the bottom sponge on a cake board and spread a little of the chocolate buttercream over smoothing it to cover the whole area of the sponge. Place the top sponge on and spread the chocolate buttercream over the top and sides making sure the centre is fully covered in buttercream too. Place the chopped Cadbury’s flakes around the top of the cut out centre to form the nest, then place the sugar coated chocolate eggs in the nest. Finishing off by placing the fluffy yellow chicks sat on the eggs for decoration.