Strawberry Cream Cake

Strawberries were on sale last week and I just had to make this cake I saw this winter on America's Test Kitchen.

It's a layered white cake with fresh strawberries and an AMAZING frosting. Is it cream cheese?.....Is it whipped cream?......either would be good.....but both would be what is now my favorite white frosting.

And it has a pureed strawberry filling. I liked it. I hope you do to.

Strawberry Cream Cake
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Cake
1 1/4 c cake flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c sugar
5 eggs (2 whole,3 separated)
6 T butter, melted and cooled
2 T water
2 t vanilla

Strawberry Filling
2 lbs fresh strawberries
4 T sugar
1 t almond extract
1 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
2 c heavy cream

FOR THE CAKE:
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3T of sugar.
Add in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks, melted butter, water and vanilla.
Whisk until smooth.
In bowl of electric mixer, beat remaining 3 egg whites until frothy.
Gradually add remaining 3 T of sugar.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten.
Fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Pour into greased and floured springform pan.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
Bake at 325 for 30-40 min.
Cool in pan 10 min, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

FOR THE FILLING:
Halve 24 of best strawberries and reserve.
Quarter remaining berries and toss with 4 T sugar.
Let rest 1 hour, then strain juice into a small sauce pan.
Give berries a quick run through the food processor (about 5 pulses).
To the sauce pan add vanilla, almond and salt.
Simmer until reduced and syrupy (about 4 min)
Pour over macerated berries.

FOR THE FROSTING:
In bowl of electric mixer whisk cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy (1-2 min). Reduce speed to low and slowly add heavy cream. Beat until mixture holds stiff peaks.

THE ASSEMBLY:
Using a large serrated knife, slice cake into 3 even layers.*
Place bottom layer on cake stand and arrange a ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down, and stem sides out, around the perimeter of the cake.
Pour halve of pureed berries in the center.
Gently spread about 1/3 of frosting over berry layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border from edge.
Place middle cake layer on top.
Repeat with strawberries, puree, and frosting.
Place last cake layer on top. Pretty side up.
Spread remaining whipped frosting on top, right to the edge.
Garnish with remaining berries.
Serve or chill up to 4 hours.

*Note: There was no way I could have cut my cake into 3 layers. Not sure why, maybe I didn't beat the egg whites long enough. But it was still good with 2 layers.

Menu Monday

Hope you all had a fabulous week. It's a little rainy and overcast here, but it hasn't dampened our spirits yet. Here's what's cookin' at the Coopers.

Chicken fettuccine alfredo/broccoli
Sloppy Joes/coleslaw/fruit
Nacho supreme with all the fixin's
Spaghetti/meatballs/garlic bread
Roasted Corn Tostadas


I'd love to hear what you're having. Or what you had last week. I really enjoy getting ideas from you.

Triple-Layer Chocolate Cake

We love chocolate cake. It's good warm. It's good cold. It's good with coffee. It's good with milk. It's just good. So I had to try out this from scratch version in this months Everyday Food magazine. It's a keeper. Best part is, the basic recipe can also become vanilla or lemon with just a few changes.

Here's the basic recipe first.

Versatile Vanilla Cake

1 c butter
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
2 t vanilla
1 c buttermilk

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
In large mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and yolks, one at a time.
Add vanilla.
Add in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 32-35 min. Let cool 10 min. before removing from pan.



Chocolate version

Reduce flour to 2 cups and add 1/2 cup cocoa powder.



Lemon version

Add 1 T lemon zest to flour mixture.
Omit vanilla and add 2 T fresh lemon juice to buttermilk.
While cakes are baking, bring 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 c water to boil. Add 1 thinly sliced lemon and simmer 25 min.
Remove lemons. Set aside for garnish.
Add 1/4 c fresh lemon juice.
Using a toothpick, poke holes into warm cake.
Brush with lemon syrup.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I love how this verse gets to the point of what a man needs and what a women needs. They are different.
A women needs love. She needs to feel loved. She enjoys hearing her husband say, "I love you". She appreciates the knowing glances across the table, the "just because" flowers, the kind gestures that show "he knows what I need".
A man on the other hand needs respect. The way a man needs to feel your respect is different than how you need to feel his love. It doesn't have the same effect if you kiss him at the end of the day and say, "Good-night. I respect you!"
So how do you show him respect? Most of the time it is our actions that show if we respect our husbands or not. Do we let them make decisions for the family and then stand by him? Do the kids know he's the ultimate authority in the family? Do you respect him in public? Do you ever criticize something he said or did to your friends? Or his friends? When we show him disrespect in the areas of provider or protector it makes him feel that he's inadequate.
We as wives have the power to build our husbands up or tear them down. Take the opportunity to tell others what a great father your husband is, or how he helps with the cooking, or how much you love him. Praise him in front of others. Tell him and show him that you trust him.

Lord, thank you for giving me Tony. I love that he is a godly man and takes seriously his role as head of our house. Help me to see him the way You see him, the way You created him with his strengths and weaknesses. Help me to love him the way You love him-unconditionally. May I be a good helper to him. May I listen to his guidance as he seeks Your will. Help me to show him the respect he deserves, both in word and in deed, both publicly and privately. May he never have to question if his wife supports him because I trust him and know that he will choose what is best for us as we follow You.

It's a good thing you're cute!

Yeah, so not only did Isaiah get into the pantry again, he also decided to dump the Cream of Wheat on the ground. So while I'm sweeping it up and trying to find the dust pan, he sees his mistake and decides to "help" by grabbing the broom. After realizing he's not quite efficient with the broom he decides to try his feet. Maybe they would be helpful in this situation. No, that's just making more of a mess. He then logically comes to the conclusion in his little 1 year old brain that he should try his mouth. He thinks, "maybe I could just eat it all up before mom gets back and she'll be so proud of me for helping!" (Can't quite tell from the picture, but yes those are sweep-pile crumbs around his mouth)
Well, Isaiah.....I give you an 'A' for effort in wanting to help, but as for all these messes you're making.....it's a good thing you're cute!

Menu Monday

Don't you wish we could all be happy and completely satisfied sinking our teeth into PB&J's every night. Well, actually my kids would be and I probably should be. Sometimes I wish I didn't enjoy food so much. I gotta have variety....variety in color...variety in flavors....variety in texture.
Anyhoo, here's my variety for this week.


terriaki chicken/twice baked potatoes/veggie
chicken green bean coconut curry/rice
pulled pork sandwiches/coleslaw/chips
sweet and sour stir fry/rice
Papa Murphy's

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

This year at Easter Tony's mom, Carol, showed us how to decorate eggs Ukrainian-style. She learned how by taking a class while vacationing in Florida. Turns out the kits to make the eggs are sold right here in Minnesota! Roseville even!
You do a series of wax drawing and dye dipping. For example, first you cover up with wax everything you want white. Then you dip the egg in yellow dye. Cover up everything you want yellow. Then you dip it in green dye. etc, etc, until you go through every color. Then you melt off all the wax and dip your egg in varnish to protect and preserve the colors.
We all thought it was pretty cool. Looks like we found a new Easter tradition. Thanks Carol!