Did You Say Strawberry Shortcake?

For Christmas, I bought one of my Goddaughters a little Kitchenette. Can you believe, 6 months later, it's still at my house? Put together, wrapped up, waiting to be delivered...

So I thought, I should crochet her some little food. Something to play with, in her little kitchen. So I've been searching the internet. High and low. For some fun patterns. That's when I came across this Strawberry Shortcake. :)



You know about my love of strawberries. So I just thought, this would be perfect! I've been making lots of crochet food this week. Do you have any patterns, blogs, or websites that I should look at? I'd LOVE to get some more ideas! ♥

Coconut Strawberry Cake

"A resplendent crown of fresh, juicy red strawberries tops this scrumptious homemade coconut cake with fluffy white frosting."

When I read that, I knew that I just had to make this cake. Look at this picture. How can you not want to eat a piece of this cake?

Coconut Strawberry Cake

For Cake:

Nonstick cooking spray
All-purpose flour for dusting
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated*
1 cup "lite" coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

For Icing:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon coconut extract

For Cake Assembly:

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
4 cups (about 1 1/4 pounds) whole stemmed California strawberries


To Make Cake:

1. Place oven rack in bottom third of oven; heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper, spray the paper and dust inside of each pan with all-purpose flour, tapping out excess.

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter at medium speed until soft and light. Add sugar and continue to mix about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition until completely mixed.

4. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture in 3 additions and coconut milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

5. Add extract and beat at low speed until completely mixed.

6. In clean bowl with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at high speed to soft peaks. Gently fold one third of the egg whites into the batter; fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.

7. Divide batter between prepared cake pans and bake about 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on rack 5 minutes; run a small knife around edge of each pan and carefully invert cake onto rack. Remove pan and cool cake completely; remove paper before assembling cake.

8. To make icing: In small saucepan combine sugar, water and cream of tartar. Bring to a boil, covered, over medium heat; do not stir. When sugar is completely dissolved, uncover and boil 5 minutes longer.

9. In bowl of electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at high speed to soft peaks. Continue to beat while slowly pouring hot syrup onto egg whites; add extract and beat until cool.

To Assemble Cake:

1. Spread 1/4 cup of the preserves on top of 1 cake layer.

2. Thinly slice 2 cups of the strawberries and arrange in 1 layer on top of preserves.

3. Spread remaining 1/4 cup preserves on bottom of second cake layer and invert onto first layer.

4. Spread icing on top and sides of assembled layers; pat coconut onto sides of cake.

5. Arrange remaining strawberries on top of cake, stem side down.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.


I just wish I would have found this recipe sooner. It would have been the perfect cake for my mom! But doesn't it look yummy? I'm definitely going to be baking this soon. I just need to go shopping for the ingredients. Oh, I'm going to dream about this cake tonight! ♥

Strawberry Yogurt Cones

Remember how I told you that I LOVE strawberries? I just can't get enough. Having our own strawberry plants doesn't help either. It just makes me want to sit and eat all day and night!

I was looking for some yummy, and different snacks. Because our strawberry bushes are really starting to produce some nice berries. :) Not to mention, all the great deals at the grocery store. I found this "recipe." It's simple, healthy, and yummy! I've been enjoy some fresh strawberries on top of my yogurt cone for about a month now. Why didn't I think of this? All of my favorites. Here's the "recipe."




Strawberry Yogurt Cones

1 cup fresh California strawberries, stemmed and halved
1 cup non-fat yogurt: plain, vanilla or lemon
4 waffle cones
Colored sprinkles or granola, for garnish


Directions
In bowl, gently mix together strawberries and yogurt, reserving 2-3 halves for garnish. Spoon into waffle cones, dividing mixture equally. If desired, garnish with sprinkles or granola and remaining strawberry slices. Serve with spoons. Makes 4 servings.


Honestly, I'm really enjoying this. I've been cutting up strawberries and putting them in the bottom of a cone. Then I add about between 1/2-1 cup of yogurt. Just plain. It's what I eat for breakfast. So I buy the big container. Then I add some sliced strawberries on top, with some sliced almonds. This is definitely one of my new favorite snacks! ♥

Strawberry Angel Cake

If you don't know it yet, I'm in LOVE with strawberries. I'll eat them straight off the plants. I like them mixed with some other berries. Frozen. Macerated with whipped cream. They're good in pies. Honestly, any which way that you give them to me, I'll eat them!

Like I've said before, Gooseberry Patch is a great place to sign up for free recipes and tips. This week, the recipe is for a Strawberry Angel Cake. Yummy! I think I'm going to make it today. We're going to My Guy's Grandma's house for dinner. I'm sure she would also enjoy it!

I'm going to "tweek" the recipe a bit though. I'm going to bake an Angel Food Cake. It makes me feel less guilty about eat 3 servings! :) And I'm going to make some macerated berries, instead of using the strawberry ice cream topping. To me, it just makes it a bit more healthy. You know, anything that makes me feel less guilty about eating a few servings!



Strawberry Angel Cake
Submitted by: Lisa Johnson from Hallsville, Texas

16-oz. baked angel food cake
2 c. whipping cream
2/3 c. strawberry ice cream topping
2 pts. strawberries, hulled and halved


Slice cake horizontally into 4 layers; set aside. In a chilled bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, beat whipping cream and topping until stiff peaks form. Place bottom layer of cake on a cake plate; frost with a 1/2-inch layer of whipped cream mixture. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Frost entire cake with remaining whipped cream mixture, making sure to cover top and sides of cake. Arrange berries over top and sides, pressing firmly into whipped cream. Serve immediately or keep chilled up to 8 hours. Makes 10 servings.


I hope you enjoy this recipe. It really does sound yummy! No matter if you're following the recipe to a T, or if you're like me. I generally use recipes as inspiration. Or as guide. Don't forget to sign up for the great e-mails from Gooseberry Patch! ♥

Strawberry Almond Salad

I've been searching for some yummy strawberry recipes. For one, straberries are my favorite fruit. Honestly, me and strawberries go way back! And secondly, I found a great deal on strawberries this week. I got 2 flats for $5. Not pints my friends, flats!

I really want to make something yummy. Tomorrow I'm going to make strawberry french toast for breakfast. Yum! It already has my mouth watering. What else can I make? After a quick search, I found this Strawberry Almond Salad. I'm so excited to try this tomorrow too!


Strawberry Almond Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup nonfat or light sour cream
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pint (2 cups) fresh strawberries
1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh raspberries
1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds, dry roasted

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container; refrigerate for 8 hours or until firm.

2. Put cottage cheese in a bowl; gently fold in sour cream, honey, almond extract.

3. At serving time, slice strawberries and gently combine with other berries in a bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup berries into individual dessert dishes. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.



By the way, strawberries have more vitamin C than oranges. And the taste pretty good too! I would suggest going to your nearest grocery store. Because strawberries are currently on sale everywhere! And they're delish! ♥