Strawberry Shortcake

It’s summertime in the Midwest and we’ve hit the high season for fresh, sweet strawberries. Farms in my area allow families to go out to the fields to pick their own berries. I wasn’t that adventurous this year, but I was inspired by others to get some fresh, pre-picked berries of my own.

Strawberry shortcake is a classic, summer dessert that is quick and a tasty use of fresh berries. Feel free to swap out the strawberries if a different fruit fits your fancy. The slightly sweet shortcakes have a wonderful, light texture and pair well with juicy berries and homemade whip cream. Give them a shot- enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

Recipe adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens

Yields: 8-10 individual cakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cups milk
• 6 cups sliced, fresh strawberries
• Whipped Cream

Directions:

1.) Cut off tops of strawberries and slice into quarters. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the berries and mix well. Set berries aside.

2.) Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, flour and baking powder in a medium size bowl. Cut in cold butter pieces using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

3.) Add the milk and beaten egg to the flour mixture and combine just until moistened and all flour disappears.

4.) Use a cookie scoop, or spoon to drop 1/4 cup of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to flatten the dough in a circle that is about 3/4 inch thick. If desired, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar on top of each cake.

5.) Bake shortcakes at 450° F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. The tops will turn a very light brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

6.) To serve the shortcakes, cut each cake in half horizontally. Scoop a few spoonfuls of berries onto the cake and top with whip cream. Add the top layer of cake back on.

Notes & Tips:

• For a real showcase dessert, you could use a 8 x 1 1/2-inch round baking pan to make one large shortcake. Bake at 450° F for 15-18 minutes. To serve, cut the cake in half horizontally and layer with berries and whip cream; serve in wedges.
• I found it easiest to use a cookie scoop for the dough to create evenly sized shortcakes.
• If you are not a fan of strawberries, you could use other fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
• For the whip cream, you can make your own or just get some right from the can. No judgement here!
• Feel free to top the cakes with a sprinkle of coarse sugar for some extra sweetness and crunch. Also, who doesn’t love a little sparkle?

 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, if you have an important woman in your life, consider giving her a gift of baked goods! You can never go wrong with an edible gift. Lemon bars are a good option as well as a traditional carrot cake.

Now, I feel carrot cake gets a bad rap because it may be perceived as “too healthy” or have a strange texture from the goodies it contains. I typically have not been a fan of carrot cake when I’ve had it in the past. However, I came across a carrot cake recipe of my Grandmother’s and thought I would give it a try. Overall, it had a few areas that I changed to my liking (less coconut, and raisins in place of dates), and it turned out moist, flavorful and not too sweet. Since this cake is fairly dense, I decided to go with cupcakes for the smaller portions. However, you could also do a sheet cake or layer cake and it would be delicious as well. I chose to top it with traditional cream cheese frosting but you could also top with a basic vanilla frosting. Give it a try- enjoy!

Chocolate Layer Cake

With the upcoming lovey-dovey, mushy, (valentine) holiday fast approaching, you may be wondering what to get that “special someone” in your life. Forgo the flowers and think outside of the box and make something from scratch! May I strongly suggest crafting this cake for your friends and family. It’s light, yet fudgy and is a perfect base for rich, chocolate buttercream frosting.

 

Angel Food Cake

I was inspired to make this Angel Food Cake for my Dad- it’s his favorite cake! AND Angel Food Cake has been on my baking list to tackle for a while. It’s always seemed intimating to me, but ended up being a simple cake to make with a short list of ingredients. This cake turned out light, airy, and beat the pants off of any store-bought angel food cake I’ve ever eaten. The finished cake is also a blank canvas for toppings: strawberries, frosting, whip cream, you can’t go wrong! Pick an afternoon and tackle it for yourself- enjoy!

 

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Chocolate is one of my all-time, favorite flavors. Even as I’m writing this post, I’m sipping a cup of hot coco. I think I have chocolate on the brain because I’ve made this cake twice in the past month- it’s that good! I made it the first time while baking with my cousin and a second time to bring to a potluck. This chocolate bundt cake topped with ganache has fantastically rich chocolate flavor without being overwhelming. In the past I thought that bundt cakes were dry, outdated, and something you bring to a dinner party as a hostess gift. However, this cake has changed my mind because is really moist, dense and delicious. The layer of chocolate ganche adds a lot dimension and richness to the cake and tops it off (literally)! Give it a try- enjoy!

German Apple Cake

Fall has just started in Wisconsin and it is my absolute favorite time of year. I love that the weather starts to get a bit cooler, the changing colors of the leaves are beautiful and, of course, I enjoy all the Fall inspired food. My favorite inspiration for Fall treats is apples. The apple cider, apple cake, and caramel apples are hard to resist!

It seemed too early in the season to tackle an apple pie so I landed on apple cake. This recipe for German Apple Cake is one of the best I’ve come across. It has the right about of spice and apples to make it moist and flavorful. It’s very simple to make and the cake is best served the day it’s made, otherwise it can get soggy. Happy Fall-enjoy!

Rhubarb Torte

Doesn’t it seem like rhubarb multiplies in the refrigerator after picking it? I still had some rhubarb left over after acquiring some from my friend, so I decided to make a classic recipe I remember from my childhood-rhubarb torte! We had a rhubarb patch when I was a kid and I remember helping to create many tortes and sauces to use up all the fruit.

Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This next recipe is not for the faint of heart! It takes a few hours to make, but it’s well worth the effort. Standing 20 layers high, this crepe cake was one of the most technical recipes I have ever made, but was a fun challenge. I made some mistakes along the way, but it turned out well in the end! This recipe combines skills from the Chocolate Truffle post outlining ganache making as well as the Classic Crepes post. I would definitely make this delicious cake again, but would split up the work into two days. It takes approximately three hours to make, with the bulk of that time spent making the crepes.

Cheese Torte with Chocolate Ganache

This year for Easter, I wanted to try and make a dessert I’d never made before. I decided on my Grandma’s cheese torte recipe (cheese torte is very similar to cheesecake). Since I recently fell in love with chocolate ganache (see chocolate truffles post), I thought making the cheese torte and adding a layer of ganache would create a new twist on a classic family recipe.