A strawberry cake is perfect for any occasion. When fresh strawberries are in
season, be sure and make this cake. Since no baking is required for
this cake, even the kids can prepare it easily. Wouldn’t this make a
great Mother’s Day cake for the kids to make?
Peggy says, "My train of thought is that it is likely a young person will be
making a dessert for Mom on Mother’s Day. Time is usually in short
supply and young folks are just learning their way around the
kitchen. So, this is my very simple to make. If you want to, you can make your own pound cake."
Back to
Peggy's Baking Corner and check out some of Peggy Weaver's many Cake Decorating Articles, Tutorials, and Q&A pages.
Strawberry Cake Recipe:
Recipe Type:
Cake,
Strawberries,
Chocolate,
Edible Flowers
Yields: serves many
Prep time: 30 min
Ingredients:
1 (11-ounce size) Sara Lee frozen pound cake
16 ounces of fresh
Strawberries
1 pint container of whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 ounces white chocolate
2 ounces semi-sweet
chocolate
Optional Ingredients:
Mint sprigs
Edible Flowers
Preferred liqueurs for variations
Preparation:
The first thing you need
to do is to thoroughly read the recipe and double check the
ingredients to make sure that you have all of the items you will
need for your dessert. Open the pound cake and defrost according to the directions printed on
the paper lid. Please keep the whipping cream chilled in the refrigerator until needed.
Notice in the picture
that there are a few different types of chocolate. You do not need to use
them all, just a white chocolate and a dark chocolate for the
best flavor but choose the best brands that you can afford.
For
this project, I used the Bakers brand of chocolate because it is
a product that most folks can purchase at the local grocery.
If you pick up the
larger size of Pound Cake at the market, you might need more
whipping cream. I believe that you will have enough berries,
and you could make a little more semi-sweet Chocolate Ganache.
Wash and gently pat dry your strawberries. Depending on the size of the strawberries that you
purchase, pick out about 8 berries of the prettiest to decorate
the plate with at the end.
Pick out 12 to 15 berries to slice and cut their green tops off. I like to cut a
medium-size strawberry into 4 slices each. Set aside for a few minutes.
Slice the Pound cake into 3 equal slices (the length of the cake.)
I like to cut the
cake when it is partly frozen. It is easier to cut that way.
Notice the top of the
cake in the picture. This often happens so don’t worry. I just
gently slice of the high edges of the flaw. The chocolate that
we pour over the cake later will cover up any problems.
Set your items aside.
To whip the whipping cream, you will need a large metal or glass bowl. I have found
that sometimes the cream will not whip in plastic bowls, it goes
straight to butter. That’s nice too, but we don’t want that
today.
You also need a hand mixer.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of the
chilled cream into the bowl and start whipping.
When it starts to thicken, stop the mixer, add the sugar and continue whipping to soft peaks.
Place the bottom cake layer on your serving plate.
If you are going to use a Liqueur wash (see
optional variations at the bottom of the page), brush it on now.
Cover the cake layer with half of the whipped cream then a layer of strawberries.
Place the second layer on and repeat the steps.
Finish by placing the top layer on the cake.
If you need to smooth out a damaged top, slice the top edge of the cake to soften the rough edges.
Place the cake into the refrigerator to keep cool.
You can stop at this point if you need to. Cover the cake with tented aluminum foil and keep
refrigerated for up to 4 hours.
It’s time to make the Ganache:
On this cake I used two (2) different types of topping. You can use just one (1) topping, but more is better.
White Chocolate Ganache: To make the White
Chocolate Ganache, unwrap or weigh 3 ounces of White Chocolate.
On a cutting board, finely chop the white chocolate and place in
a cup, or as I prefer, a clean and dry, Pyrex measuring cup. It
already has a convenient pouring spout.
Pour 1/4 cup of whipping cream over the chocolate in the cup and place in the microwave. Microwave for 15 seconds intervals and stir in between each
round. It will probably need about a 1 minute 15 seconds to get
the Ganache hot. Stir until all of the chocolate and cream are
combined and if necessary microwave it a bit more. Let the White Ganache sit on the counter to cool while you prepare the Semi-Sweet
Chocolate Ganache.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Ganache: Chop your dark chocolate
and prepare it the same way you did the White Chocolate. You
will use 2 ounces of the semi-sweet and 1 ounce of whipping
cream.
Heat and stir in 15 second intervals until the Ganache
is very warm. Stir the chocolate thoroughly and add more cream
if you need to. You want the Ganache to pour like Maple Syrup.
When the White Chocolate
is no warmer than body temperature, remove the cake from the
refrigerator and slowly pour the White Chocolate over the cake. Allow it to gently run off over the edge and make puddles of
chocolate on the serving plate.
When the coating of White Ganache has hardened, gently pour the Semi-Sweet
ChocolateGanache over
the top and allow it to flow over the edge to make little dark
puddles of chocolate on top of the White Chocolate Ganache. If
you want to, you can take a clean dry spoon and make little
swirls on the top of the cake.
Place a few strawberries on
the plate, mint leaves, or edible flowers for your presentation.
Make sure that you pick a flower that has not been sprayed with
pesticides then gently wash the flower in running water and blot dry
with a paper towel. Poke the stem into the side of the cake to
help hold them on to the plate and serve with a smile.
Check out Linda Stradley's web page on
Cooking with Edible Flowers.
Variations on the Cake:
I personally love the taste
of a liqueur on a cake. The benefit is that the desserts flavor is
almost always improved and the cakes texture is moister because of
the added liquid. I advise that you use a
pastry brush and brush at least 2 tablespoons of your chosen flavor
per layer. With some flavors like a coffee liqueur you can be more generous.
On this cake, I like to use
Kahlua or Tia Maria. Occasionally I’ll even use Amaretto.
Open yourself up to new flavor combinations. An Orange liqueur would go very well with the
strawberries and Rum wouldn’t be bad either. A neighbor suggested Peppermint Schnapps.
If you want to go non-alcoholic you could mix 2 tablespoons of Espresso Powder, 4
tablespoon very hot water, and 1 tablespoon of sugar together for
your flavor wash. A light brushing of Lemonade or Limeade
Concentrate would work well.
There is also a world of
flavors made by Torani Syrups and Da Vinci Syrups. They are
referred to as coffee syrups or as soda syrups.
If your cake is using
raspberries for the fruit, Amaretto would go very well. Don’t forget Frangelico which is a Hazelnut Liqueur. If you love a licorice
flavor, Galliano is a good choice. Are you daring enough to try
Watermelon Flavor Syrup and Raspberries?
A cake that uses
Blackberries would be delicious with a Framboise wash.
As to different filling
options, make a white chocolate pudding and use that instead of the
whipping cream. Make a Chocolate Mousse and use Raspberries for the
fruit.
Have fun!
