strawberry cream cake with lemon curd whipped cream filling

soooo this cake. this cake i made for easter. this. cake. is. delicious. i can’t stop thinking about it. actually, i can’t stop eating it, in a way. the cake is gone, but i only just used up the last of the leftover frosting (you’re welcome, coworkers). and that lovely pink frosting? out. of. this. world. insane. i thought my lemonade frosting was my favorite ever, but i think this one has edged it out. i may or may not have eaten a good 1/4 cup of it on its own over the life of the frosting.

hidden inside the strawberry cream frosted strawberry cake is a layer of fresh whipped cream folded with homemade lemon cured dotted with fresh cut strawberries. i know.

this cake is a hybrid of recipes, and there’s several components, but it’s all worth it.

first make the lemon curd, so it has time to set in the fridge. i used martha stewart’s recipe.

bake your cake, make your frosting and the filling, then assemble:

strawberry cream cake & frosting
recipe from sprinkle bakes (pinned from sweet teeth), adapted from allrecipes

yield: one triple-layer 8-inch cake, or one double layer 9-inch cake. serves 10-12.

cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
3 oz. package strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberry puree (i just put some strawberries in a blender with a smidge of sugar and pureed)

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  grease three 8-inch round cake pans (or two 9-inch) with shortening and line with parchment. grease parchment; set aside.
2. cream together the sugar, strawberry gelatin and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. beat in eggs one at a time.  whisk together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into the batter alternately with the milk.  add vanilla extract and strawberry puree; mix until incorporated.  divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
3. bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

frosting:
8 oz.  package cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tbsp. strawberry flavored gelatin
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ cup fresh strawberry puree
1. combine the cream cheese, butter and gelatin in a medium bowl; beat together on high speed with an electric mixer.  when well combined, add the powdered sugar; blend on low until the sugar has been incorporated.
2. add strawberry puree.  mix again on low; when fully incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting until lightened and well combined.

you can use the frosting as the filling, but i love the combination of lemon and strawberry, so i made fresh whipped cream then folded in lemon curd (so it was lighter and not as tart).

lemon curd whipped cream filling
1/2 cup whipping  cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
prepared lemon curd (again, i followed this recipe)
1/4 cup sliced/diced fresh strawberries (optional)

1. in a cold, clean steel bowl, whip whipping cream until soft peaks form.
2. add sugar and vanilla and whip to incorporate until stiff peaks form.
3. gently fold in lemon curd.

assemble the cake with the whipped cream filling between the layers, dotting it with fresh chopped strawberries. make sure to not bring it to the edges as the top layer of cake will squish it outwards. frost the outside. arrange fresh strawberries on top (optional).

refrigerate cake if not serving immediately.  bring refrigerated cake to room temperature before serving. refrigerate any leftovers.

of course i have disclaimers, just so you know what you’re getting into and that it’s ok not to be perfect:

-the texture of the cake was denser than i imagined (not as dense as a pound cake, but getting there), but it was delicious regardless – in fact, my dad thought it was better denser than a normal, fluffy cake. (looking at the original cake recipe source – allrecipes – others mentioned this and had some solutions if you prefer fluffiness).
-the amazeballs frosting is very soft (perhaps i didn’t use enough powdered sugar, but that’s typical for me) – so make sure to keep the cake and any leftovers in the fridge. i didn’t try to pipe it, but i imagine that because of the softness, it wouldn’t hold its shape very well. while getting to room temperature, the frosting on the side of the cake may have slid down a little. again, delicious regardless.
-i need practice with layer cakes. i put a bit much filling in  and/or put it too close to the edges, so it squished out of the cake, making a nice bulge and mess of the frosting. i refrigerated, frosted, refrigerated, frosted a couple times. again, delicious regardless.

have i mentioned it was delicious? sorry. but seriously. it seems like a lot of steps, and, well, it was, but well worth it. if nothing else, make the frosting. buy a box mix of whocares and slap the frosting on there. or don’t even make anything, just eat it. (though i happen to know that it tastes great on angel food cupcakes and lemon cupcakes).

have a great weekend.

{justine}

i may be having a kid

but i still eat like one myself.

(yes those are spaghettios. yes they are delicious. yes i still eat them with slices of bread for dipping.)

(also: blue box macaroni and cheese is my favorite.)

{justine}

chicken wontons

chicken wontons. say that around my family or friends, and it’s probably a 100% chance they will have had these – and love them. i got this recipe from my mom, who got it from…someone. between the two of us, this recipe has been made a bajillion times (thereabouts). if you make no other recipe from me except one, please make this one. it’s easy and always, always a hit (and almost always guarantees a ‘can i have that recipe?’ request).

chicken wontons

¾ lb. boneless chicken breast, cooked and diced

½ c. ranch dressing

1 c. finely shredded taco cheese

1 t. chili powder

1 pkg. wonton wrappers

preheat oven to 350. insert wonton wrappers into cupcake tins. bake for 5-10 minutes (varies by oven) until lightly browned (make sure not too brown as they go back in). mix chicken with ranch dressing. put a spoonful of the chicken mixture into each wonton wrapper (still in cupcake tin). mix cheese with chili powder. top each wonton with cheese (about a tablespoon or so) and bake for approx. 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. devour.

(i don’t even use a recipe anymore, which is very very rare for me.  i usually cook 2-3 chicken breasts, dice and then squirt on some ranch until pretty moist – don’t skimp as you want to taste it, but don’t drown the chicken. same goes for the cheese – i just throw a large handful in a ziplock bag, sprinkle some chili powder on it and toss around until mixed. you can’t really go wrong with chicken, ranch and cheese.)

these can also be prepped in advance. bake  the wonton wrappers and store in a tupperware or ziplock. mix the chicken with the ranch in a tupperware, and the cheese with the chili powder in a ziplock, and simply assemble when ready on a sheet pan, and bake for 5 minutes as directed above.

{these are wonton wrappers. they also come in larger squares labeled ‘egg roll wrappers’. both work the same. just cut the egg roll wrappers into quarters.}

{place the wrappers in the tins so the sides stand up and make an open pouch}

{perfect finger food}

the superbowl is this weekend, a perfect excuse to make these. or you can just have them for dinner, like we do from time to time. enjoy!

{justine}

 

linked to remodelaholic

cravings

my meals lately…

and lots and lots of

of course this isn’t all i’m eating, but if there was a little more nutrition and less carbs i would eat breakfast – especially cereal – all day long. and would throw in some soft pretzels for some variety.

oh, the life and cravings of a pregnant woman. mine are definitely not weird or unusual compared to others (yet – i still have 5 months to go), and it’s readily available in my house, so i’m not complaining. but having cereal for dessert, instead of cookies and candy and ice cream and brownies and cupcakes? especially if your name is justine stuckenschneider? now that is weird and unusual (and has been happening, on more than one occasion).

tgif!

{justine}