Strawberry Shortcake Cake

A very light lovely cake - made with fresh strawberries

For the Cake

1-1/2 cups cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs at room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
fresh strawberries, halved, mixed with powdered sugar

For the Filling
2 cups cold heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 C

Lightly grease an 8 inch springform cake pan 

In a mixing bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt until combined.

In a small saucepan heat milk and butter; bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lemon juice.

In your mixer's bowl, combine eggs and sugar; beat until pale yellow, fluffy, and doubled in size.

With the mixer on, slowly pour in the milk mixture; mix until well incorporated.

Turn off mixer and gently fold in the flour mixture.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Remove from oven and set pan on a cooling rack.

Remove Cake from tin and cool completely

In the meantime, prepare the frosting.

In a mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

When chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.

When cake is completely cooled, cut into 3 layers. 

Spread half of the whipped frosting over 1 of the cake layers.

Sprinkle some of the strawberries on top.

Repeat with second layer

Top with the last cake layer.

Spread the rest of the whipped frosting over the cake.

Top with fresh strawberries.  Brush with some melted strawberry jam

Chill cake for 1 hour.

Serve.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake

Talk of being lazy.  I have not updated my baking on the blog for ages.  For one reason or the other the pics have been saved on my phone but not uploaded.  So here I am writing these out ---- before I get lazy again  

This is a great recipe if you are like me and buy strawberries in bulk.  Because the strawberries make this moist you will need to refrigerate it.  It tastes equally good cold.  You could make this with any fruit 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp butter, softned
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• chocolate chips - as much or little as you want.
• Strawberries, washed and halved

Method

• Line a 9" loose bottom or springform tin with butter paper,  Grease the sides and dust with flour
• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt 
• Beat the sugar and butter in a separate bowl till light and fluffy
• Add in the yogurt beating till fully mixed
• Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again.
• Mix in the milk.
• Fold in the flour, carefully making sure not to overmix
• Fold in half the choco chips keeping some for the top
• Pour into prepared cake tin and arrange the strawberries on top.
• Sprinkle balance choco chips between the strawberries.
• Bake the cake for 45 mins or till done.
• Remove from oven and let cool in the cake tin.
• Remove from tin once cooled.

Molten Chocolate Pots

Chocolate ..... hmmmm,  you can never get enough of it, can you.  Though I must admit I personally am not a great chocolate fan.  Prefer anything citrus anyday.  But what to do - it is the ultimate in food fantasy :)


So it was all about chocolate these past few days - brownies, cakes, cheesecakes and of course the Decadent Molten Chocolate Pot.  Fairly simple to make and always a big hit.   Only once your spoon cuts through the crust do you find the molten center.

It rose beautifully - lovely cracked top - which you cannot see as I dusted it with icing sugar, and a soft molten center.  Do be careful when eating this because you will burn your tongue


What you need


Baking Chocolate - 115 gms
Butter - 115 gms
Eggs - 2 largs
Sugar - 75 gms
Flour - 40 gms


And now to make it

• Grease 4 ramekins with butter and keep aside.
• Melt the chocolate with the butter over a double boiler.  Please do not do this in the microwave nunless you are an expert in chocolate.  Its so easy to burn.
• Beat the eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.  I do find it easier to use a hand mixer rather than by hand.  This needs to be done for at least 5 min as this is what causes the cake to rise.  There is no baking powder or any other raising agent.
• Mix the melted, slightly cooled chocolate into the egg mixture till well incorporated.  
• Fold in the flour.  Fold and not mix - do not over mix.
• Pour into the ramekins, place on a tray and bake for 10-12 min at 180 C.
• Dust some icing sugar on top and serve with cream or strawberries

Note - to make options you could add coffee dissolved in water or cointreau to the chocolate.