TWD : French Strawberry Cake

Hellooooooo!!!  I know I've been a supremely absent blogger lately.....but I had an excuse!  We moved!!  I had forgotten how completely exhausting and all-encompassing it can be....especially with the two little monkeys.  But, we're slowly making our way out of boxes, and life is slowly returning to normal.

So I decided it was time to give my new kitchen (and oven) a test run.  I had missed the deadline for the last round of Tuesdays with Dorie (Baking with Julia), but I couldn't pass this one up.  French Strawberry Cake.  A lovely genoise layer cake with fresh strawberries and a whipped cream frosting......what could be more summery than that?

This is a fantastic tasting cake (kind of like a fancified strawberry shortcake), and would have looked even lovelier had I bothered to take more than a minute to frost it.  If you want a super summery cake that everyone will love (because who doesn't love strawberries and whipped cream?), then you've got to visit Sophia over at Sophia's Sweets or Allison at Sleep Love Think Dine to get the recipe.   To check out the other baker's results, go to Tuesdays with Dorie......and Enjoy!!

PS - Thanks to my friend Maggie for taking the great picture of my cake!

PPS - The verdict is in.....my new oven rocks!  The cake came out perfectly baked without any turning mid-bake on my part.  Woo-hoo!

TWD : Oasis Naan

For this round of Tuesdays with Dorie (Baking with Julia) we made Oasis Naan......a kind of Persian Naan.  I almost didn't make this since we're right in the middle of packing......but after reading the recipe I thought I'd give it a try.  I'm so glad I did!  

There are only a handful of ingredients and once you've got the dough together you can let it sit for a few hours while it rises (or overnight in the fridge).  When it's time to form the Naan you need to prick the dough all over (I used a fork)......but I think I should have pricked the dough a tad more vigorously......look how much it puffed up!  No matter......the hubby loved this!  Topped with some sea salt, cumin, and chopped scallions......delicious!

To see the other bakers' results, check out Tuesdays with Dorie.......and for the recipe check out our hosts, Maggie at Always Add More Butter or Phyl at Of Cabbages and King Cakes.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:

Cast Party Wednesday

Club: Baked - Coffee Ice Cream

Summer is here in full force, which means that turning on the oven doesn't always sound like the best idea.  That was why I was so happy for this round's selection over at Club: Baked........Coffee Ice Cream.  First of all, I looooooove ice cream........almost any flavor is ok with me.....except bubblegum.....that's just gross.  Second.......coffee!!  It's the fuel that keeps me going!  Put those two together, and you have one very happy lady! Oh wait......did I mention there's also a little bit of Kahlua in there?  Yep.....totally awesome!~

As with most home ice cream recipes, you do have to plan a bit ahead of time for this one.  You will need to do a little bit of cooking stovetop, then let that mixture cool in the fridge for a while before throwing it all in the ice cream maker.  Then it's up to you how firm you want this ice cream.........I put mine in the freezer for a couple of hours after the ice cream cream maker so that I could have nice scoops.

The result?  Wow oh wow!  The hubby and I were in ice cream heaven!  This has to be the best tasting coffee ice cream I've ever tried (no offense Haagen-Dazs).  For the recipe, head on over to our host for this round, Karen at Karen's Cookies Cakes & More.  To see the other baker's results, check out Club: Baked.....and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Sweet Tooth Friday - Feature Friday Free-for-All - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Favorites - Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday - Seasonal Inspiration - Sweets for a Saturday - Scrumptious Sunday - Show Me What You Got Linky - Mix It Up Monday - Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - Cast Party Wednesday