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!

The Search for the Best Blueberry Muffin

For this round of the Crazy Cooking Challenge (CCC), we are looking to find the best blueberry muffin recipe.  I immediately knew that I had to make my favorite muffin, Barefoot Contessa's Tri-Berry Muffin. However, the rules for the CCC are that you must make a recipe found out there in blogland......but one quick search, and I found that The Sisters Cafe had tried, and loved, this recipe.

This recipe is more than just a blueberry muffin recipe.  It's got blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries!  And there's a little twist in the recipe.......you don't add the sugar until the very end of putting the batter together.  This allows the sugar to form a delicious crunchy top on these muffins.  I've made these 4 or 5 time now, and they have always been a hit!

Triple Berry Muffins
Source: Barefoot Contessa via The Sisters Cafe

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line or grease muffin cups.  Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and melted butter.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture into the well.  Stir until just combined.  The batter will be lumpy.....do not overmix!  Add the berries and the sugar and stir gently.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Makes 16-18 muffins.

Enjoy!!



Check out all of the other entries in the search for the best blueberry muffin!


This post is linked to:
Seasonal Inspiration - Sweets for a Saturday - Scrumptious Sunday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Mix It Up Monday - Tasty Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - Crazy Sweet Tuesday -  T' Time - Link Party - Tip Me Tuesday - Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party - Link It Up Wednesday - What's New Wednesday - Cast Party Wednesday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Taste This Thursday - Anything Goes Linky - Feature Friday Free-for-All - Friday Favorites - Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Food

Sweets for your Valentine

 Have you decided what you're making your Valentine this year?  If you haven't come up with anything yet, can I suggest these?  Strawberry Milk Whoopie Pies!  I spotted these over the summer  at Sprinkles Bakes, and have been trying to find a time to make them......well, Valentine's Day is just perfect for the pretty pink beauties.

Now, I have to admit, these are not really my cup of tea......although I loved making them and I think they're absolutely adorable.....I would much prefer something chocolate-y :)  The hubby, on the other hand, thought that these were super duper fantastic.......he was a happy camper when these were all done. In fact, he took the rest of them to work, and they were completely devoured!  Majority rules on this one, right?

The super soft, cake-y cookies taste just like strawberry milk.......or like taking a bite of a strawberry jello poke cake.  Inside is a sweet, yummy buttercream.....and topped with a fun swirl of sprinkles.  The hubby sure enjoyed his early Valentine's Day treat!

Check out Sprinkles Bakes for the recipe.......and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Inspiration - Sweets for a Saturday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - A Themed Baker's Sunday - Tea Party Tuesday - T' Time - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - Link Party - Tuesday Talent Show - Link It Up Wednesday - Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday -  Famous Linkz - Full Plate Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Friday Favorites - Feature Friday Free-for-all - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - Friday Food - Fun Stuff Friday - Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday - This Week's Cravings - It's a Celebration

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Is it Fall where you are?

Here in Southern California we've been having some crazy hot weather.....it's definitely still summer!  So hot, that our oldest son, who's now in Kindergarten, hasn't been able to play on the playground at lunch due to the inclement weather policy kicking in (anything over 100 degrees).  This week we also had our first week of soccer....not too much fun in this kind of weather.   The kids were beet red and sweating by the end of it, and that was after trying to stay in the shade and taking lots of water breaks!

So since it's still summer.....I decided to put off jumping into Fall desserts and sticking with some summery ones.  We're still getting tons of delicious strawberries, and what could be better than a yummy strawberry shortcake?  How about a strawberry shortcake cookie?  A lot more portable and lot less messy!

These were a huge hit!  They really are like eating a strawberry shortcake.  They don't sit around too well though so I'd make them the day that you're planning on serving them.  Then just watch them disappear!

Check out Two Peas and Their Pod for the recipe......and Enjoy!

PS - Of course, as I'm writing this post, a thunderstorm came in and cooled the place down....probably down in the 80's now.....who-hoo!!

This link is posted to:
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Monday, Mmmmm.....Dessert
Tasty Tuesday
Tea Party Tuesday
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Tuesday Talent Show
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Turning the Table Thursday
Full Plate Thursday
Bake with Bizzy
Show Off Your Stuff
Sweet Tooth Friday
Friday Favorites
Friday Fusion
Friday Food
I'm Lovin' It
Fat Camp Friday
Mingle Monday

Strawberry Almond Tarts

A little while back I was contacted by Donsuemor to see if I wanted to participate in their Dessert-a-Day challenge in the month of October.  Now, being a newbie blogger, who is only blogging for fun and not trying to make money at it, this was pretty exciting!  Plus, I had already tried their Madeleines, and knew they were delicious........a win-win for me.

I was so excited when I get a box a couple of days later filled with Madeleines and Financiers (French Almond Cakes).  I'm guessing most people have tried Madeleines at one point or another (and if you haven't you are missing out), but have you ever tried a Financier?

No?  Then let me introduce you........

They are delightfully moist and tender almond cakes (in cute little tart shape).  These little bit size treats might surprise you at their intense almond-ness, but they are crazy delicious!  When I was initially figuring out what I was going to do with these I had plans on completely obliterating these to crumbs, then toasting the crumbs and using it as a pie or tart base.  I still will have to try that in the future, but once I tasted the cake-y moistness of these , I couldn't get myself to take that away from them.

Instead I decided to make a little bit-size (ok, maybe two or three bites) Strawberry Almond Tarts.  I have made full-size Strawberry Almond Tarts in the past, and I love that flavor combination.

For my pastry cream, I used a recipe from Dorie Greenspan.  To amp up the vanilla bean flavor I used my Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste, which gives the pastry cream all the beautiful little flecks of vanilla bean.  This pastry cream is a delicious base to use for so many different desserts....it's a great one to have in your arsenal.

I had some amazing strawberries to put on top, but any in-season fruit would be great...peaches, raspberries, blackberries.....

Strawberry Almond Tarts
makes 12 bite-sized tarts

12 financiers (french almond cakes)
pastry cream (recipe below)
strawberries

Cut stems off of strawberries.  With the cut side down, cut a deep 'x' into the tip of the strawberry, being careful not to cut all the way through the strawberry.  Spread the end slightly.

Using a pastry bag with any type of medium sized start tip, pipe pastry cream around the top of the financier in a circle.  Place a strawberry on top of the pastry cream, then place the tip of the pastry bag inside of the strawberry and fill with pastry cream.

For best appearance, serve these as soon as they are prepared, but they can be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

Enjoy!

Pastry Cream
adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking from My Home to Yours

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used the same amount of vanilla bean paste instead)
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until it is well combined and thick.  Continue to whisk while you pour in 1/4 cup of the hot milk (you are tempering the eggs).  Pour in the remainder of the milk while constantly whisking.  Place the pan over medium heat, and continue to whisk while the mixture comes to a boil.  Continue at a boil while still whisking for another 1 to 2 minutes and then remove from heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract or paste and let the cream sit for about 5 minutes before whisking in the bits of butter.  Stir until the butter bits are fully incorporated and the cream is shiny and smooth.  Transfer the cream to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.  Place in refrigerator until the cream has completely cooled.

This post is linked to:
Tuesday Talent Show
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Tea Party
Crazy Sweet Tuesdays
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Bake with Bizzy
Full Plate Thursday
Turning the Table Thursday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff
Friday Favorites
I'm Lovin' It
Fresh Food Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Friday Food
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Monday, Mmmmm.....Dessert

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes

Are you a Sprinkles Cupcakes fan?  I really love their Red Velvet mix you can get at Williams-Sonoma (ok, and their Pumpkin mix is pretty good too).....but the couple of times I have gone to an actual Sprinkles location, I've kind of been underwhelmed.  Please don't throw things at me now!!

That being said, when I saw this recipe for their Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Frosting, I had to give it a try for two reasons.  One, I had a ridiculous amount of strawberries at home that we weren't eating fast enough, and two, I've never had a strawberry cupcake that really tasted like a real strawberry cupcake (I can't stand the artificial extracts some places use).

The recipe for the cupcakes is pretty straightforward.....the only additional step being that you'll have to puree your fresh (or thawed frozen) strawberries to use in the cupcake batter (you'll also need to do this for the frosting).  The frosting comes out a beautiful rose-y pink color......a perfect time to try out the rose frosting technique I keep seeing everywhere (although mainly on cakes).  It couldn't be simpler!  Check out i am baker for a great tutorial on how to do create the roses (using a 1M frosting tip, or any large open star tip).

The verdict on these beauties?  Definitely the best strawberry cupcake I've had!  It absolutely tasted of fresh strawberries!  The frosting was a little on the sweet side for me, but the hubby said it was great....and that's all I need.

Check out Oprah.com for the cupcake and the frosting recipes.....and Enjoy!!

Strawberry Cupcakes and Tres Leches Cupcakes

This post is linked to:

These Chicks Cooked

Cast Party Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Bake with Bizzy
Turning the Tables Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff
Sweet Tooth Friday
Fresh Food Friday
I'm Lovin' It
Sweets for a Saturday
Friday Food
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Monday, Mmmm.....Dessert
Muffin Monday
Tuesday Talent Show
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Tea Party
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
It's a Celebration
Friday Favorites

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie

Ahhhh....the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie.  This is an easy crowd pleaser....I mean who doesn't love strawberry margaritas?  I've been making this recipe from Gourmet magazine for the last couple of years, and it's always a hit!  And lucky for me, it's a really easy dessert to throw together!  You just need to put this together the day before you want to serve it, so that it can firm up in the freezer.

Imagine a strawberry margarita combined with some fresh whipped cream and then poured into a graham cracker crust and frozen......there ya have it!!  The amount of tequila and Cointreau in the recipe lets the pie truly taste like a strawberry margarita, but without a strong tequila taste.  I think next time I'll bump up the amount of tequila so that you can taste it a bit (especially since the hubby insists that we have Patron tequila in the house.....that's some good stuff!!).  You can also decide how frozen you want to serve this......right out of the freezer, or let it sit in the fridge for a while before you serve it, so that it's more of a mousse-y dessert.....your call!!

This is a little slice of summer-y heaven to me.....just close your eyes and imagine you're on vacation!

Go to Epicurious.com for the recipe.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:

These Chicks Cooked

Cast Party Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Sweet Treats Thursday

Show Off Your Stuff

Turning the Table Thursday

Fresh Food Friday

Friday Food

I'm Lovin' It

Sweets for a Saturday

Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Monday, Mmmm......Dessert

Fat Camp Friday

This Week's Cravings

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Ok......last 4th of July post, I promise!!  I decided these Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots from Bakers Royale would be a fun, adult-only little treat on a hot day.  I had been seeing a picture of these floating around on Pinterest, and they just looked so pretty and so cute....they immediately went into my Have to Try file :)

Strawberry Jello spiked with Tequila and Cointreau in a beautiful strawberry rimmed with salt and garnished with lime......such a pretty little treat!  I don't do to much with Jello so I'm glad that I read this recipe through a few days before I was going to make it, because it does need to sit in the fridge overnight so that the Jello can set up.  The jello was fantastic tasting......absolutely tasted like a strawberry margarita jello shot......I could have totally seen this in my college days in little paper cups (just the jello part....no one would have bothered with the cute strawberry part).  There was extra jello (I guess I didn't prep enough strawberries), so I just poured the extra into a bowl to be scooped out later.

My one complaint about these guys would be the salt on the top of the strawberries.  I didn't think about it while I was making them, but usually when you get a flavored margarita the rim of the glass would be coated in sugar, not salt, right?  I think that sugar would have gone better with these than salt.....it just didn't quite work for me.

Check out Bakers Royale for the recipe.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Sweets for a Saturday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Sharing Sunday
This Week's Cravings

Pies on a Stick

Does everything taste better when it's served on a stick?  It sure doesn't hurt.....but I do know that it sure does make things cuter!

Today is my oldest's last day of Pre-K.  As a little Thank You to his teachers I thought these little strawberries pies on a stick from Our Best Bites would be so cute!  But since we're getting to leave for vacation I did take a couple of shortcuts to make these a lot faster.

1 - I used store-bought pie crust.  Especially with something small like this, no one is going to be able to tell if you use store-bought vs. homemade.  

2 - I used a strawberry pie filling that I bought at our local baking supply store.  It had real strawberries in it, and was very tasty....and saved me the step of making it myself!  

You could really use any fruit filling that floats your boat......strawberry just really sounded good to me.  In fact they almost tasted like strawberry Pop Tarts....and there's nothing wrong with that!  Just make sure that whatever filling you use, you don't put in too much filling, or it will seep out the sides when you try to put the top layer of crust on.  The amount of filling you'll need will depend on the size of the cookie cutters you use, but just be aware that the bigger the size of your pie, the harder it will be to keep the pie on the stick when it's picked up.  I'd say that if your cookie cutter is bigger than 3 inches (that's why my heart was), then you should do the hand pies (which are also very cute!).  I think for 4th of July I'm going to do some star-shaped hand pies (maybe with blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries).

When these come out of the oven, make sure that you give them a few minutes to rest....the dough will still be very soft and tender and the stick will pop right out if you attempt to pick them up right away.  I learned that lesson the hard way....but got a yummy little snack out of it.....oops!

Check out Our Best Bites for the recipe, as well as ideas on how to make hand pies or pies-in-a-jar......and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked
This Week's Cravings