Yes, we had 10+ lbs of strawberries. What did we do with all of them? We ate some…for breakfast, for lunch, for snack and for dessert. Yum! Making your own whipped cream (using whipping cream) is highly underrated.
Strawberries Part 2: Clearly, you can only eat so many strawberries, so I had to think of other ideas. Next was a strawberry cake from Smitten Kitchen. Of course, a lot of times when I bake, it depends on what we have in our cupboards. So, there were a couple of changes from her recipe, but she’s right- the cake is delicious. And yes, everyone should make it…and enjoy it! Details follow the picture.
My friend M*, who has an amazing blog (I want to make sure she doesn’t mind me sharing) suggested a wonderful recipe. Unfortunately, I can’t eat ricotta, so I was unable to make it. So yes, I need her to make it so I can drool over the beautiful pictures she takes. =)
Strawberries Part 3: freezing them! First we wash them, dry them with a paper towel (or let them air dry). Next, we take off the green stems. Most of the strawberries we picked were a little large, so I cut them in halves (but you can keep them whole). Lastly, they should be arranged on a cookie sheet (keeping space in between). Cover with Saran Wrap, and stick them into the freezer overnight. The next day, put them all in a ziplock bag. Now you have some delicious strawberries to make smoothies! (we’ll have to add the recipe how we make ours)
Strawberry Part 4: So I had some more strawberries left. I had looked a recipe on making jam. Although I was hesitant to try it, I am in the process. I’ll let you know how it turns out (cross your fingers!).
Strawberry Cake
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp rose water*
1 lbs strawberries (cleaned, no green stems, quartered)
cooking spray
powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy. Add egg, milk and rose water and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture slowly, mixing until it is smooth.
Pour the pie filling into the pie dish. On top, arrange the strawberries. They should be very close together, and in one layer.
Bake the cake for 10 minutes in 350°F, then reduce the temperature to 325°F. At that temperature bake for the next 40 minutes. Let it cool, and then cut into wedges. Once cooled, sift powdered sugar on top!
*Smitten Kitchen used vanilla extract, but we had none…so I gave it a try! And it was delicious. So I think either will work. If you think of a third option, definitely let me know.
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