If you are a strawberry shortcake lover, this cake is for you. While trying to think of a cake that would taste great for a friend of my Jodi’s (my daughter) last week in Phoenix, I thought about this cake. Rochelle, Jodi’s friend had told me she wanted a cake that did not have buttercream frosting, but one that had fresh fruit. Jodi and I thought it would be so nice to bake her a cake for her birthday so this is one that we thought would hit the spot. Last week, when I was at Jodi’s house, I made a Pistachio cake when I first arrived for the week. It was Caleb’s birthday (our 11 yr old grandson) so when your grandson tells you that “anything you bake Nana will be better than anything we could buy” well…..after signing over every dollar I had to him in my will, I proceeded to bake his cake. After we devoured the Pistachio cake in 2 days, it was time to think about baking another cake for Rochelle. Because we loved the cake texture of the Pistachio cake, I wanted to use the same recipe, but with a different flavor of cake mix. So that’s exactly what I did. This is the cake.
Cake
1 box of Duncan Hines White cake Mix
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup veggie oil
1 cup club soda
1 small box of French Vanilla Instant Pudding mix
Beat all ingredients together and divide into prepared and greased 2 or 3 (9″) baking pans. (or you could actually bake in aa 9×13 baking pan, if you are just wanting a one layer cake.)
Bake in preheated 350 oven until cake tests done and cool completely.
Whipping Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
Whip cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add the sugar until the sweetness is to your liking. You might not need the whole 1/2 cup. When whipping cream is thick, cover and place in fridge until you are ready to frost the sides and top of cake.
Glaze and filling for between the layers (or if you bake in 9×13, use half of this filling for pouring over the top of the cake before placing the whipped cream on top of cake)
2 cups water
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tables cornstarch
1 small box of Jello Strawberry flavored jello
Combine the water, sugar and cornstarch, stirring until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When mixture is thick and clear, add the box of the jello, stirring until jello is dissolved and mixture is combined. Mixture will thicken more as it cools. Cool completely.
Spoon some of the jello mixture between layers of the cake, reserving some of the filling/glaze to pour over the top of strawberries.
Since about 2 cups of fresh strawberries and slice in half. Allow to dry on paper towel. When cakes are assembled and you have frosted the cake with the whipping cream, place the fresh berries over the top. Spoon the glaze over the berries allowing it to drip over the sides of cake.
We got home from church and since Randy is needing to work overtime on the weekend, I decided that I would bake, while he worked. When I ask him what he was in the mood for, he said anything but chocolate since sometimes eating chocolate in the evenings keeps him from sleeping well. We had talked today about him needing a phone because the hand me down he got from me last year (for me to get a new phone with more memory) is acting up, so between me looking at recipes and new phones on the internet, I also was looking at puppies, since we do want to get another doggie when we end up moving to a new place. I was on a web site that had teacup yorkies when Randy walked in to ask what I had decided to bake. Before answering him, I showed him the cutest little yorkie with a pink bow in her hair and looked at him with puppy dog eyes that immediately told him I found an adorable yorkie. He looked at it and said, “how much does that cute little thing cost?” When I responded that she cost about $3000, he looked at me and said, “$3000? I wouldn’t even pay that for you.” I think this sheltering in place is beginning to show its ugly face. And please don’t write and tell me I’m awful for spending that much money on a dog when they have so many in shelters. We would NEVER pay that much for a dog or anything close to that. I just have fun looking at pictures of cute puppies. So now back to the cake. Going to the pantry to see what I had, I discovered I had the necessary ingredients to make a coconut cake. It ended up so moist and yummy and will have it to snack on for a couple of days. I use a small bundt pan that allows me to make two so I can put one in the freezer for another time. Picture is of the two small cake pans I used
Saw this on Facebook one night and remembered that to take a picture of the recipe. Well, last night I made it. Oh my,where has this been all my life? It was simply delicious and so easy to make. Before leaving for the grocery store yesterday, I actually remembered to look at the recipe to see what i would need to buy to make it. That is unusual for me. Usually I get to the store and think, “what was I needing to get to make such and such?” Then I get home and see the recipe and then think, “ok, next time I will look at the recipe BEFORE going to the store so I won’t have to jump back in the car (well, actually it has been years since I was able to “jump” in anything) and run back to the store, or in most cases, plan on making the new recipe after the next trip to the store. And the cycle goes on and on. But this time, I did actually remember to look and see what I needed BEFORE going. I like to think it is the new Vitamins I am using called Smarty Pants. But, since I got home with the newly bought ingredients to make this simple recipe that made us feel so sophisticated knowing we were eating a French dessert, it just immediately became a favorite. Seriously, it is so good. A cross between a pudding and a cake or a thicker Dutch Baby. Don’t get me started on how much we love Dutch Babies for breakfast. After you have one in Chicago, well, let’s just say that we remember Chicago more than just it’s hot dogs now. So go to the store, buy some raspberries, blueberries or blackberries and make it this weekend. You can thank me later.
This one worked like a charm. Was easy and was very yummy (if Leaanne Morgan can say yummy on her videos, I can use it on the food blog)
Today I was going to post the Spanish Rice I made for dinner night before last, but first I wanted to post this really easy and yummy pasta salad. Isn’t it hard to think of new lunch items to make after 4 months of trying to stay home and thus, the 21 meals a week are getting a little more creative of, “what foods left over in the fridge can we put together that will keep us from having to go out into the virus laden world?” Well, ladies and gentlemen, is a really good lunch treat that took me all of 10 minutes to put together (why am I in a hurry when I have no where to go right now) and tastes so good.
Chocolate Castles 