Since my last few recipe posts have been very healthy veggie side dishes (seriously you must try this green soup, it is my new favorite easy summer meal) I decided it was time for a sweet treat! Also my buddy Jonah Sage’s birthday party was this past weekend and since I volunteered to make his cake, and it turned out so delicious, I thought I’d share this easy summer treat with you.
Well actually I made two cakes, one for the adults to eat and one for the babies to smash their faces into. Here is the birthday boy with his cake.
Beverly (Jonah’s mamma) and I decided that strawberries from their home garden would be perfect for baby J’s birthday cake. I was planning to make a 1-2-3-4 cake from scratch until I found pre made angel food cakes at New Seasons. Also I remembered that I had a full week of appointments and since it has been in the 90’s did I really want to fire up the oven? I love this baby but come on, why suffer? So this is more of a “here’s something delicious that I put together that everyone loved” than a recipe. Try it and you will not be disappointed.
If you are not fortunate enough to have hood strawberries growing in your yard, they can be found right now at farmer’s markets (like Moreland on Wednesdays and Milwaukie on Sundays) and local grocery stores. Yes there is a little bit of sugar in the cake, but it’s not too sweet. You could also make mini versions of these using slices of pound cake or mini shortcakes. I used a stand mixer,but if you want a nice arm workout try whipping the cream by hand.
Jonah’s Strawberry Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 pre-made angel food cake
- 1 quart of hood strawberries (I’m guessing here, we filled two large tupperware containers from my friend’s garden, if in doubt buy more and freeze any leftovers)
- 2 cups of whipping cream
- 4-6 Tablespoons of sugar, separated
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions:
1. Prep your mixing bowl by placing the bowl and the beaters (or whisk if you are making by hand) in the freezer for a few minutes.
2. Give your strawberries a bath by rinsing them in cold water. Wait to do this right before you are about to make your cake, otherwise they will get all gross and gooey. These babies are not like traditional strawberries, they are almost as delicate as raspberries.
3. Slice berries in half, sprinkle them with two tablespoons of sugar, stir and and refrigerate while you prep the rest of the cake.
4.Carefully slice your cake into three layers.
5. Start on your whipped cream – place two tablespoons of sugar into your chilled bowl. Add the 2 cups of whipping cream and vanilla and beat just until soft peaks form. This took me maybe 5-10 minutes.
6. Put together your cake – place the bottom layer on a pretty plate. Check your chilled strawberries for sweetness and add sugar to taste. Spread one third of the strawberries over the first cake layer.
7. Top with 1/4 of the creme. Repeat this cake, strawberries, whipped creme process for the next two layers. Cover the whole thing with the remaining whipped cream and serve!
And here is one more photo of this delicious baby, he is so freaking cute I can’t stand it!
Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers these recipes to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.