Strawberries and Such

On the search for my Dream Cake, I frequently encountered recipes for strawberry cream cakes and strawberry shortcakes. Martha, as usual, made the most compelling bid, and I decided I should make it during the dog days of summer.



I know what you're thinking. Do I ever get tired of strawberries? The answer is, when it's 100 degrees outside, no. I never get tired of strawberries. On top of this, freshly whipped cream is one of my favorite things in the world. This slightly-sweet cake paired with the cold cream and the fresh strawberries make me think of...well, a relaxing treat on a hot summer's day.




Strawberry Cream Cake
Makes about 10 servings

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour paper and sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in 3 parts and milk in 2, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally; place bottom half, cut side up, on a serving plate.

Make topping: In a large bowl, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. Place 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften 5 minutes. Place saucepan over very low heat, and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until very soft peaks form. Continue to beat, and gradually add gelatin mixture; beat until soft peaks form.

Arrange half of strawberries over bottom cake layer; top with half of whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover with top half of cake, cut side down. Top cake with remaining whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Just before serving, spoon strawberries over cake.

Welcome Home, Coconut!

As I mentioned in my previous post, my grandfather finally came home from being in the hospital for three months on July 9th. So last Saturday, we had a small "Welcome Home" dinner for him and I was able to make him the Coconut Cream pie that I had promised to make back in May when he planned to come home.



I had only made this pie once before as a gift for my boss's mother and I never really received a reply on whether it was any good or not. However, I had tried a little bit of the filling as I was making it and it was delicious, so I decided that the recipe would be good enough for us. I think my favorite part of the recipe was the cream of coconut, which I had never heard of before. Thankfully, my mom knew exactly what it was and helped me find it. If your local Wal-Mart doesn't carry it along with other mixers, you can find it in a Spanish foods section of supermarkets or in a Supermercado.



Because my grandpa currently has steroid-induced diabetes, he was only able to have a small piece. My piece was notably larger and I was extremely full just halfway through it; the pie was much more filling that I would have expected. The freshly-whipped cream on top balances the extreme sweetness of the pie filling, so I definitely wouldn't recommend adding sugar to your whipping cream.



Also, you need to pay attention to the amount of time needed to beat certain combinations; they are crucial to the texture and outcome of this pie.



Easy Coconut Cream Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie

1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez)
1 (3.4-ounce) package cheesecake instant pudding mix
1 cup frozen sweetened flaked coconut, thawed
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup whipping cream
Sweetened flaked coconut, for garnish

If making the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees; stir together first 3 ingredients; press mixture evenly in bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes, and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and cream of coconut at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add pudding mix, beating until blended. Stir in coconut; fold in whipped topping. Spread cheese mixture evenly into prepared crust; cover and chill 2 hours or until set.

Toast coconut to be used for garnish until light golden-brown in spots. Beat whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, and spread evenly over top of pie. Garnish with toasted coconut and store by covering with Saran wrap and placing in the refrigerator. Eat within a day of making.