Yesterday I bought some absolutely delicious strawberries. Besides just eating them straight from the plastic container, I began thinking of different combinations of strawberries — strawberries and ice cream, strawberries and pound cake, strawberries and cream. This recipe satisfies all those strawberry cravings.
A word to those exacting cooks who want each of their confections to look like those cakes on the cover of Southern Living: This is not the prettiest cake. It does not slice well, tending to break apart when cut. However, it “eats” beautifully.
In this world of instant everything, we have become accustomed to strawberries in November and navel oranges in August. In the “olden days,” the first strawberry was a much-anticipated arrival.
My grandmother tells the story of her older sister who would gorge on the first ripe strawberries and get a terrible stomachache. Even though she remembered the pain the next year, she said the delicious, juicy bites of the first strawberries in months made the stomachache bearable. I don't believe she ever learned to just enjoy a few at a time. It was all or nothing.
Also in our contemporary world scientists have learned to duplicate, or almost duplicate, the flavors of fruit. Sadly, so many children know the taste of strawberry-flavored muffins or ice cream or juice, but not the pleasure of biting into a just-picked berry, still warmed by the sun.
By the way, a delicious flavor addition to strawberries is orange. Often I zest a little orange peel over fresh strawberries to perk up the taste.
Let me take just a minute to explain what zesting is. In a recipe, “to zest” means to finely grate a bit of citrus peel into a mixture. Graters have been around for many years. However, about 30 years ago some enterprising cook thought of making a tool similar to a wood rasp to grate citrus zest. This tool is readily available in stores.
The first step in zesting is to wash the citrus fruit under cool water. The zester should be lightly scraped over the outside of the fruit. Be careful to only remove the thin outside layer. Don't get into the white membrane under the outside of the fruit. This white membrane is called pith and is bitter. As you move the zester over the outside of the fruit, the delicious concentrated oil of the fruit will perfume the air.
I am always in favor of making things from scratch. However, in the heat of the summer, with super-busy lives, school beginning and a myriad other things that pull us out of the kitchen, I pause and remember, this is reality and I reach for a pre-made product. If you would like a scratch cake recipe to use with this glorious creamy filling, please email me. I will be happy to send it to you.
Strawberries and Cream Cake - The Reality Version
(Serves 10-12)
At the market, choose your favorite white or yellow cake mix, a frozen pound cake or even an angel food cake. For a cake mix, prepare by the package directions. For a frozen pound cake, slice into three layers horizontally while the cake is still semi-frozen. For an angel food cake, using a serrated knife, slice into three layers horizontally.
Strawberries:
• 4 pints of the most beautifully ripe strawberries in the market
• 1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tblsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 - 3 tsp. orange flavor liqueur, such as Triple Sec, optional or to taste
First, taste a strawberry to decide how sweet it is. Sort through the strawberries and choose 3 pints of the best ones. Reserve the remaining pint for garnish and for the cook. Stem and slice the reserved three pints. Mix together in a bowl the sliced strawberries, the sugar (beginning with 1/3 cup of sugar, adding more if the strawberries are not sweet enough), the orange juice, orange zest and the orange flavor liqueur. Toss gently and allow to stand for about an hour or longer. In a large sieve, drain strawberry mixture. Reserve strawberries and liquid separately.
Whipped Cream Frosting
• 2 cups (one pint) of heavy whipping cream
• 3-4 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 - 3 tsp orange flavor liqueur, such as Triple Sec - optional or to taste
Chill bowl and beaters for about an hour before whipping cream. Using an electric mixer, begin whipping the cream. Add the sugar gradually, then the extract and orange liqueur. Whip until the cream begins to hold a stiff peak.
To assemble the cake:
On a serving platter, place the bottom layer of cake, cut side up. Drizzle with 1/3 of the reserved juices from the strawberries.
Spread with 1/3 of the whipped cream and half of the sliced berries.
Repeat with the second layer. For the final layer, placed cut side down. Drizzle the cake layer and add the remaining whipped cream. Don't worry about icing the sides - this is a reality cake, no stress.
The top of the cake can be garnished with the reserved strawberries if you feel artistic. Otherwise, those strawberries can be sliced and served along side the cake. It is important to let the cake rest in the refrigerator for at least 2- 8 hours. It can stand in the fridge overnight.
Use a long serrated knife to cut the cake. Work in a sawing motion to avoid packing down the cake layers. Don't be alarmed if the cake layers begin to separate as you plate. It is still delicious.
Fran Ginn is former chef/owner of The Back Door Café, who retired after 31 years in the food industry to be a grandmother. She can be contacted at fran@franginn.com.
