Strawberry Lime Cake Food

STRAWBERRY-LIME LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Generously spray two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
• Make cake batter as directed on box--except stir lime peel into batter. Pour batter into pans. Bake and cool as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds.
• Reserve 3 whole strawberries for garnish. Cut remaining strawberries into thin slices. Finely chop enough of the sliced strawberries to equal 1/2 cup.
• In medium bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds to soften, then beat on high speed until fluffy. Add chopped strawberries and powdered sugar; beat on low speed until sugar has been incorporated. Increase speed to medium; beat until frosting is fluffy. Divide frosting into fourths.
• With long, sharp knife, split each cooled cake layer horizontally in half. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread with one-fourth of the frosting; top with half of the sliced strawberries. Add second layer, cut side down. Spread with one-fourth of the frosting. Add third layer, cut side up. Spread with one-fourth of the frosting; top with remaining sliced strawberries. Add remaining cake layer, cut side down. Frost top of cake with remaining frosting.
• In medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Frost side of cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish top of cake with whole strawberries just before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

STRAWBERRY-LIME STUFFED CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients, then add all the milk, and follow with the rest of the dry ingredients. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared tin.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove. Cool on the rack completely.
• For icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar and lime zest in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and mix with an electric mixer to make a firm but pourable icing. (If needed, add up to 1 teaspoon more juice, but take care if the icing is too loose it doesn't set properly.) Add food color to make a pale pastel green icing.
• To assemble: Remove cupcake from its liner. Cut and remove a strawberry (coned) shaped portion of cupcake from the top of each cupcake, leaving about 1/2 to 1-inch of cake in the bottom. Stuff each cake with a strawberry and cover with a little bit of cake. Spoon and spread icing over the top of the cupcakes. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar. Top with small mint leaves or candied leaves.

LIME-MINT POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY FILLING

Steps:

• Place strawberries, sugar, and lime juice for filling in a nonreactive pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Mash strawberries into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla extract. Pour 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in 1/2 of the yogurt until just combined. Repeat once more with flour and yogurt, then with remaining flour. Gently fold in mint leaves.
• Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Carefully spoon the cooled filling over the batter, keeping it away from the sides and center tube of the pan. Carefully spoon remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely.

STRAWBERRY LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
• Sift together 2 1/4 cup flour, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 the lime zest. Set aside.
• Cream together the sugar and the butter. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice and vanilla.
• Add the sour cream and the flour mixture alternating between the two and mixing just until combined.
• Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Then gently mix into the batter.
• Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Whisk together remaining lime juice, zest, and powdered sugar. Drizzle over the cake.

STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Butter and line the bases of three 18cm cake tins. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Blend the butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour and yogurt and blend again. Add 200g strawberries (save the best ones to decorate) and the vanilla. Blend once more, until the mixture is well combined.
• Divide the cake batter evenly between the three cake tins. Spread and smooth the tops with a spatula, then bake for 25-30 mins, until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Return to the oven for another 5 mins if any wet mixture clings to the skewer. Leave in the tins for 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cakes can be made up to two days before icing, or frozen for two months.
• For the icing, blend the butter and half the sugar until smooth and creamy, add the soft cheese and the remaining sugar and blend again. Be careful not to over mix as the icing will become runny. (If you do overmix, don't worry - keep mixing with an electric whisk and it'll thicken back up).
• Layer the cakes with the jam and half the icing. Invert the final cake on top, so the base of the cake it now the top, giving you a flat surface. Pile the rest of the icing on top of the cake, using a palette knife to spread the icing over the top and down the sides. Save a little icing to pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake, if you like. Top with the remaining strawberries. Can be made up to a day ahead of serving, keep somewhere cool or in the fridge. Will keep for three days.