Strawberry Sparkle Food

STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the puree: Pulse the strawberries in a food processor, scraping as needed, until a smooth puree forms. Add the strawberry puree to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the puree reduces by half (to about 1 cup). Transfer the puree to a bowl and set aside to cool.
• For the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment rounds; lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla in another bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the whole eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cooled strawberry puree. Reserve the rest of the puree for the frosting.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the butter, beating until smooth. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Remove 3 cups of the frosting to a medium bowl and set aside. Fold the reserved strawberry puree into the remaining frosting. Refrigerate both until slightly chilled and firm, about 20 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake domed-side down on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the strawberry frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake domed-side up on top. Spread the top and sides of the cake with 1 1/2 cups of the white frosting. Smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's okay if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining white frosting on the top of the cake and the upper half of the sides. There should be a band all around the bottom of the cake with the crumb coat exposed. Fill in the exposed area with 1 cup of the strawberry frosting. Use a large offset spatula to smooth the top and sides of the cake. The strawberry and white frostings should blend together during smoothing to create an ombre effect. Transfer the remaining strawberry frosting to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 8 rosettes evenly spaced along the top border of the cake.

STRAWBERRY SPARKLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Combine cake flour and salt and sift together five times. Set aside. Beat egg whites until frothy (lots of bubbles but still liquidy and loose.) Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff. With mixer on medium-low, slowly sprinkle in sifted sugar as it mixes in. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sifted flour gently until it's all combine. Sprinkle vanilla into the bowl and fold gently. Spoon batter into tube pan---make sure there's no grease or butter in there! Smooth the top and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer stuck all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Don't open the oven while it's baking!)Carefully remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it on a wine or vinegar bottle. Let it cool completely while hanging upside down. Once totally cool, remove it from the pan. To make the filling, sprinkle the jello powder into a bowl and pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add the bag of frozen sliced strawberries. Stir to cool the mixture and set it aside. Turn the cake upside down so that the end that was stuck to the bottom of the pan is now facing up. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the top 1-inch of cake from the top. Remove it and lay it beside the cake. Next, with a small paring knife, make two concentric cuts in the cake: one cut is 1 inch from the outside rim, the other cut is 1 inch from the inside rim. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the cake! Leave about an inch from the bottom.)Tear out a trench in between the two cuts and save the torn cake pieces for another use. By now, the strawberry mixture should be cool and somewhat gelatinous. IMPORTANT: If mixture is not thick, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it thickens and sets. Carefully spoon the mixture into the trench in the cake, filling it all the way to the top and ever-so-slightly above to allow for a little settling. Place the top of the cake back on top, lining it up just right. Refrigerate cake for a couple of hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so if you're in a hurry!)To serve, whip together the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread all over the cake. Cut into slices and serve! Note that once you make a cut, the filling will slightly seep out of the remaining cake, but not overly so. This is a fun, festive, fresh, fabulous cake!

STRAWBERRY SPARKLE PUNCH

Steps:

• Puree strawberries in blender.
• Pour into punch bowl.
• Dissolve Jell-O* in boiling water.
• Stir until dissolved.
• Add to punch bowl with remaining ingredients.
• Serve right away.
• Or you can chill all the ingredients, except ginger ale in a covered container overnight; add ginger ale just before you serve.

STRAWBERRY ANGEL TRIFLE

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions; cool completely. In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin and 3/4 cup sugar in boiling water. Mash half of the strawberries; add to gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until slightly thickened, about 1 hour. Slice remaining strawberries; stir into the gelatin., Cut cake into 1-in. cubes. Place half in a 3-qt. trifle or glass bowl. Top with half of the gelatin mixture. Repeat. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. In a bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon over gelatin.