Strawberry Style Matrimonial Cake Food

GRANDMOTHER'S MATRIMONIAL SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl; cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture is mealy and butter pieces are uniformly small.
• Press half of oat mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Cook dates with water in a small saucepan over medium heat until they fall apart and are easily mashed with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes; remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
• Spoon date mixture evenly over oat mixture in baking pan; sprinkle remaining oat mixture evenly over top and press into place.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden at the edges, about 30 minutes; remove to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

MATRIMONIAL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 13x9 inch baking pan.
• Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, salt and baking soda. Mix well. The mixture will be crumbly.
• In a saucepan over low heat, cook the chopped dates with the water and the white sugar until the pulp is soft and well mixed.
• Layer 1/2 of the oat mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the date mixture and then finish off with the remaining oat mixture. Press down slightly on layers to compact.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until top crust begins to brown.

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.

STRAWBERRY POKE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch pan.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the buttermilk and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup; set aside.
• Beat the sugar and butter in a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) at medium speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting; with the mixer running, alternate beating in the flour mixture in three additions and the buttermilk mixture in two, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the side of the bowl, and beat until the batter is well mixed. Spread into the prepared pan.
• Bake the cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes in the top and all the way through the cake.
• Bring 1 cup water to a boil, pour over the gelatin in a small bowl and stir until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water. Pour the mixture evenly over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Put a large bowl (for whipping the cream) in the refrigerator.
• For the sweetened berries: While the cake chills, hull and quarter the strawberries. Toss with the granulated sugar in a medium bowl, and set aside until soft and juicy, about 1 hour.
• For the topping: Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla in the chilled bowl until fluffy. Spread it over the cake, slice the cake and serve with the strawberries.

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM RECIPE

Steps:

• I recommend making this reduction the day before you're ready to make your cake.
• Place fresh or thawed, frozen strawberries into a medium saucepan. Optional: blend strawberries with an emersion blender if you prefer a smoother texture of strawberry reduction.
• Heat on medium-high and add in sugar (if desired), lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
• Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly reduce until berries begin to break up and the mixture has reduced by about half. This will take about 20 minutes. If your mixture has reduced by half and is still watery, continue to cook until all of the liquid is out.
• Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning. You should end up with about 2 cups of thick strawberry reduction that looks like tomato sauce. Transfer to another container and let cool before use.
• You will use some of the reduction for the cake batter, some for the frosting and the rest for filling between the cake layers for extra moisture. Leftover reduction can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for 6 months.
• NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and not cold or hot.
• Make sure to take your strawberry reduction out of the refrigerator 1 hour before making your cake so that it comes to room temperature.
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC.
• Grease three 8" cake pans with cake goop or preferred pan release
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, strawberry reduction, strawberry emulsion, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink food coloring.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add room temperature butter to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
• Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the egg whites one at a time, beating 15 seconds in between. Your mixture should look cohesive at this point. If it looks curdled and broken, your butter or egg whites were too cold.
• Mix on low speed and add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If it looks like ice cream, you did it right!
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
• Bake cakes at 350ºF/176ºC until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 30-35 minutes.
• Place pans on top of a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then flip your cakes onto the racks and cool completely.
• Once cooled, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze before assembling your cake.
• Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Attach the whisk and combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes
• Place pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the whisk attachment and combine ingredients on low, then whip on high for 5 minutes.
• Add in your softened butter in chunks and whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. It may look curdled and yellow at first, this is normal. Keep whipping.
• Add in strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping until incorporated.
• Optional: Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles.
• Place your first layer of strawberry cake onto a cake plate or cake board. Trim off the dome if needed with a sharp knife so the top of the cake is flat.
• Add a very thin layer or your cooled reduction over the cut surface. This helps soak into the cake and adds moisture and strawberry flavor.
• Add a layer of strawberry buttercream, I shoot for about 1/4". Smooth it with your offset spatula until it's flat.
• Frost the outside of your cake with the leftover buttercream and decorate with some fresh. strawberries if desired.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Make the reduced strawberry puree and allow it to cool completely. See note. You can make it a few days ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator or cover and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw before using in the recipe.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Whisk in 1/2 cup of reduced strawberry puree, making sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Stir in food coloring, if desired. (I use 1 small drop.)
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup crumbs. Set aside. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, strawberry powder, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if needed. Yields about 3 cups of frosting.
• First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting- it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

STRAWBERRY STYLE MATRIMONIAL CAKE

Steps:

• Topping: Blend dry ingredients.
• Cutting in butter until crumbly.
• Use 2/3 of this mixture, press into a 9" or 10" square cake pan.
• Keep the other 1/3 for topping.
• Filling: Mix tog.
• sugar and cornstarch, blending in the strawberry puree and lemon juice.
• Bring to boil and cook until thick.
• Pour over the crumb base and spread the remaining crumbs on top.
• Bake at 350 degF for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
• Chill well before cuttiing.

STRAWBERRY JAM BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 7 x 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and vanilla extract.
• Pulse until the ingredients are combined, and continue to pulse until the dough comes together into a single clump.
• Reserve about 1 cup of the shortbread dough for topping the crumble bars, and crumble the rest into your prepared baking pan.
• Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan with your fingers.
• Spread the strawberry jam evenly over the dough.
• Mix the reserved dough with the rolled oats, and crumble evenly over the jam layer. Some of the strawberry filling will show through, and that's good.
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown on the edges.
• Allow to cool before removing from the pan and slicing. Note: shortbread is quite soft right out of the oven, and will firm up as it cools.

EASY STRAWBERRY CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, gelatin, milk, oil, eggs and fresh strawberry puree.
• Beat on low speed until mixed, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans (*see instructions below for 9x13 cake pan*).
• Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 29 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when you touch it.
• Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.