Welcome Spring!

Winter is over and Spring has sprung. The weather has been perfect, making it feel like the colder months are over and we have blue skies and sunshine ahead of us. To celebrate the start of Spring, I bought 4 big punnets of strawberries (they had a special of 2 for $3!!!) from the markets. With so many strawberries, I decided to share the Spring love and give one punnet away, then I planned on using the others for some baking and weekday lunches.

When I think of strawberries, I immediately match them with cream. Strawberries and cream is such a classic dessert, everyone has something they associate with strawberries and cream. For me, it would have to be going to a school art fair with my Mum. I remember nothing about the art fair, or what else was actually there, but I do remember Mum buying us a cup of strawberries and cream each for morning tea and sitting in the sun to eat it. I think I was only 12 at the time and this was the first time I had enjoyed strawberries and cream just like this. It felt like Mum and I were doing something special together, just the two of us, without Dad or my siblings. The memory is sweet and innocent, just like the dessert.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to use my strawberries to make something that represented that memory. While the toddler was resting on Sunday (supposed to be resting anyway, he skipped his nap and decided to "play", aka trash his room), I researched strawberry recipes. I stumbled across this great looking strawberry cake via Pinterest. It had a deliciously pink colour and a new way to make a french meringue buttercream - I had to try it.

So, with strawberries ready and beater out, Reuben and I started baking post "rest". The cake itself was super easy to make and the buttercream turned out perfectly - I am definitely changing methods to this one from now one! There was heaps of batter so I made a bundt style cake as well as 6 cupcakes. Next time I think I'll split the batter to make a layer cake and add some strawberry jam in the centre. Enjoy.

Strawberries and Cream Cake

Adapted from Oven Love
24 oz fresh strawberries, hulled (if frozen, thawed)
1/4 cup buttermilk
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tbs vanilla extract
260g plain flour
250g caster sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and butter a dust (with extra sugar) a cake tin. 

In a food processor, puree the strawberries until smooth. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract and pulse until combined.

To a bowl, add butter and sugar and cream until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. The mixture should resemble a moist crumb. Add liquids and beat at medium speed for until evenly combined. Pour into prepared tin and bake for about 45 - 50 minutes, or until Sa skewer can be inserted in the center and come out clean. Let cake rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack, then allow to cool completely (about 2 
hours).

Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream
3 egg whites

130g sugar

142g butter, cubed and at room temp
1 tsp vanilla

125g cream cheese, cubed and at room temp

In the base of a double boiler, bring water to a simmer. In the top bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot to the touch, about five minutes depending on the original temperature of the eggs. When the mixture has warmed sufficiently, pour it into the bowl and whip on high speed until the bottom of the bowl is room temperature, ten to fifteen minutes. When the bowl is no longer warm, turn the mixer to medium-low and begin adding the butter piece by piece. Let each chunk incorporate completely before adding the next and don't rush the process!

After all of the butter has been added, add the vanilla and turn the speed back to high. Whip for about 3 minutes or until the buttercream comes together. Turn the speed down to low and add the cream cheese, then mix on medium to fully incorporate.