Strawberry Cream Almond Cake

I love strawberries and cream. In fact, I can’t eat strawberries without cream – it just feels wrong. So I put them in a cake.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure almond extract (separated)
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1 pound strawberries, washed and thinly sliced (I sprinkled a little sugar on them as well).
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Tools:

Mixing bowls
Measuring tools
Paring knife for strawberries
Electric mixer
Spatula
Whisk
Sharp knife, at least 8 inches long (to cut the cake in half, lengthwise)
1 8-inch round springform baking pan (buttered and floured!)

Plump.

Sweet.

It’s hard…but just try it.

Creamy and dreamy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, with a mixer (this is where a KitchenAid is handy) mix together sugar, and add one egg/egg yolk at a time until fully mixed. Add the almond extract. Then add the milk and flour mixture, one cup (each) at a time, until it is just blended. Don’t over mix; your cake won’t rise and will end up hard as a rock. Keep it light and fluffy.

Pour the batter into your floured and buttered pan and place in the center of the oven.

In the meantime, pour the heavy cream and the other 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract into a mixing bowl and mix – for several minutes, until it turns into whip cream. Set aside.

When the cake is baked, about 30-35 minutes later (and your toothpick comes out clean), let it cool completely. Release it from the springform pan and, while gently holding it in place, cut the cake in half lengthwise. VERY carefully, remove the top half and set aside….I used a wide spatula to help so it didn’t break.

Spread half the whipped cream and strawberries on top of the bottom half of the cake, leaving an inch all around the sides. Add the top half of the cake and spread the remaining whipped cream and strawberries on the top, arranging the fruit as you wish. Refrigerate before serving. Serves 6-8.

Spring is here! At least, in theory…Multi-Bean Soup.

Anyone else live in Chicago? So you know the calendar seasons mean very little. It’s still cold in my city but technically, it is Spring, so I’m going to dust off my light jackets, open-toed heels, skirts and breezy blouses to wear again in about 4-6 weeks.

I have been a little obsessed with eating fiber lately, and I swear it has nothing (everything) to do with losing some weight before summer gets here, so here’s a wonderful recipe I like to call the Million Bean March! Although it’s more like 15 beans. But it’s so high in fiber you’ll be thanking me (or cursing me) the next day or two. It’s made with chilis so it has an extra kick.

Gross.

Now, I work full time so cooking is done in my free time, in between all of my other obligations, so quick and healthy dishes like this are always at the top of my “to make” list, especially during the working week.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. bag of Goya dried 15 bean mix (usually found in the “ethnic” foods aisle).
4 cups chicken stock.
4 cups water.
2 green onions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 serrano pepper (sliced)
1 jalapeño pepper (sliced)
1 Tbls Gumbo seasoning mix*
1/8 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Dash of paprika
About 2 cups extra boiling water to replenish (on the side)

Tools:

Large pot
Sharp chef’s knife
Cutting Board
Measuring tools

All the good stuff…

First, bring the water and chicken stock to a boil.  Add the beans, and bring to a boil, then simmer and cover.

The basics

In the meantime, chop your vegetables. The beans are going to take longer to cook so take your time.

When you’re done, add the seasonings and veggies, bring to a boil again, then simmer, and cover. Stir occasionally, replenish the water if it falls below bean level.

Bit o’ cumin…

 

In about 90 minutes or so, the soup was done. Now, you can also soak the beans overnight to soften them, but I don’t always remember the night before to prep food for the next day’s dinner, so don’t worry if you forget to do it – your soup will still come our very nicely.

 

*This is a mix of dried onions and garlic and some cajun spices. Replace with dried onion, garlic, paprika, black pepper, salt, thyme, dried basil, celery seed, and cayenne.