Strawberry Fruit Spread
Classic and comforting. Juicy and jammy with a rich, fresh f lavor.
Almond Strawberry Sandwich Cookies
These are light, bright-tasting cookies. Instead of bothering with a rolling pin, the dough is rolled out into logs and sliced. Make sure to allow time for it to harden. You can make the dough the day before and slice and bake them the day you plan to serve them.
32 cookies
2 ounces (1/2 cup) whole natural toasted almonds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
About 3/4 cup Strawberry Fruit Spread
1. In a food processor, finely grind the almonds with 1/2 cup of the flour.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg. On low speed, mix in the almonds, remaining flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about an hour.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each into an 8-inch log. Again, refrigerate until firm. Overnight is fine.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch rounds. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets about two inches apart. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
6. Sandwich two cookies together using about 1 teaspoon of fruit spread for each.
Coconut Strawberry Cake
I used to frost this cake with a buttercream in addition to the pastry cream inside but now I like the “naked” sides as the cake isn’t as rich and you get to see the layers of strawberry.
The cake and the pastry cream can both be made a day ahead of when you want to serve the cake. Assemble the day you plan to serve it for the freshest taste. Refrigerate any leftovers but let it come to room temperature before serving.
Yield 1 nine-inch cake
Cake
8 ounces (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut (not toasted)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three nine-inch pans with parchment paper.
2. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and aerated. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together.
4. Combine the milk and the vanilla.
5. Alternately mix in the dry and wet ingredients half at a time. Stir in the coconut. Divide the batter between the three pans.
6. Bake until skewer is clean ~ 15-20 minutes.
Pastry Cream
1 large Egg
2 large Yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream
1. Whisk together the egg, yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl.
2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepot, bring the milk to a low boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk into the egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until it thickens. If it gets lumpy, smooth it out with a whisk. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold. Whip the 1/3 cup cream until soft peaks, and then fold into the cooled pastry cream.
To Assemble
1 cup Strawberry Fruit Spread
1/4 cup toasted coconut
Unmold the cake layers and spread 1/2 cup of strawberry spread over each layer. Spread 1/3 of the pastry cream over the top. Place them on top of each other. Stack the third cake layer on top and cover with the remaining pastry cream. Sprinkle the top with the toasted, sweetened coconut.
Double Strawberry Trifle
Trifles are one of my favorite recipes to make for a crowd. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled and you don’t have to be precise when layering. All you need is a bigger bowl. I like to use a glass bowl so you can see all the layers. The sponge cake can be made a day or two ahead.
Serves 8 to 10
1 recipe sponge cake (see recipe below)
2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
2 pints strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup Strawberry Fruit Spread
About 8 whole strawberries
1. Using a serrated knife, cut the sponge cake into quarters and then cut each piece in half horizontally.
2. Whisk the cream with the 6 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
3. In a food processor, using on-off turns, coarsely chop the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.
4. Place about 1/4 cup of strawberries in a large glass bowl. Next, lay the sponge cake over to fit the bowl. (The cake does not have to be in one piece; it can be pieced together.) Spread about 1/4 cup of strawberry spread on top and another 1/4 cup of strawberries. Cover with a little more than a cup of the whipped cream. Make sure to spread each layer to the edge of the bowl. Repeat this layering process, starting with the cake and ending with the strawberries. There should be three layers of cake.
5. Cover the trifle and refrigerate for a least 4 hours before serving. Just before serving, garnish with the whole strawberries (cut in half if large).
Sponge Cake
Makes one 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch cake
1 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °. Grease and then line the bottom of an 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch baking pan with 1-inch sides with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, whip the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until thick and pale yellow. Reduce to medium-low speed, add the boiling water and vanilla extract, and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the dry ingredients.
4. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. They should be smooth and not clumpy. Fold half of the whipped whites into the batter, and then fold in the remaining whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, about 15 minutes.
Store at room temperature.
Corn Crepes with Strawberries and Vanilla Ice Cream
Cornmeal adds texture and flavor to the crepes and pairs well with strawberries.
You can make the crepes ahead, keep them at room temperature for several hours, but refrigerate them overnight.
Serves 6
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (about 1 ear) uncooked fresh or frozen corn kernels, preferably white
3 tablespoons white cornmeal, preferably stone ground
3/4 cup Strawberry Fruit Spread
6 small scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups hulled and chopped strawberries, sweetened to taste
1. Put the eggs and milk in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the melted butter and again blend until smooth. Transfer the batter to a bowl and stir in the corn kernels and the cornmeal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight.
2. Heat a six-inch crepe or nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan. Fill a quarter cup measure three-quarters full of crepe batter and pour it into the pan, rotating the pan so that a thin layer covers the bottom. Cook for about 1.5 minutes, until lightly browned. Using the edge of a knife, loosen a corner of the crepe from the pan. With your fingers, flip the crepe over and cook for another 15 seconds. Place the finished crepe on a large plate.
3. Continue cooking crepes, stacking them, slightly overlapping until there are at least 12 crepes. It is not necessary to grease the pan after making each crepe. Wrap the crepes in plastic wrap until ready to use.
To Serve
1. Spread a tablespoon of Strawberry Spread on the backside of each crepe.
2. Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on one quarter of each of the crepes. Fold each crepe in half and then in quarters, covering the ice cream. Lightly press each crepe to flatten out the ice cream. Place two crepes on each of six plates.
3. Spoon strawberries over the crepes. Serve immediately