10 Ways To Celebrate Mom! Springtime Strawberry Cake

It's almost Mother's Day

Let's celebrate all the moms...

10 Creative Ways to Celebrate Mom

1.  A homemade card...never goes out of style...same for coupon booklets!

2.  Call mom, grandma, all the moms...call them and spread the LOVE.

3.  Make a list of your favorite memories of mom...and share them!

4.  Bake her a cake (hint, hint)...maybe this Strawberry Cake!!

5.Make mom dinner...and do the dishes too!!
Here are some easy and delicious ideas:
Farmer's Market Salad
Our Favorite Chicken Salad

6.  Cheers to mom!!  Toast mom with a Mom-osa Juice Bar
Find it here...with free printables:  Momosa Bar with Printables

7. Make copies of your favorite photos and create a mom-scrapbook of your favorite memories over the years.

8.Treat mom to a yummy dessert... Strawberry Shortcake Doughnuts

9.  Mom-Movie Night

10. Mom' S'mores Bar: S'mores Bar

Get the Recipe Here:

Springtime Strawberry Cake

Karri Perry, Blue Ribbon Kitchen

Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

3 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks unsalted butter-softened

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk 

1 1/2 cups finely chopped strawberries (chop just before adding to the batter)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

***

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Place rack in middle position.

Spray with non-stick spray and line cake pans with parchment paper.

Measure the flour, salt, baking powder, set aside.

Cream the butter for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and eggs, beating on medium 3-4 minutes until mixture is light yellow, glossy and airy. Add the oil and vanilla extract.

Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture, mix well, and be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, mix to combine.  Add the remaining flour, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Mix just enough to combine, but do not over mix.  Be gentle.  Give the chopped strawberries a drizzle of lemon juice, and fold in the freshly chopped strawberries.

Pour batter evenly into two parchment lined and greased 8

or 9-inch cake pans.
or 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins (filling cupcakes 3/4 of the way)

Bake cakes on middle rack of oven, 40 minutes or until cake is set and very lightly browned around edges and a toothpick comes out cleanly.

After 3 minutes, run a paring knife around edges to loosen any sticky cake from the sides. Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack, removing parchment paper. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

For Cupcakes: Bake in cupcake liners. Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cupcakes are set in the middle and a toothpick comes out cleanly.  Be sure to fill cupcake liners equally and only fill 1/2 way to 3/4 way full to keep the cupcakes uniform in size.  

Optional: Add the strawberry frosting to the the center of each cupcake, use an apple corer to create a small hollow in the center of each cupcake.

Quick Butter Cream Frosting & Strawberry Filling/Frosting

2 sticks of unsalted butter softened to room temperature

1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt

16 ounces (1 pound) confectioner’s sugar

1 cup of dehydrated strawberries-pulverized to a powder or dust (I picked mine up at Target near the dried fruits and nuts

Directions: Beat butter on medium until thick and fluffy for 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla, salt, and half of the confectioner's sugar.  Beat until combined (2 minutes)  Add the second half of the confectioner's sugar and add the whipping cream Whip until light and spreadable.  Thin with more cream if needed.  Add a few tablespoons more of confectioner's sugar is you prefer a thicker frosting for piping.  Reserve 1-2 cups of the vanilla frosting to create the strawberry filling/frosting.

For Strawberry filling/frosting:  Us the reserved 1-2 cups of the vanilla frosting.  In a food processor, measure 1 cup of dehydrated strawberries.   Pulverize 1 cup of the dehydrated strawberries--to a fine dust. (or...use a zip top bag and a rolling pin or a small smoothie blender to accomplish the crushing of the dehydrated strawberries) Add the pulverized dehydrated strawberries to the reserved frosting and stir well.  Use the strawberry frosting as a filling between the layers of the cake.

For a stacked cake, place a cake round on a platter.  Top bottom cake layer evenly with  strawberry filling, add the second cake round on top.  Frost cake with the vanilla buttercream frosting.  Garnish with fresh strawberries or make marshmallow fondant strawberries (see below)

Marshmallow Fondant (for added design work)
(Yes, you can make a smaller batch, just cut in half)

 1 Bag good quality mini marshmallows 16 ounces

2 lbs- confectioner’s sugar

¼ cup water

Gel food coloring

Non-stick spray

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the marshmallow with the water, stirring until smooth with no lumps.  (If you want all one color- add gel food coloring now)  (If you want white fondant, or want multiple colors you can knead in gel coloring later, before rolling.)

When smooth and silky, transfer melted marshmallow to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, lightly spray bowl with non stick spray before adding melted marshmallow.

Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar on low.  Mix on low until most of the sugar is incorporated.  Remove from bowl and knead with hands …adding a small amount of water if too dry, or a small amount of confectioner’s sugar if a little sticky.

Place kneaded fondant onto plastic wrap, lightly spray wrap with non-stick spray before wrapping fondant.  Double wrap the fondant with plastic wrap to make sure the fondant is safe from air while it rests.  Fondant may be a little sticky, but looking very much like Play-Doh, smooth and uniform.  Let fondant rest for 24 hours before rolling.  Fondant may be kept in refrigerator, wrapped for up to 2 weeks.  Let come to room temperature before using.

**The fondant can be made by hand without using a mixer, simply stir in confectioner’s sugar and knead the fondant by hand on a large work surface.  

***Can be made on the stove-top, without a microwave, simply melt marshmallows and water in a nonstick pan on low until smooth.