strawberry cream cake

One of my favorite cakes to make although a laborious one, however ever since I got my second Kitchenaid mixing bowl the process has been much less painful.  What I like about this cake is the absence of butter and oil.  The sponge-like cake fluffs up purely by the power of the egg whites, granted 5 whole eggs are used in this recipe.  I suppose we sacrifice the fat for the cholesterol. The cream is creme fraiche and heavy cream so I usually only make half the amount it ask for... who needs that much cream when you got so many yummy strawberries?

Strawberry Cream Cake
(adapted from William Sonoma)

ingredients | for the cake:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 5 Tbs. boiling water
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Grated zest of 2 lemons

ingredients | for the strawberry cream filling:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 to 6 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 cups crème fraîche
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

directions | to make the cake:

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip together the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until thick. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the boiling water. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and whip again until thick. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the flour mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until thick and smooth; the mixture should not look dry. 
5. Fold half of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Gently spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 
7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove the ring. Invert the cake and remove the base of the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers.

directions | to make the filling:

1. To make the filling, place the 2 cups strawberries in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and 2 Tbs. of the granulated sugar.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the crème fraîche, cream, vanilla and the remaining 2 Tbs. granulated sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form and the cream holds its shape.
3. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Arrange one-third of the strawberries and their juices over the cake. Spread one-third of the cream over the berries. Repeat the layering process with the remaining 2 cake layers, berries and cream, ending with a layer of cream.

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Baked Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

I was looking for another quick dinner solution and stumbled upon this.  Yums!

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes
ingredients

• 1 (1 lb) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 lb hot turkey Italian sausage links
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

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Roast Chicken Chimichangas

I got out of work later than I anticipated and needed to make dinner fast. These were easier to make than enchiladas and took me only 30 minutes to get dinner ready.  Although what I like most about them is that it isn't fried.  Yum yum!

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (4.5-oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans 
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas 
• Cooking spray 
• Bottled green salsa

directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

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