Baking up something yummy with strawberries

It’s strawberry season now, so here are two great recipes for you to try in your kitchen.

Strawberries and Cream Cake

For cake:

2 1/4 cups of cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 cups of sugar

2 sticks butter softened

3-ounce of package of strawberry Jell-O

4 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup whole strawberries, pureed (2-3 ounces)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

For filling and frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, well chilled

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter

4 cups sifted powdered sugar, about 1 pound package

For assembly:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced strawberries, about 8 ounces

1 1/2 cups halved strawberries, about 6 ounces

Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Beat together sugar, gelatin and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in flour mixture and milk alternately until well combined. Fold in pureed berries and vanilla then divide equally among prepared pans.

Bake with two pans on upper rack and one pan on lower rack until a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes. Cool ten minutes in pans, then turn out cakes to cool completely, about 45 minutes, on a wire rack.

Beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer on high until frothy. Add sugar and beat until firm peaks form. Fold in ½ teaspoon vanilla. Create frosting with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and remaining vanilla.

Set one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with a third of filling and scatter with ¾ cup sliced berries. Top with second cake layer. Spread with another third of filling and scatter with remaining ¾ cup of sliced berries. Top with third cake layer and spread with remaining third of filling. Frost sides of cake, then mound quartered berries on top of cake.

Creamy Strawberry Crepes

3 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup water

3 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 cup of heavy cream, whipped

4 cups sliced strawberries

Blend eggs, milk, water, butter, flour and salt in a blender until smooth. Cover and let stand one minute.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream.

Lightly oil a 10-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat until hot. Stir batter once or twice, then pour two tablespoons into skillet, swirling and tilting until batter covers bottom in a thin layer. Cook until edges begin to lift and crepe is lightly browned on bottom, about one minute.

Flip crepe over and cook until underside is lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Make 11 more crepes in the same manner with remaining batter, stacking them on a plate and keeping them covered with a damp towel.

Fill each crepe with 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture and ¼ cup sliced berries, then roll up and garnish with a small dollop of remaining cream cheese mixture and more berries.