Strawberry Shortcake with a twist!

Wheeew! What a hot day, isn't it? This hot weather is really ticking me off! Don't get me wrong guys I'm not hating the sun for doing its job like 150% efficiently. It's just that I love the rain more!

So just to quench this hotness! ooohhh... hahaha here's what I got for you.... 

But hey! Don't ya worry just now.. I included a recipe and tutorial just for you! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of canola oil

8 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups (14 oz) cake flour

1 1/2 cups (7 oz) firmly packed sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 recipe of fresh whipped cream

1 cup caramelized cashew

fresh strawberries

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place the rack in the middle of the oven.

2.  Line 2 8" round pans with baking paper. Grease with oil or shortening and dust with flour.

3.  Sift together all the dry ingredients and dry whisk flour. Set aside

4.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the oil and sugar together until combined

5. Add egg yolks one at a time beating well every after each addition. 

6. Add water and vanilla extract. Mix just until combined.

7. Whisk in the flour mixture until well blended but do not over mix.

8. In an oil free bowl, whisk egg whites until it reaches stiff peak stage.

9. Combine 1/3 of the whites into the batter and mix with an electric mixer. Fold in the rest of the whites just until well blended.

9. Divide the batter into two and transfer to the baking pans. Tap 3 times just to release excess air bubbles and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.

10. Cool on a rack until its cool to touch.

 Ribbon formation when whisk is lifted

It's so fluffy!

fresh whipped cream

For this recipe, I infused the whipped cream with mashed strawberries to have an added berry flavor.Make sure to chill your bowl and whisk for 15 minutes just before whipping your heavy cream.

Ingredients:

Chilled Heavy  Cream

4 tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)

1/2 cup of mashed strawberries

Whisk the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add sugar gradually and whip it some more. Fold in the mashed strawberries. Chill in an airtight container until ready to use.

caramelized cashew

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 cup sugar (or to taste)

1/4 cup water

1 cup of chopped roasted cashew

Line cookie sheet with baking paper (not wax paper!) and grease it with shortening. Scatter the cashew on sheet. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine all the ingredients together and let it boil without stirring. You can either clip a candy thermometer or do the candy test but make sure to remove the pan immediately from heat once it reach hard ball stage (250 F). Pour the candy on the cashew nuts and let it cool. (About 30 minutes)

Once cooled, separate your caramel from the paper and crack to small pieces (about half inch) using the back of your knife.

To assemble

Slice any excess on top of your cake. Place your cake on the cake board upside down. Smother with a generous amount of whipped cream.

 Top with caramelized nuts

 Arrange strawberry halves

 Place a dollop of whipping cream on top. Level.

 Place the second cake on top and cover the whole cake with whipping cream, smoothing the edges and sides.

Place some of the cream in a piping bag with a closed star tip and pipe nests for the strawberries to sit on.

Voila!  Enjoy!

P.S. Eat the cake right away after assembling the cake! or else the sponge will become soggy because of the whipped cream.. You can refrigerate it for a few hours not later than 1 day as the cake will dry.

ARAH♥♥♥