Strawberry Blueberry Crumble

This is a wonderful treat for a summer evening and goes fabulously with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can mix and match berries, depending on what you have on hand.

You will need:

• 2 pints of strawberries, hulled and halved (if they are big, try quarters)
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 4 T sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 c old-fashioned oats
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 8 T butter, softened

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the berries in a 9×13 baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with the sugar and lemon zest and gently mix.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the oats with the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter.
5. Sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the berries.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until topping begins to brown and the juices are bubbly.
7. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Strawberries do not last very long at our house, but we recently went strawberry picking and brought home about two gallons! This meant I had some extra that I could use for baking. This cake is lightly sweet and a little caramelized in the outside. We loved it!

You will need:

• 1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 c sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 t vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 5 T lemon juice
• 2 1/2 c flour, divided
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 5 oz Greek yogurt (strawberry or vanilla)
• 2 c fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 c powdered sugar

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your favorite Bundt cake pan. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice.
4. Mix in the baking soda and salt.
5. Alternate mixing in 2 1/4 cups of the flour and yogurt until just combined.
6. In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 c of flour. (This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your cake).
7. Gently fold the strawberries into your batter.
8. Spread the batter in your pan.
9. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden and a tester in the middle comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 25 minutes.
11. Invert the pan to remove the cake from the pan.
12. Allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
13. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with the powdered sugar. You want it to be a good consistency for drizzling. If it is too thick, add a touch more lemon juice. If it is too thin, add a pinch more powdered sugar.
14. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled cake and enjoy!

Strawberry Bunny Cake

Growing up, my grandparents made a Bunny Cake every Easter. I recall being dazzled by the cake year after year. It was always so special looking…plus it was served on an extra big tray (and what little kid doesn’t get excited about that?!). This past Easter my mom and I made one at my house. We baked, frosted, and covered it with coconut the evening before. Then my mom added some fresh fruit to make the bunny face before serving. It was a huge hit with the whole family (and inspired some pretty wide toddler eyes too!).

You will need:

• 1 1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 1 c milk, room temperature
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 3 c hulled and chopped strawberries
• Favorite white frosting (we used two containers of whipped vanilla frosting from the store)
• 14 oz sweetened coconut flakes
• Berries for decorating (we used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the vanilla and eggs until smooth and well blended.
4. Mix in the milk, baking powder and salt until well combined.
5. Mix in the flour and beat until smooth.
6. Fold the chopped strawberries into the batter.
7. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out mostly clean. The sides should be have begun to come away from the pan.
9. Cook the cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
10. Turn the cakes out from the pans and remove the parchment paper lining.
11. Allow to cool completely on the wire racks.
12. Cut one of the cakes into two ears and a bowtie(the cake between the “ears” will become the bowtie; see the first photo above).
13. Set the cakes on a large serving platter (in a pinch, you can use a large foam board covered in plastic wrap).
14. Frost with your favorite frosting.
15. Sprinkle coconut on top and gently press it into the frosting.
16. Just before serving, decorate with fresh fruit to make the bunny’s face.

 

Strawberries n’ Yogurt Popsicles

Our teething toddler recently discovered popsicles and all their cool yumminess. We found a mini popsicle mold online that makes small popsicles that are just the right size for his cute little hands and mouth. He loves strawberries and yogurt, so we let that inspire these popsicles.

You will need:

• 16 oz fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1 c vanilla yogurt (I recommend a thicker yogurt like Greek or Icelandic skyr)
• 4 T honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 t lime juice
• 1/2 t vanilla extract

Then you will…

1. Puree all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Pour into popsicle molds.
3. Freeze overnight.
4. Enjoy in the sunshine.

Pimm’s Cup

This is the second of three punch bowls we served at our “welcome to summer” party. It would also be a fun drink to mix up around Kentucky Derby time.

You will need:

• 1 bottle (750 mL) Pimm’s No. 1 Cup Liqueur
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
• A handful of frozen strawberries
• 1 orange, sliced thin
• 1 lemon, sliced thin with seeds removed
• 1 green apple, sliced thin
• 1 c fresh mint leaves
• 2 L sprite

Then you will…

1. Pour the Pimm’s into a punch bowl or pitcher.
2. Add the fruit.
3. Lightly crush the mint by rubbing it between your palms. Add to the punch.
4. Mix in the sprite.
5. Serve over ice.

Strawberry Sangria Popsicles

Popsicles are one of the best summer treats. If you decide to make them at home, you can pick your favorite flavors AND your favorite shapes. A few summers ago, I found some fun sailboat and star molds online. We used them to make frozen treats for a recent party. Here is one of the recipes; it makes about 6 popsicles.

You will need:

• 2 c red wine (fruity and juicy, if you’ve got it!)
• 3/4 c orange juice
• 3/4 c blended frozen strawberries
• 3 T honey
• 2 limes, juiced and zested

Then you will…

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together.
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.
3. Enjoy on a hot summer day with friends.