'Nekkid' series: Sweet, sweet strawberries

I'm quite in love with strawberries.

Hokkaido has the best ever. Sweet, alluring, beckoning, juicy.

Strawberries sing of spring.
Ooh, almost got a whole line of alliteration in there.

Strawberry jam. Strawberry ice-cream.
Mmm-mmm good ....

My strawberry epiphany happened in Phuket. Strange... yes, I think so too.

As a child, I had not-so-tasty King's strawberry ice-cream and chucked strawberries in the 'ulgh' part of the food spectrum. Won't miss that for sure.

On a steaming hot Phuket afternoon about 7 years ago however, we were seeking sun refuge at a cafe. We sat down, and I was drawn (I could not look away, I kid you not) to a mountain of strawberry ice-cream piled high at the next table. A little boy was polishing it off with extreme gusto, his dripping shirt pulled back around his head, a temporary hairband as he tunneled through his mission.

The ice-cream beckoned. It called my name. It singled me out.

I caved.

It was such excellent ice-cream, I tasted meadows and happiness.
I'm serious.

I'm now a strawberry-holic, and proud of it.

Ok, that was a long intro for this post.
I'd meant to talk about two strawberry desserts I'd made recently - Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries.

Maybe too much strawberries makes you forgetful.

I'm willing to risk it.

Oh yes, back to the desserts. 

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Start with a rich chocolate cake,
doesn't matter if it aian't too pretty yet...
make sure it tastes good though!

Mix up a batch of strawberry happiness,
also known as strawberry frosting. 

Pile on frosting, lick fingers,
stack on strawberry mountain.
All done.

Need some help with the recipes?
> Fantabulous chocolate cake from IAmBaker
> Strawberry frosting that actually tastes GOOD - I just swapped the raspberry for strawberry in IAmBaker's awesome recipe 


Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries

Assemble your classic cheesecake. Make sure there's plenty
 of crust (double's a good place to start) cuz everyone loves crust.
Me and my greedy family and friends can vouch for that.

Whip up fluffy cream cheese topping. Feel free to make
a little extra, just for you and anyone who walks through
the kitchen when you're working on the cake.

It takes steel will to resist the wafting smells of freshly baked
cheesecake, you WILL need that extra frosting.

  

Crown with strawberries - the key to making any cake look delicious!

The cheesecake recipe I used came from one of the many baking books on my shelf, so it's a little hard to teleport that here. 

But no fear, I will lead you to my Cake Oracle - Bakerella! 

She can do no wrong, and you're in good hands with her cheesecake recipe.

Other crimson bakes:

> Red Velvet cake

> Red Santa hats

> Never too much red with Elmo around

> Baked with love

Sit back, smell the strawberries and enjoy!

Crimson splash: Rich Red Velvet Cake

There are some things in life made to go together.

Cookies and milk.
The morning paper and coffee.
Fish and chips.
Kaya and toast.
Michael Jackson and music.

Things that make sense together work because they:
a) compliment - sweet to offset salty, light to counter heavy, yin to balance yang
b) enhance - bring out hidden layers, enrich and embolden. Like how surrounding black with white, makes the black look even deeper
c) sound nice together.. what's Burt without Ernie? It just doesn't work... there's no ring to it

Red velvet and cream cheese is that sort of a match, the sort that happily ticks all the above boxes.

Mmmm...  

I decided to make a red velvet cake for a farewell party, without adornments, just good 'ol fashioned rustic. Or 'nekkid', as I like to call it. 

Fuschia red when it starts in the mixer...

... after baking, a layer of luscious cream cheese frosting goes on ...

... topping the now rust-colored baked red velvet cake. 

Gimme some of that!

The cake went well with the office crowd at the farewell, folks who wanted good-tasting cake and didn't need the adornments.

The next time you're thinking of tea, coffee, weekends, taking a breather, celebrating or just indulging a little, think of cake.

It's a natural fit, a perfect match :)

More stories with a hint of red:
> Crimson splash: Red Santa Hats
> There's never too much red with Elmo around

Red - also the color of lurve...
> Is it time for Cupid yet?
> Baked with love

Get in on the lunar new year, bring your bit of red / auspiciousness to the party!
> Year of the Snake, don't let it be a party without cake
> Dong Dong Chiang!