Strawberries and Cream Chinese Bakery-Style Chiffon Sponge Cake, Gluten-free or not

We had some guests come for dinner the other night.  Hubby ordered Chinese take-out, so all I had to do was add a nice green salad (you can never get enough veggies!) and make a dessert.  

To keep with the Chinese food theme, what is a typical Chinese dessert?  For special occasions, my mother would either bake or order a beautiful vanilla chiffon sponge cake decorated with fresh fruit and whipped cream from a local Chinese bakery.   

You can use your favourite sponge cake with whipped cream and fruit.  I made 2 tube sponge cakes with this vanilla chiffon sponge cake recipe.  I decorated one cake and froze the second one to enjoy at another time for a quick dessert.   For those who are on a gluten-free diet, you can try this gluten-free vanilla chiffon sponge cake.  

Pressed for time?  Ready-made angel food cakes can be decorated fresh whipped cream and fruit.  

I usually fill and decorate these cakes with canned fruit cocktail that has been drained and blotted dry.  I have also made a "Strawberries and Cream" cake with fresh strawberries and  "Peaches and Cream" with canned peaches.  

This time, I used fresh strawberries and canned mandarin orange segments to fill and decorate the cake.  Make sure to blot dry the excess moisture from the fruit on a paper towel or napkin. 

Strawberries and Cream Chinese Bakery-Style Chiffon Sponge Cake, Gluten-free or not

1 - 8" vanilla chiffon sponge cake, gluten-free vanilla sponge cake or ready-made angel food cake
1.5 cups heavy cream
4.5 Tbsp confectioner's sugar 
1.5 tsp vanilla 
chocolate shavings, with a vegetable peeler
selection of fresh/canned fruit for decorating and filling (possibilities are endless!)
  - strawberries, kiwi, grapes, melon balls, etc
  - canned fruit (must be drained and blotted dry):  peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, cherries, etc.

Prepare chiffon cake and cool completely.

Whip 1.5 cups heavy cream with 4.5 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 1.5 tsp vanilla for at least 3 minutes on high until the cream is stiff.  Be careful not to overwhip the cream (mixture will separate and become butter!).  If you would like extra whipped cream for piping or for serving, use 2 cups heavy cream, 6 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 2 tsp vanilla.  

Dice about 1 cup (I forgot to measure, chop enough fruit to fill the cake layer) fresh or canned fruit for filling and blot dry on paper napkin/towel.  Set aside.

Cut cake in 2 layers.  Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread the cake with whipped cream and place chopped fruit pieces (blotted dry) on top of the cream. Place the top layer on the fruit filling.  

Frost and decorate the cake as desired with the whipped cream.  

- Adapted from Vanilla Chiffon Sponge Cake

The cake didn't last long!  Of course, the kiddies had leftover cake dolloped with extra whipped cream for breakfast the next day!

Enjoy! 

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I am very happy with my rhubarb plants this year.  So far, I managed to freeze a bunch of rhubarb for later use, where I normally make strawberry rhubarb coffee cake from an old 1970's recipe book.  My latest challenge is making strawberry rhubarb pie.

Yesterday, I harvested about 3lbs, which means I have plenty of rhubarb to play around with!  My last strawberry rhubarb pie was a tasty hot mess. It looked gorgeous when I pulled it out of the oven, but was very watery when I tried to serve it.  My children and husband were so gracious and kind. They declared it to be the tastiest strawberry rhubarb pie they had. 

I found a simple recipe from Serious Eats with a trick to keep the pie from being too watery.  It says to add 1/4 cup of sugar to the cut rhubarb and strawberries, let it sit for an hour or so and then drain the liquid off.  (I saved the drained strawberry rhubarb juices and added some club soda for a neat refreshing drink!).

I used 3 cups of strawberries and 3 cups of rhubarb for my pie and drained a little over 1/4 cup of excess liquid!

Next, the recipe uses tapioca or cornstarch but I wanted to try instant tapioca.  I bought a few scoops of it from the bulk food section of my supermarket.  The brand name is Minute Tapioca, but for over $3/box, I thought I'll try out a few scoops for pennies instead.  

I wasn't sure if the instant tapioca would dissolve properly in the pie, so let it sit with the fruit and sugar for 10-15 minutes to soften the tapioca grains. 

hehehe, I like making "rustic" imperfect pies with thick crusts.  It's hard to concentrate when the kids were hovering around me.  I put it in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes, then turned it down to 350F for another 30-40 minutes. 

Boy, was it a juicy pie!  Not very pretty but it only means that I need more practice!  I didn't put a pan underneath to catch the drips, so some of the juices bubbled over and made a little mess on the bottom of my oven.  The instant tapioca thickened the juices nicely.  The hardest part was waiting for the pie to cool and for the filling to set nicely.  I made this at lunchtime so it would be ready to serve after dinner.

It was not runny at all!  Success!!!  The pie was very tasty but an extra tablespoon or 2 of sugar would be good, since some sugar was lost in the drained liquid.  If the rhubarb did not exude so much liquid, then less sugar would be lost. My kiddies enjoyed this so much they wanted pie for breakfast!  I think this method would also work for frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb.  Still work in progress but at least it is a yummy adventure!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

One recipe of your favourite double-crust pie dough 

3 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups rhubarb, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup sugar (or less/more to taste), divided (If more than 1/4 cup juices drained, add extra 2 Tbsp with the cornstarch)
4 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch (I used instant tapioca)
egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water)
turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Core and quarter strawberries. Chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces.

Toss strawberries and rhubarb together with 1/4 cup of sugar, and allow them to macerate (the sugar will begin to break down the fruit, releasing some liquid) for 20 minutes.

Drain off excess liquid from the strawberry mixture using a china cap or strainer.

Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch or tapioca starch. Add the sugar mixture to fruit mixture. Stir well until all of the starch has dissolved.  Pour filling into prepared, chilled dough shaped in a pie plate.

Place the chilled, rolled top crust over the filling. Trim the edges and crimp as desired. Cut slits or patterns in the top with a sharp pairing knife. Chill for 20 minutes before baking.

Apply egg wash to the top of the pie and, if you'd like, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400F, then reduce temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.  Bake until the top is a deep golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center.  Allow pie to cool for several hours before serving.

- Adapted from Serious Eats: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Enjoy!

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Fresh Strawberry Scones

I had some fresh strawberries that were begging to be made into something yummy!  Inspired by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, I thought that Fresh Strawberry Scones would be wonderful with a cup of tea in this rainy June weather. 

They turned out lovely!  I made 2 batches (28 scones total) and after sharing some, there are only 4 left! 

They were pretty easy to make.  With a pastry blender, cut the diced butter into the dry mixture.

Cut the butter down to the size of peas and the flour mixture looks like coarse crumbs.   

Dump the yogurt and egg mixture into the bowl and toss around with a fork.  Don't worry if the dough is in shaggy clumps, it will come together.  

 Look at the luscious, juicy strawberries! 

Add the dice strawberries to the dough and gently toss around with a fork.  

The diced strawberries are pretty delicate, so use a light hand in mixing in the fruit with the dough.

Pour the unformed dough onto a lined baking sheet.  I used my Silpat liner.   

Use your hands to pat all the strawberries and dough in a rectangular shape.  

Carefully cut the dough into the shape and size as desired.  Make sure the liner is not damaged. I used the edge of my silicone spatula/flipper to cut the dough. 

 Ready for the oven!

Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes, until golden.  From this batch, I was able to cut out 14 scones.  

Fresh Strawberry Scones 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter, diced
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 large egg

1/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp milk (or more if necessary)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add diced butter and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse meal with pea sized butter pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of sugar (optional). Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. 

To make icing glaze:

Add 1/2 tsp milk to icing sugar and mix.  Add extra 1/4 tsp milk at a time if needed. Drizzle the icing over the cooled scones.  Another option is to place icing in a ziplock bag, snip a tiny corner and pipe the icing on. 

- Adapted from Allrecipes.com: Simple Scones

  

Enjoy!

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