Sweet

Strawberry Mint Cake

by April

So I don’t blog for months and the entire publishing tool for WordPress has completely been changed and I can’t go back to the original??? Gah! I’m so confused and don’t have the patience to learn this the way I should…

Like everyone else, dealing with Covid and its affects on the entire world, it simply has been maddening. Though, I am looking at this as a growth and learning period – basically becoming more of an adult than what I already am. We’ve made some serious life changes to adapt to our new environment and reality. FYI – don’t buy or sell a house during quarantine. It’s an already stressful process on a normal day, but this amplifies it all.

How does any of that relate to this post? Well, I haven’t been myself in the last few months given that I’ve had to be a stay-at-home mom, employed full-time, housekeeper, interior designer, project manager, hairdresser, chef, FP&A manager, and whatever else fits the bill. Needless to say, I haven’t had the energy or desire to be creative and I honestly think that killed me a little bit.

I finally found some deeply buried creative desires the other day and started to crave a fruity and citrusy dessert. I recalled a Treat of the Month I did once called Bundtinis, where I made small bundt cakes that had different fruits and booze in it. My fave out of the bunch was the blueberry mojito. The tartness of the lime and blueberries paired perfectly with the sweetness of the white chocolate drizzle! I remembered I had freeze-dried strawberries and nothing could stop me!

STRAWBERRY MINT CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

INGREDIENTS (yields 24 cupcakes or 1 med bundt cake; cook time ~45m)

  • 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries (reserve a little bit for the topping)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves (reserve a few leaves for topping)
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter – room temp
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk – room temp
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz cream cheese

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 350ÂşF
  2. Grease or line your pans
  3. In a medium bowl or your stand-mixer, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
  5. Add all your dry ingredients and mix up until you no longer see the flour.
  6. Fold in freeze-dried strawberries, mint, and lemon zest. You don’t want to over-mix it at this point.
  7. Pour or scoop batter into your pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until your cake tester (toothpick) comes out cleanly.
  8. While cake is baking, make your lemon glaze.
  9. In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, add cream cheese, heavy cream, and lemon juice. Constantly whisk until it’s smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar until it’s all combined. You may need to add more sugar depending on how sweet you want this to be. Keep in mind, the cake won’t be as sweet since there’s only 1/2 cup of sugar in it. The glaze is the show-stopper!
  10. Remove cake from oven and spoon over the glaze. Eat it warm!

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