In The Kitchen with Mr. Goddard
On Sunday night Mr. Goddard helped me make strawberry cupcakes for his boss' birthday. He tried to convince me to make yellow cake with chocolate frosting (his favorite) because supposedly Ray liked it too, but I wasn't buying his story! I've made them multiple times already for his office and I wanted to make something different. I knew Ray liked strawberries and possibly against my better judgement, I tried a completely new recipe to me. The cake AND frosting!
The cake comes from the blog Sweetapolita, which is absolutely adorable, but unfortunately this is my second cake I've made and both times I've been a little let down. I will say that I'm obviously making cupcakes whereas her recipes are for layered cakes, but it's never been an issue for me before. :( These cupcakes were fairly tasty, the just didn't rise very nicely for me. I don't know if it had something to do with the jell-o mix inside - what drew me to the recipe in the first place - or if it's my new oven or what?!
My frosting was found at random through Foodgawker. The frosting was DELICIOUS, but essentially it was whipped cream. The blogger didn't mention anything about refrigeration, but I was concerned they'd be a runny, soggy mess in the morning. I really don't like refrigerating my cupcakes, but it was too late to start new frosting. Have you ever made a frosting with 2 cups of heavy cream? What was your experience? Does the frosting hold up? Please help!
{Mr. Goddard takes his baking seriously. Sugar and Jell-O about to be beaten into the butter.}
Strawberry Cupcakes
{Via Sweetapolita}
Makes 28 cupcakes
Strawberry Layer Cake {click to print}
Yield: 3 x 8″ round layers
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups (12 oz/350 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (3 oz/85 g) package strawberry flavored gelatin (such as Jell-O)
- 1 cup (8 oz/227 g) butter, softened
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 3 cups (10.5 oz/300 g) sifted cake & pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL/17 g) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon (3.75 mL/5 g) salt
- 1 cup (236 ml/8 liquid oz) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (2 liquid oz/4.5 oz/130 g) strawberry puree made from frozen strawberries (puree itself should be closer to room temp, not frozen or icy)
{The milk, strawberry puree, and vanilla all mixed together and waiting to be added to the batter.}
Preparation:
1. If you’re making your own strawberry puree, remove frozen strawberries (about 2 handfuls) from freezer and place in a single layer in a flat dish to thaw slightly. Place into food processor and puree the strawberries until smooth. Stir to ensure it is nice and smooth and not icy. Measure out 1/4 cup for cake and 3 tablespoons for frosting, and freeze the remaining puree for another use.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter, line with parchment, and flour three round 8-inch pans, tapping out the excess. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir the milk, strawberry puree, and the vanilla. Set aside.
4. Sift and whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, and set aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, gelatin, and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy–about 5 minutes.
6. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with spatula.
7. Add the wet & dry ingredients to the creamed mixture by alternating–beginning and ending with dry ingredients and mixing just enough after each addition to incorporate, but not overmix.
8. Divide the batter in three, spreading it evenly with a small offset palette knife. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh each pan filled with batter, to ensure 3 even layers.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the center. Be so careful to not overbake. Check cakes at 20 minutes, but not before, and once you feel it’s almost ready, set the timer for 2 minute intervals. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small metal spatula, and invert onto greased wire racks. Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are up and cool completely.
10. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Best eaten day one.
*Adapted from allrecipes.com
Creamy Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cold
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 5 strawberries, rinsed dried and quartered
Preparation 1) With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with a paddle attachment on medium until it is fluffy. Beat in the jam, vanilla and sugar until just combined. 2) Switch to a whisk attachment and reduce the speed to medium-low. Add the heavy cream in a slow steady stream. 3) Increase the speed to high and whip until the frosting is fluffy and slightly stiff. Do not over whip, otherwise it will look curdled.
{The fruits of his labor. We looooved the frosting!}