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Raspberry (or Strawberry) Cream-Filled Angel Cake

  • 1 store-bought angel food cake
  • 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 TBS lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1-12 oz container of Cool Whip
  • 2 pints fresh raspberries, cleaned and hulled or strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and sliced

Turn cake upside down and cut a 1 inch slice off the “top”. Lift if off carefully, set aside, and cut out the insides of your cake. Cut pieces into 1 inch cubes. Leave at least a one inch cake “cushion” all the way around the edges as well as on the bottom. You’ll be left with a hollow shell that we’ll fill with fresh berries and cream!

Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and extract. Fold Cool Whip into milk mixture and chill for 10 minutes. Once chilled, pour 1-1/2 cups worth into a bowl and stir in cake pieces. Gently fold in raspberries (or strawberries) and spoon mixture into cake shell. Replace “top” and press to seal. Use extra cream mixture to frost cake. Chill in fridge for 2 hours – garnish with additional berries if desired. Sliced and toasted almonds also look nice sprinkled on this beautiful cake.

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Strawberry Shortcake Lush

  • 1 pouch (17.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
  • Butter and egg called for on cookie mix pouch for drop cookies
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 container (7.5 oz) strawberry cream cheese spread, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam
  • 1 container (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
  • 2 boxes (4-serving size each) vanilla flavor instant pudding
  • 3 cups cold milk
  • 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
  1. Heat oven to 375. Make and bake drop cookies as directed on pouch. Cool completely, at least 20 minutes. Set aside 4 cookies for garnish.
  2. In food processor, process 1/2 of the remaining cookies to coarse crumbs. Remove to medium bowl. Continue to process second half of remaining cookies to coarse crumbs; add to bowl. Stir in melted butter until well blended. In ungreased 9X13 glass baking dish, press cookie crumb mixture firmly in bottom. Set aside.
  3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese spread, powdered sugar, and jam with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping down side of bowl frequently. Beat in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust.
  4. In another medium bowl, beat dry pudding mix and milk with whisk about 2 minutes or until thick. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls over pudding layer; spread evenly. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
  5. When ready to serve, crumble remaining 4 cookies; sprinkle cookies and strawberries on top. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pieces.
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Kneaders Filled Chocolate Strawberries

PASTRY CREAM

This can be used for filling cakes, pies, or pastries.  To make a lighter version fold in plain whipped cream or whipped topping

2 Cups milk or heavy cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 Cup white sugar

1/2 Cup water or milk

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon butter

Whisk together in a medium bowl egg yolks, water, and vanilla set aside.  In a tall heavy saucepan, stir together the 2 cups milk, sugar, butter, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Do not stir.  Immediately add egg mixture and stir constantly until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Melt and pour over cakes as a glaze, or chill and whip until light for a filling.  Ganache is a very versatile icing.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or about 3 days at room temperature.

2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 Cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Place chocolate chips in a large bowl.  Pour cream into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  As soon as the cream boils up to the top of the pan, quickly remove from heat and pour it over the chips.  Lets stand for a minute.  Stir with a whisk to mix until smooth.  Stir in vanilla and blend.  Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, and allow to cool to 85 degrees to dip strawberries.

CREAM FILLED STRAWBERRIES

Rinse large strawberries and pat dry.  Using a long toothpick, poke a hole in the tip of each strawberry through the green stem.  With a circular motion create a larger hole inside of each strawberry.

Fill a metal tipped pastry bag with pastry cream.  Using the metal tip pipe cream into the hole created by the toothpick.  Be careful not to allow cream out the top of the strawberry.  Set aside until all the strawberries have been filled.

Allowing the Ganache to reach 85 degrees dip strawberries into chocolate mixture.  (It is important to keep stirring the chocolate Ganache so it will not bloom.)

Place on waxed paper until dry.