Keik me Fraoules kai Karydia--Strawberry Walnut Loaf

Strawberry season is on and our local fruit and vegetable markets are brimming with containers of these ripe red berries. The kiddies can eat an entire quart in the blink of an eye so I barely ever get to set some aside for anything (or, ehem, anyone) else. But as strawberries now are ridiculously fresh and really inexpensive, I didn't hesitate to buy a few extra the other day.

I love quick fresh cakes that double as a breakfast option and a healthy snack. So it was a no-brainer that any extra strawberries on hand would make it into one such sweet treat. Moist, just sweet enough and loaded with fresh strawberries this Strawberry and Walnut Loaf is the perfect way to put your strawberries to good use.

As Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures is hosting the event Strawberry Feast, I am sending this her way.



Strawberry Walnut Loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Stir in half of the flour mixture, then all the yogurt and finally the remaining flour. Mix in the sliced strawberries and walnuts until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in center of oven for about 40 minutes, until golden or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Note: To dress this simple treat up, drizzle a simple glaze over top or serve with freshly whipped cream.

Blackberry and Mascarpone Buttercream Filled Cake

Let me begin by saying I've cooked for 50-plus people a number of times; I've baked every one of my daughter's and son's birthday cakes for the past four years (6 cakes total and probably hundreds of cupcakes); I've made a cake and numerous cupcakes for the birthdays of my niece and a few of our friends' children; but I was never so nervous about any of those tasks as I was about this three-tiered cake I made for a friend's bridal shower this past Sunday.

With 53 eggs, 34 sticks of butter and I don't even know how much sugar, this cake was quite a feat. I just wish I would have approached it a bit calmer ... I was so anxious for it to turn out well it was insane. But I'm happy to say, it was ultimately enjoyed by all and I'm glad I got to contribute to someone's special day in this small way.

Inside each tier were four layers of buttercake with sherry-soaked blackberries and creamy mascarpone buttercream frosting sandwiched between. The buttercake though substantial enough to hold the weight of all the tiers and decorations, remained moist (I also brushed each buttercake layer with a simple sugar syrup to be sure of that). And the sherry-soaked blackberries went really well with the mascarpone buttercream (for which I followed my usual recipe for frosting, but just added the mascarpone twist).

The cake was covered in fondant (which I made with marshmallows; a surprisingly simple recipe that tastes so, so, so much better than the store-bought fondant) and decorated with fondant ribbons and gumpaste bows and flowers.

I, of course, keep focusing on the imperfections but am trying hard to remind myself that this is a cake ... meant to be eaten and thoroughly enjoyed, not placed in an art museum!