Strawberry Birthday [Short]cake

Sometimes the best things happen by accident. Child knew she wanted to bake a cake for her birthday and it should have layers and strawberries.

So we started with a Betty Crocker Starlight Yellow Cake adapted slightly since I didn't have shortening.

I used a jelly roll pan for one layer and the corresponding sized cake pan for the second.

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease and flour pans.

The cake:

(Put all ingredients in, 30 seconds mixing on low, 3 minutes on high.)

- 2 1/4 cups flour

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1 heaping tablespoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/4 cups soy milk

- 3/4 cup butter (softened)

- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

- 3 eggs

We cooked ours 30 minutes.

The filling:

I had leftover cooked strawberries frozen from a previous dessert and used fresh strawberries and homemade lemon whipped cream to stretch it out

The whipped cream:

(In a cold mixing bowl with a cold blender)

- one pint heavy whipping cream

- one tablespoon powdered sugar

- one teaspoon lemon extract 

Mix until it "creams"

Take the layers out of the oven. Cool the pans on wire racks for ten minutes. Invert them and the layers should fall out. When cool, spread strawberries and whipped cream on one layer, top with other layer, ice with more whipped cream. Decorate with strawberries. Store in fridge.

My ten-year-old did all the work. I supervised.

Chocolate PB banana smoothie

My daughter was cleaning her room this morning and I offered her a banana as a snack. She asked if she could have a smoothie instead.

We came up with this delicious concoction.

- two ripe bananas 

- two and a half tablespoons plain yogurt

- about two tablespoons peanut butter

- about 1 cup chocolate soy milk

- about two tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Into the blender it went...

Crazy pizza

I didn't intend on blogging this one as I thought it'd be a boring, normal pizza albeit with artichoke hearts.

But I didn't have pizza sauce, or I couldn't find it anywhere. And I mixed up a crust with coconut flour, flax meal, and rye flour so maybe it is worth an attempt.

Because it turned out scrumptious.

My husband was doing some grout and caulk work in our bathroom. Child handled grating the cheese.

Preheat to 400 degrees 

Crust (all measures a guesstimate)

In one bowl, no metal utensils:

- 1 cup hot tap water

- 1 teaspoon honey

- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 

- 1 teaspoon yeast 

Set aside while prepping the dry ingredients. 

Dry ingredients:

- 1/4 cup flax meal

- 1/4 cup sesame seeds

- 1/4 cup coconut flour

- 1/2 cup dark rye flour

- about 2 cups white flour

(And more white flour to avoid stickiness if needed)

Combine, knead, and set aside to rise about 15 minutes.

Coat pan with extra virgin olive oil & corn meal. Spread the crust thin. 

Sauce: I used 1/2 plain tomato sauce & 1/2 buffalo sauce

Toppings: black olives & artichoke hearts

Cheese: some Swiss, some cheddar, about 6 ounces mozzarella and Parmesan.