Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

Notes:
In the States, one could always find strawberry cake mix. Not in Canada. Or at least not where we are. So when our daughter asked for a just that flavor for her birthday cake, I turned to AllRecipes for help. I chose the recipe above because it was from scratch. Most of the others depended on a white cake mix with additions. And it was a great cake! So pink too!!

One small change I made was to substitute my homemade strawberry jam for the frozen strawberry puree. For me, a much cheaper option with exactly the same results.

Oh, and I baked it in one 9 X 13 pan which made the cake thicker than it probably should have been. But it did take much longer to bake than the recipe says. Almost double the time actually. Thankfully, it didn’t burn at all, but I did take the precaution of covering it with aluminum foil towards the end.

Last but not least, we cut this cake to the shape of a butterfly and had a blast decorating it. Big hint though – buy an extra two tubs of icing for all those corners and sides!

Bake white cake as directed in two – 9” cake pans. Cool completely.

Clean cake pans, and place cooled cakes in them. Prick each cake with fork at ½“intervals.

Dissolve each flavor of Jell-O separately in 1c of boiling water and carefully spoon each over one of the cake layers. Chill for 3 – 4 hours.

Dip one cake pan in warm water for 10 seconds and turn out onto serving plate. Top with 1 cup icing. Un-mold second cake layer and place carefully on first layer. Frost everything. Chill and Garnish.

Notes: Found this in an ancient magazine, but the photo looked very appealing for kids. When sliced, the Jello looks like large color drippings inside the cake. Can’t wait to try it for our son’s birthday. We’ll be doing red and blue – whatever flavors they may be.

by Catherine Doherty

Perhaps you might be interested in a few of the foreign recipes for Christmas cakes or other foods that bring us closer to our neighbors – wherever they may be.

Turta – Walnut layered strudel
From Romania

12 cups flour
6 egg yolks
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
About 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
About 2 cups flour for rolling dough
3 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (1/2 lb) butter, melted
½ cup honey

Put flour in large mixing bowl; make a well in center; put in it egg yolks and oil. With a fork beat eggs and oil, gradually working in the flour, adding lukewarm water gradually to make a soft dough. Knead dough until it is very light; then place it on lightly floured board, cover with a bowl and let stand in warm place for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix walnuts and sugar.

Cover large table with a clean cloth; sprinkle entire surface with flour. Cut dough into six pieces; knead into balls; keep covered with bowl.

Roll dough pieces, one at a time, to the size of a man’s handkerchief, lifting and turning frequently to make sure dough does not stick; brush top lightly with a little oil. Flour hands, both palms and backs; carefully stretch the dough from the underside, starting at the center of dough, until it is tissue thin, being careful not to make holes.

Trim edges of dough; cut into 9” squares; place these, one on top of the other, on greased jelly roll pan; brush each layer (including top) with melted butter and sprinkle with nut-sugar mixture.

Bake in moderate (350 degree F) oven, 15 minutes; pour honey over top, bake 45 to 50 minutes more. If top browns too fast, cover with brown paper or aluminum foil. Cut into squares to serve.

The beautiful and symbolic part of this recipe is that the thin coats of rolled dough represent the swaddling clothes of the Christ Child.

Buche de Noel – Christmas Log
From France

5 egg yolks
¼ cup cake flour
2 tablespoon cocoa
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon almond extract
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Coffee cream filling
Chocolate cream frosting
Candied green pineapple rings or angelica for decoration

Line a greased jelly roll pan with waxed paper

Beat egg yolks until think and pale.

Stift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon; add to egg yolks; beat well.

Stir in almond extract and gently fold in beaten egg whites until batter is well blended.

Spread batter evenly in prepared jelly roll pan and bake in moderate (350 degree F) oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until pointed knife when inserted comes out clean.

Quickly turn the cake out on damp towel sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. Trim edges, roll cake in towel in jelly roll fashion, cool; reserve cut edges.

When cake has cooked and is ready to fill, unroll and spread evenly with Coffee Cream Filling, and roll again. Slice off end of cake diagonally.

Roll out reserved cut cake edges into shape of knots; fasten and secure with tooth picks on surface of roll to simulate rings where branches were cut off.

Spread Chocolate Cream Frosting over roll with spatula. Run tines of fork through frosting to make a rough surface in imitation of bark. Decorate with candied green pineapple, cut into leaves.

Coffee Cream Filling:
½ cup butter
¾ cup sifted confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon dry instant coffee
1 tablespoon hot water

Cream butter until soft; add sugar gradually and cream until smooth. Beat in egg yolks, coffee and water; beat until easy to spread.

Chocolate Cream Frosting:
¾ cup butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks
2 – 2oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 tablespoons cocoa

Cream butter until soft; add sugar gradually, and cream until smooth. Beat in egg yolks, melted chocolate and cocoa; beat until easy to spread.

This Christmas Log is not only festive for your Yuletide board, but Delicious! Your family will love it!

Cupcakes
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup milk
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the batter alternately with the milk. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups one-half to three-quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the frosting, cream the butter until fluffy. Beat in the cocoa. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and milk and beat to spreading consistency. Frost the cupcakes.

2 cups or 1 pint of fresh/frozen strawberries
1 box yellow cake mix
1 tub store-bought vanilla frosting

If using fresh strawberries, be sure to wash, remove stems and any bad areas. If they are large, cut them into bite sized pieces. Maybe consider keeping half a handful to slice for decorating the top later, but not at all necessary.

Grease and flour the bottom of a 9×13 cake pan. Scatter strawberries along the bottom. Mix cake batter according to directions on the box and pour over strawberries. Bake as directed and frost when completely cool.

For cake:
3c flour
2c sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
2c chopped bananas, about 3
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ c oil
1 ½ t vanilla
1 – 8oz can crush pineapple, do not drain
2c chopped nuts – 1 for batter, 1 for icing

Grease and flour 3 cake pans. Preheat oven to 350.
Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs and oil. Stir until moist. Do not beat.
Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas and 1 cup of the pecans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

For frosting:
1 – 8oz pkg. cream cheese
1 – 16oz box powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
½ c butter

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and beat until creamy.

Cool cake completely before icing. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans between layers of cake and on top.

Notes:
I’ve received many compliments on this cake and always send them my grandmother’s way. I love how it incorporates fruit and makes three beautiful layers. Its white icing made it a nice choice for a baptismal cake when we needed one. And I’ve thought lately if I needed something to make for a bake sale, you can get three single cakes from this one recipe.

The filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar or Cool-Whip
4 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Line a cookie sheet that has a small lip all the way around with waxed paper. Grease and flour it.

In a bowl, beat 3 eggs, then mix in sugar slowly. Add remaining ingredients, pour onto prepared pan and bake in preheated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

While baking, whip together filling with an electric mixer. Spread it on the cooled cake and roll up like a jelly roll.

This year I just want to be sure you are pointed in the right direction, so that your Fat Tuesday is everything it can be. This recipe is the best link - for its simple directions and wonderful pictures. Bon appetit!