Blessings From My Kitchen: Strawberry hibiscus cake

Here we are, in the dregs of summer, a few call it desert terrain's most blah time of the year. Suffice to say, most of us ~~searing~~ living here are not fans of mid year weather. We make the best of it, owning the season with a vengeance as fierce as the heat. A climate declaring three digit temperature readings a way of life can, apparently, be quite boastworthy. These 3-4 months, when folks mere miles across State lines enjoy blissful backyard barbecues, we sweat, burn, and Tiktok our way by frying eggs on the sidewalk.

On brighter notes, I'd set up birdhouses/ feeders/ a veritable living area for feathered buddies to keep cool. It gives a semblance of the airy summers reminiscent of a Midwest life too long ago. In addition, the flower beds I planted in early Spring did not incinerate and the zucchini garden actually yielded squash as big as my arm. Greenthumbwise, within our habitat, that's a notable feat, and since my planter skills are so limited and rarely thrive, the said zucchini sits in my fridge as a monument for posterity.

Coming to point, some time ago, my social media feed was infiltrated with a lineup of globe cakes. Bakers of all sorts celebrated Earth Day with desserts that looked like the world atlas. It was not exactly the do or die project I had on my baking bucket list. Yet, after careful consideration, and because my day job is teaching English and History, I came to the conclusion an edible 3D map could make for a fine visual aid. I mean, what better way to have students excited about learning other than bribing them with an object lesson they can slice and eat?

Pulling the project off and later waxing poetic about it is one of the reasons for the manuscript. Although, it's the contents inside I'd like to expand upon. Even if it took a couple of months to bring to surface.

Strawberry cake with a surprise element should definitely be a thing. Performatively in contrast from the fault line production featured a couple of years ago, this recipe is a derivation sourced off an extensive Google search( read: cycling the web for hours and losing focus) and slightly different owing to the surprise ingredient.

Most of us agree berries are fairly delicious solo. Likewise, a sticky reduction imparts pure fruit flavor, and sets the line between cakes made with chopped fruit and those expansively infused. In addition, experimenting with a harmonious accent or two could take it to another level.

So, before we forward on, let me introduce you to today's game changer. In case you'd never come across powdered hibiscus, come over and say hi!

The burgundy powder has amazing cranberry -like notes. Tart and ever so floral, a spoonful results in a hmm... factor, leading you to speculate whether strawberries alone can reach such depth. The synthesis of the two create deep rosa-pink and the prettiest crumb, worthy of grand centerpiece glory.

These are dimensions we don't normally predict in baking, where vanilla and chocolate run the flavor gamut. Such interventions from techniques/elements render unique and rather lovely compilations, breathing life into routine cake menus.

In all hopes, today's script should encourage you too, maybe in similar manner, to model your own rendition of the earth from the list below.

Although, I'll tell you, the blueprint can be just as enjoyable in a 13x9 sheet cake and/or layered round.

Cake~

Ingredients:

(Adapted from Live Well Bake Often)

3 ¼ cups quartered fresh strawberries with stems removed
3 cups cake flour
1 tbsp hibiscus powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
¼ cup canola (or vegetable) oil
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 drops red liquid food coloring (optional)
¾ cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs (at room temperature)

Directions:

Make the strawberry puree: place quartered strawberries in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour the puree into a large saucepan and stir over medium heat. Cook until the mixture has reduced to ¾ cup, stirring so it doesn’t burn. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, scoop the reduced strawberry puree into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, hibiscus powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together 3/4 cup of strawberry puree, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food coloring(if using) together until well combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy and pale.
Beat in the eggs, scraping bowl between each addition.
In three increments add in the dry ingredients with the wet, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix between additions until just combined, avoiding overbeating.
Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Place pans on wire racks for 10 minutes then invert onto racks to cool completely.
Once cooled decorate as desired or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to assemble and frost.

Strawberry- hibiscus buttercream frosting~

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp strawberry puree
½ tsp hibiscus powder
2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

Mix butter and sugar on medium in a stand mixer. Beat until pale.
Add strawberry puree, hibiscus powder and cream. Beat mixture on medium- high beat until light and creamy.
Mix in cream by tablespoons and beat to preferred consistency.

Assembly:

If doing a layer cake, smooth frosting on the tops of one cake and stack the second one over the other. Frost the sides and top of the layered cake with the remaining icing.

Notes: No cake flour? No problem. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch in its place.