strawberry white chocolate [poke] cake---gluten-free

Have you ever had a craving that you just can't put your finger on?

Like when you are in the aisle of the grocery store and just pace back and forth…trying to figure out what your body wants.

That's how I felt before making this cake. I knew I wanted to make a cake. And I knew I wanted a tasty combination.

Vanilla + Caramel = No.

Chocolate + Caramel = Gross.

Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Not today.

Vanilla + White Chocolate = Getting closer…

Vanilla + White Chocolate + Strawberry = YES.

And is there is a better day to make a cake than on Mother's Day? Most likely not.

We had the opportunity to spend the day with my in-laws. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my in-laws? Well if I haven't, they are the best. I love them so much.

My husband and I made vegetable curry for the family, my mother-in-law unwrapped gifts, we were able to talk to my brother Isaac and my sister-in-law Danielle (they are both serving missions in Panama and Guam), and we ate strawberry white chocolate cake, of course.

My incredibly beautiful mother-in-law.

One of the gifts she received from my father-in-law--jewelry from Sundance.

Step one.

Step two.

Step three.

Step four.

Strawberry White Chocolate [Poke] Cake 

gluten-free

1 gluten-free vanilla cake, baked (your choice of mix, Bob's Red Mill is pretty yummy)

• If you make a cake from a mix, I would recommend adding 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
• You can also make your own cake--these recipes are yummy: white cake or yellow cake

1 container strawberries, rinsed, de-stemmed and quartered

White Chocolate Sauce (see below)

Vanilla Whipped Cream (see below)

Directions

1. Bake the vanilla cake, according to box directions. Allow the cake to cool completely.
2. With a chopstick, poke various holes into the cake. Pour the white chocolate sauce over the cake and let it run into the holes. 
3. Spread the whipped cream evenly onto the top of the cake. 
4. At last, place the quartered strawberries on the whipped cream.
5. Eat and be ready to be addicted!

White Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 oz white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add the cream and butter to a small saucepan.
2. Place the pan over low heat until the butter melts and the cream comes to a simmer (stir frequently).
3. Pour in the white chocolate chips, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
4. Stir in vanilla.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Vegan Protein Cookie Dough (Gluten-free)

A while back, I received an email from a company called Simply Stevia. 

Simply Stevia is a company that sells stevia products. If you don't know what stevia is, it is a natural sweetener that comes directly from the Stevia Plant. Research shows that stevia is helpful in treating multiple health conditions, aiding people with weight loss, and even treating diabetes. In cooking, stevia is used as a non-caloric sweetener and flavor enhancer.

The stevia from Simply Stevia is of really high quality. I loved that it wasn't too grainy and had the perfect amount of sweet to it. (They also sell liquid stevia.)

They asked me if I would be interested in some free product in exchange for a few recipes in which I used their stevia. I was pretty excited. I couldn't decide on a flavor for them to send, so they graciously sent me a box of their mixed flavors, which includes Peach, Caramel Delicioso, Pomegranate, Natural, Mixed Berries, Valencia Orange, and Mango.

The first thing I did was use the stevia in my morning herbal tea. It was really tasty. I am a lover of Bengal Spice herbal tea from Celestial Seasonings. I put boiling water in a large mug, steeped the tea bag in the water for about 5 minutes, then removed the tea bag and stirred in one packet of Caramel Delicioso Stevia and about 1/8 cup almond milk. The flavor combination of the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, vanilla, and Caramel Delicioso was divine.

After that, I wanted to experiment a little bit. I looked in my pantry and grabbed a can of chickpeas and oats. My body was craving one thing and one thing only: cookie dough.

After mixing together the chickpeas, oats, peanut butter, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, Caramel Delicioso Stevia, and chocolate chips, I knew my task was complete. 

Oh my GOODNESS GRACIOUS...

My cookie dough was perfect. Now I just needed to roll them into cute little bite-sized pieces.

My work here was done.

Vegan Protein Cookie Dough

gluten-free

about 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I used one 15 oz. can)

4 Tablespoons natural peanut butter

3 Tablespoons oats 

1/4 cup almond milk

2-3 packets Caramel Delicioso Stevia

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

3 dashes ground cinnamon

1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegans: use semi-sweet)

1. In a food processor, pour in the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Process for about 5 seconds. Add in the peanut butter and oats. Process for 15 seconds. Pour in the almond milk, Caramel Delicioso Stevia, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Process until smooth, for about 30 or so seconds. 
2. Make sure to taste-test your cookie dough at this point. Add in any more stevia or cinnamon that you need. 
3. Throw in about half of the chocolate chips and process into the cookie dough for about 20 seconds. Remove the cookie dough from the food processor and stir in the other half of the chocolate chips. (You can also choose to add in more oats here.)
4. Roll the cookie dough into bite-sized pieces or eat with a spoon straight from the container. :)  
5. Store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or in a zippie.

The Whiteout Cake (Vanilla Cake with White Chocolate Frosting)

 

I have an obsession. It's a chocolate obsession. Any type of chocolate: dark, milk, white. You name it, I like it.  A couple weeks ago, I went to a dessert cafe called The Chocolate. Walking in was like entering a state of euphoria. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, tarts, and pastries hide behind glass cases. Desserts so beautiful they make your mouth water in anticipation. I ordered the Kitty Katrina: a divine vanilla cake layered with fruit filling and topped with whipped vanilla buttercream. I fell in love. Since then, I have been determined to make my own whiteout cake. I based my recipe from the cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, which was featured on the website, Sweetapolita.

This cake is simple to make, although it has some unique qualities: it calls for ice cold water (as opposed to the more common room temperature milk) and a combination of cake flour and all-purpose (which I think is a perfect blend). The cake baked up beautifully and made the entire house smell like warm vanilla. My favorite part was the white chocolate frosting. Aside from being different from anything I’ve ever made, it whips up smooth, creamy, and satiny–the ultimate texture for frosting and decorating. I topped it all off with a Lindt white chocolate truffle.

 Ivory

 Window light

 Truffle

 Swirl

 Inside lies the golden treasure...

Layers of delight

The Whiteout Cake

For the white cake layers:

• 2 1/2 cups of cake flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the white chocolate frosting:

• 6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• To assemble the cake
• White sprinkles/nonpareils or white chocolate shavings/truffles

Make the white cake layers:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, and beat until just combined. Turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

Make the white chocolate frosting:

1. Using either a double boiler or a microwave, melt the white chocolate and set it aside to cool.
2. In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream to cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
4. Add the vanilla and white chocolate and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

Assemble the cake:

1. Refrigerate the frosting for a few minutes (but no more) until it can hold its shape. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface, and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups of the frosting on top. Add the next layer, trim and frost it, then add the third layer. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a few white sprinkles or white nonpareils and refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up the finished cake.
2. This cake will keep beautifully in a cake saver at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the in a cake saver and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.