Triple Berry Cake

Full disclosure: I totally and completely copied the idea for this Triple Berry Cake from Sweet Lady Jane Bakery in Southern California.  I'd seen this particular  layer cake countless times in magazines and the internet because it seemed to be the birthday cake of choice by the likes of Taylor Swift and Gigi Hadid.  Celebrities aside, I was mainly drawn to the cake for its aesthetics.  I just love the beautiful fruit flowers and leaves set against the whipped cream background.  Absolutely gorgeous!

I did a google search and found a few YouTube videos that showed how the cake is made. What I especially loved was that it wasn't too sweet since the frosting was whipped cream.  Unfortunately Sweet Lady Jane's hasn't disclosed the cake recipe but if you break it down to its components it didn't seem that difficult: yellow cake, whipped cream and lots of fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries and raspberries).

Here's what I made my cake with:

Classic Yellow Cake from Stella Parks

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream from Cook's Illustrated  

Tips for next time: 

1. Make at least 6 cups of sweetened whipped cream (using about 3 cups heavy cream) because I ran out at the end, thus the "naked" look on the sides of my cake.
2. When applying the fresh berries between each cake layer fill the entire surface with tightly packed fruit!  I left gaps and when you cut in to the cake you have gaps...not pretty.

Blush and Bashful Marshmallows

If you're an aficionada of Steel Magnolias (the movie) like I am you'll know exactly what this post title is referring to.  If not, read on...a Louisiana accent may help!

Truvy: What are your colors, Shelby?

Shelby: They're blush and bashful.

M'Lynn: Her colors are pink and pink.

Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful, Mama!

M'Lynn: How precious is this wedding gonna get, I ask you? 

Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful.  I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.

When I set about making Valentine-themed marshmallows I was instantly inspired by the movie since it's one of my all-time favorites.  I started with the raspberry marshmallows that I made this past Christmas and tweaked the recipe just a little to achieve the bi-color effect I was after.   Half of the recipe became blackberry (the deeper pink) and the other half was raspberry/strawberry.

I daresay if Shelby had seen these lovely pink marshmallows she would have served them at her wedding!

Blackberry and Strawberry Macarons

My cousin's hair salon, Hair Cuts Etc., celebrated its 10th anniversary over the weekend so she ordered some macarons for the party she was having.  Her only request was that they coordinate with the purple and dark pink color theme.  For the macaron flavors I decided to go with something fresh and fruity, blackberry and strawberry.

The last time I made macarons was back in February so I was definitely feeling a bit rusty.  Apparently the macaron gods could sense my trepidation because the first batch came out terrible - paper thin tops and they kept sticking to the baking sheet.  Ugh!  Into the compost bin they went.   You'd think that after making them for the past few years I'd know what I was doing.

Determined to not let another batch go to waste I kept at it.  Much to my relief the next trays came out as they should have.  Just goes to show that baking is as much about perseverance as it is about skill.

Blackberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta

I don't know about you but I'm a bit of a Costco fanatic.  I just love the place, which can be a really dangerous (and expensive!) habit.  My friend Grace and I have, on many an occasion, made the trek there during our lunch break from work.   We're crazy like that.

    

For someone like me it's a great place to stock up on baking staples.  I buy unsalted butter there like it's going out of fashion.  On my last trip they had some amazing blackberries that were cheap as chips.  So of course I ended up buying way too many...over a kilo to be exact. 

    

You can bet that I was searching high and low for blackberry recipes because I hated the thought of the berries going to waste. I found this one for blackberry buttermilk panna cotta on epicurious.com.  Luckily I had all the ingredients in my fridge so it came together really quickly.  

These panna cotta are super creamy and refreshing, with the slightest tang from the buttermilk.  They are fabulous topped with mixed berries - a perfect light and fruity dessert to end any meal.

Berry Fool

When it comes to unusual food names the British definitely take the top prize.  Care for some bubble and squeak or spotted dick?  How about toad-in-the hole?  By their names alone they don't necessarily get your taste buds salivating do they?

Now here's a British dessert that completely belies its peculiar moniker, fool.  In this case strawberry and blackberry fool.  Looking for the perfect dessert that's creamy, light and  bursting with fruit flavor?  Look no further.  

If you love berries and you love cream I can pretty much guarantee that berry fool is right up your alley.   I can't think of a better dessert to herald the beginning of spring.