Strawberry Shortcake Cake

It's another year for me. My 32nd birthday. A day to celebrate life, my life, and all it's good things.

It's a day to remember the suffering and joys of the past year and look forward to the next. Maybe a day to think of some adventures or goals to encounter over the next year too. Some of mine for this coming year include getting my first tattoo ;) and being outside as much as I physically can!

This work of seeking more of who you are is brave and courageous work. Sometimes looking inward can be so ugly and exhausting. But once you start turning the mirror on yourself you can also see the light and the Divine within as well. This discovery is pure magic and brings so much love for thine true self. You don't have to go seeking very far and long before you find what you truly are and want to be already within. You are created very good- and now to live forward with this belief is revolutionary! This self-love will also allow you to have more empathy for yourself, and will in turn allow you to offer more love and empathy for others all around you as well. This love is what wins. 

I feel like my cake was simple this year. Just how I wanted it. I have been doing a lot of baking this past season, and was not overly looking forward to a decadent, rich, and overly sweet dessert. I felt inspired by some fresh organic strawberries I picked up at my local health store and decided that it just what I wanted... a little sponge shortcake and a dollop of berries and cream. It was perfect!  

Strawberry Shortcake Cake Recipe

{gluten, dairy, soy, egg, seed and nut-free}

1/2 cup of finely ground GF oat flour

1/2 cup of rice flour

1/2 cup of tapioca flour

1/2 cup of potato starch

2 ts. of baking powder (I use Hain brand to have corn-free) 

1 ts. of baking soda

1 ts. of sea salt

1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1/2 cup of melted organic coconut oil

1 cup of strawberry-milk puree- this includes 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries with 1/2 cup of coconut milk beverage or other non-dairy milk and blend all together in high powered blender with 1 TB of apple cider vinegar to make 1 cup of strawberry cream puree

1 organic lemon, zested and juiced for 1/4 cup of lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, mix all together all the dry ingredients first. Then add in the liquid ingreidents and mix well together. Pour into an oiled pan (I used an angel food cake pan for this one) but you could use a 9x13, or bundt pan too. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. The can will turn a slightly golden brown color.  Let the cake cool for at least an hour before serving. 

You can either decorate and top the cake with coconut whipped cream, cut up strawberries or leave it all on the side and you can just have it seperate to serve for a more toppled version. I like it both ways. I decided to leave the cream off so that it would be easier for leftover this time around. 

Coconut Whipped Cream Topping Recipe

1 can of full fat coconut milk (use the cream only)

2-3 TB of pure maple syrup

Chill the can of coconut milk for at least a few hours or speed up the process in the freezer. Then right before serving, open the can and scoop out the separated coconut cream on the top and pour all of the remaining coconut water in a separate container to keep and use for other baked goods or smoothies. After putting the coconut cream in a bowl with syrup, use an electric mixer and whip up the cream for at least 3 minutes until you get peaks and a thicker cream. Then you can top the pie with this cream however you like. 

You can sub 1-2 TB of honey for the maple syrup. And if you want, prefer or like dairy you can use just regular whipping cream whipped up to perfection. 

Also, I have used this So Delicious CoCoWhip Cream in place of making my own coconut whipped topping and it is just fabulous too! Kinda like good ol fashioned cool whip from when I was a kid int he 90's :)      

I don't really do anything to prepare the strawberries, besdies, wash, dry, and slice. You could add a sprinkle of some sugar and let it sit in the fridge to make a more juicy and saucing strawberry topping, but that is totally preferance too. This recipe will be the best when the Michigan strawberries come into season in a few months. But I have found some organic strawberries that are coming into season in California right now- and they taste heavenly this spring and have me looking forward so much to our own berries very soon!

Well, it's no secret that I love celebrating birthdays, especially with cake. This picture above is how I savored a piece for breakfast the next morning- because it's my morning after tradition ;) So here's to another year and may it be a year of being brave to encounter more of who I am and who I want to be. Happy baking and much love to you, xoxo