Fresh Strawberry Cake

I’d love to lay claim to this gorgeous fresh strawberry cake but all the credit goes to my talented sister-in-law, Tammy.  She is the one in the family who makes all the delicious desserts for family birthdays and special occasions and I was lucky enough to spend the day with her at the farms last week where she was inspired to make this beauty!

I’m going to be adding a lot more desserts to the blog over the coming months and have recruited some talented  family members and friends to do that.   Maybe I can even learn a little bit about baking along the way!  Anything is possible, right?

My favorite way to start the day is with a trip to Barrie Hill Farms and Nicholyn Farms and that’s exactly what we did.  The weather has been so hot lately that suddenly everything is growing more quickly and we were lucky enough to be there for the first day of blueberries!  Barrie Hill Farms also has two types of strawberries – Summer and Fall – so we will be getting fresh local strawberries till mid-September.  Fabulous!

One of my favorite things about the farms is the atmosphere.  Everyone is so happy – the staff, the customers and especially the kids that are there to pick their own veggies in the field.  It’s such a treat for them!

Is there anything on this planet as delicious as raspberries?  Maybe the combo of raspberries and chocolate!

Mother Nature sure knows how to capture our hearts and imagination!  With all these berries in season at the same time, I’ve created a triple berry baked french toast that I’ll be sharing on the blog soon.  I kept the refined sugar out and sweetened it with orange juice and maple syrup – always a great combo!

Back to this brilliant cake!  Tammy was wise enough to keep me away from the baking process so I set up my camera while she went to work.  Smart girl!

Now this cake is not what you would call ‘healthy’ but if you’re eating healthy on a regular basis, I see no reason why you can’t treat yourself now and then.  I had two pieces and it is so moist and super delicious.  The strawberry cream cheese frosting is the best thing I’ve ever tasted on the top of a cake!  And I’ve had a lot of delicious cakes at Tammy’s house.

What have you been doing with your strawberries this year?  Take a pic of your creations and share it with me on Instagram with the hashtag #simplyfreshdinners and I’ll post it on my feed.

This recipe originated at olivenation.com with some minor changes.  If you’re a baker and you can get your hands on some local strawberries, you can’t pass on this.  You’ll be thanking me….and Tammy!  Cheers!