Girl Gone Domestic

Here we are, into July.

While it is officially summer, here in the Pacific Northwest, we haven’t gotten there…yet.

If you live here, you know that summer really begins some time in July.  And so, I am gearing up.

The kid’s swim gear is ready and waiting, and I am Pinning summer inspired recipes for the coming months.

And then there is this recipe, which I originally made for Valentine’s Day because of its pink & red color scheme, but it would fit on a fourth of July party table as well.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and it is from the most beautiful food blog, Souvlaki For the Soul.

When I come across recipes, my first thought is always, “Will this recipe work with all the food sensitivities and allergies in our family?”, and if it has ingredients that do not work, I wonder if it can easily be altered.  The key word being “easily”.  I am not a kitchen experimenter, I just don’t have the time.

This recipe fit the bill in so many ways.  First, it was easily adaptable.  Second,  it was crazy easy to prepare.  Thirdly, it was absolutely delicious. And lastly, it was beautiful. I love beautiful food.

So just in time for a late summer, here you have it.

Strawberry Cloud Cake

adapted from this recipe on Souvlaki For the Soul

For the crust:

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup dessicated unsweetened coconut

sweetener to taste (optional, I didn’t use any)

1/3 cup of melted butter, coconut oil or ghee

For the filling:

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled & chopped

1 cup sweetener of choice

juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Process almond flour, coconut and sweetener, if using in food processor until fine.  Add melted butter or coconut oil and combine until the ingredients can be clumped together.  Press firmly into a springform pan. Note: a smaller diameter pan will result in a high cake, like the one I made, and a larger pan, a thinner cake, as you see on the original recipe.  Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

And now the easy part.  Place all the ingredients for the filling in a stand mixer and whisk for 6-8 minutes until thick and fluffy.  You will be amazed by the way the strawberries blend into the egg whites, and create this beautiful lovely pink fluff.

Transfer the strawberry egg white mixture onto the prepared crust, smooth and cover with parchment paper.  Freeze 4-6 hours.  Garnish with fresh berries before serving.

Additional note: I used coconut oil in my crust and it freezes very hard, making it slightly difficult to cut through and causing some of the crust to break off in chunks, as you can see in the photo below.  Regardless, it tasted wonderful.  Next time I will try ghee or palm shortening to see if it is more manageable.  If you can eat butter, by all means, use it, I am sure it adds remarkable flavor.  I cannot use it due to my 8 year old’s milk allergy.