Bellflower Blends Strawberry Ladyfinger No-Bake Summer Cake
Strawberries, Cream, Lovely Ladyfinger Cakes, with a hint of Chocolate!
HOW TO MAKE:
There are two ways to make a Ladyfinger Cake: one in a 9” springform pan, and the other (the way my family often does it) in a 9” glass bowl. The advantage of the springform pan is that you can cut pieces in the traditional cake triangle slices. With the glass bowl, you scoop out with an extra large spoon and usually it is served in a shallow bowl. Either way, this recipe is great on a sunny summer day when Strawberries are in high season!
And yes, you do need to make it the night before, which is perfect for me. When most of the house is asleep, my adult daughter and I stay up and make this in the quiet house and have one of those really have a nice “late night” talks!
INSTRUCTIONS
PART 1:
Stir together cut strawberries and Bellflower Blends LOL! Sugar in medium bowl. Stir gently, and let the berries release their juices for about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, separate the strawberry pieces from their juice, reserving both.
PART 2:
In a large bowl combine Mascarpone (or Cream Cheese) with Bellflower Blends Viva Vanilla sugar (that you have “powdered” in your food processor.” Beat on medium speed until light and airy, using a spatula to make sure all the Mascarpone and sugar have blended at the bottom of the bowl.
Add whipping cream, and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about 2-4 minutes.
PART 3:
Line the outside of your spring pan or glass bowl with Ladyfinger halves, the tops facing out. If you need to trim or cut your Ladyfingers to make a perfect fit, be sure to keep all the trimmed pieces.
Line the bottom of the spring pan or glass bowl with ladyfingers halves,
using any trimmed pieces to fill in the layer.
Next, layer with 1/2 of the solid strawberry pieces.
Next, layer with 1/3 of Mascarpone (or Cream Cheese) and Whipping Cream mixture.
Add a layer of Ladyfingers, again using any trimmed pieces to fill in the layer.
Then, layer with the second half of the solid pieces of strawberry pieces.
Then, layer with the second third of the of the Mascarpone and Whipping Cream mixture.
Add a final layer of Ladyfingers, insides facing up.
Soak the LOL! & Strawberry juices evenly over the upside ladyfingers.
Then, for a surprise touch (if you wish!) add the lightly ground Bellflower Blends Chocolate & Strawberry Sugar over the cake and strawberry juice, sprinkling evenly.
Finally, add the last 1/3 of the Mascarpone and Whipping Cream mixture.
Smooth the top of your cake, making it look clean and lovely.
Top with upside down whole fresh strawberries around the edges.
PART 3:
Loosely cover your spring pan or glass bowl with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 6-12 hours.
When firm, if in a spring pan, release the spring and transfer to a cake stand.
Traditionally, Strawberry Ladyfinger Cake is served with a red ribbon tied half-way down the sides of the Ladyfingers, or if in a glass bowl, half-way down the side of the glass.
Serve cold.
REASONINGS:
This is quick to make the night before any festive occasion because the “cake” is store bought,
so the rest is easy.
Cake is served just-out-of-the-refrigerator cold, so it’s truly a refreshing treat on a hot day.
When this recipe is made in a glass bowl, it is often called “Trifle” instead of “Cake.”
HINTS:
Can be made with slices of pound cake, especially if you are using a bowl. The Ladyfingers make for a pretty sensational presentation, but pound cake in a pinch still soaks up the cream and juices for a wonderful cool treat.
Can be make with summer peaches. Use all the above ingredients except the Chocolate & Strawberry sugar.
Can be made with mixed fruits. Again, use all the above ingredients except the Chocolate and Strawberry sugar — unless you want to be daring!
Can be make with 6-8 of Cool Whip® mixed with some of the strawberry juice on the very top if you want thicker layers of the Mascarpone and Whipping Cream mixture in the lower levels. I usually don’t mix Cool Whip and Whipping Cream in cakes (because they have a different mouth-feel), but in some households, a summer dessert isn’t a summer dessert without some Cool Whip on top!
Sugars Used In Recipe
We present to you the Ultimate Citrus Blend!
Many years ago when I was recovering from major surgery, it just happened to coincide with a “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” weekend marathon. To my surprise and delight (and the Shakespeare & Philosophy junkie parts of me) I got totally hooked, even venturing for the first time into online chatrooms. It was there that I first encountered the “LOL! acronym for the first time. I had no idea what it meant and finally had to ask my then-teen daughter who rolled her eyes and told me it was short for “Laugh Out Loud!”
So when I was thinking of making a special citrus-only blend, I was looking at my Lemon, Orange, and Lime sugars, which made me laugh out loud!
Use this to put some zing into hot and cold beverages, add to recipes instead of plain white sugar, and Laugh Out Loud at the joys of something so simple as your “guilty pleasure” television show or a bowl of beautiful sugar!
Pouches come in four sizes: 1 oz, 3 oz, 5.2 oz, and 12 oz.
Other special sizes and our line of Gift Packages can be ordered on our “Gifts” page. We also do weddings, showers, bachelor and bachelorette, and other special order party gifts.
We use Certified Organic ingredients whenever available.
Vegan. Non-GMO. Kosher.
Allergy Alert: No wheat, soy, nut, sesame, dairy, or gluten is used in this recipe, BUT it’s made and packaged in a Certified Commercial Kitchen that handles a wide variety of foods. So err on the side of caution if your allergies are dangerous, or if even trace amounts can affect your health.
Ingredients:
Ingredients: Organic Cane, Turbinado, Demerara Sugars, Organic Lemons, Organic Oranges, Organic Limes, Swedish Pearl Sugar, Lemon, Orange, & Lime Zests, Lemon, Orange, & Lime Extract (Cane Alcohol, Oil of Lemon, Orange, Lime, & water), Organic Indian Jaggery, Organic Freeze-Dried Lemon, Orange Powder, & Lime Powder, Yellow, Orange & Green Sparkling Sugar (Cane sugar, FDC Yellow #5, Blue #1, Food Grade Carnauba wax) & citric acid (preservative).
Note: Alcohol Content of final product: >.5%
Uses:
Endless Iced Tea
Recipes to replace all or part of white sugar in cakes, pies, and cookies
For more ideas, visit our “Uses” and “Recipes” pages!
-If you want to use this sugar in recipes and want a finer grain, a quick couple of pulses in a food processor will make the larger pieces smaller for baking, rimming your favorite cocktail, sprinkling atop sweet baked goods, and more…
-In our efforts to give you the most pure ingredients, you will find Orange, Lemon, and Lime Zest pieces at the bottom of your coffee or tea cup. These are edible and are part of what makes our blends honest and genuine.
Warning: Any large sugar pieces can be rock hard and can have a real crunch unless melted in something warm.
Servings:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Chilling Time: 6-8 hours
INGREDIENTS:
For the Strawberries:
1 1/3 lb. Fresh Strawberries, green leaves removed and sliced. (About 2 1/3 Cups when cut-up)
3 Tablespoons Bellflower Blend LOL! Sugar
For the Filling:
8 oz (1 cup) Mascarpone Cheese or Whole Fat Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup plus 1 tablespoon Bellflower Blends Viva Vanilla sugar (Broken down in the Food Processor so it equals 1/2 cup in “powdered” form)
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping Cream.
For the Outside and Layers:
3 (7-oz) packed of Ladyfingers (Usually found near the fresh strawberries!)
For the Topping:
1 Tablespoon Chocolate & Strawberry (Pulsed for 3-4 short bursts in Food Processor)
8-12 Whole Fresh Strawberries, green leaves removed
This ain’t your run-of-the-mill vanilla bean sugar y’all!
At Bellflower Blends, the process to make our Viva Vanilla Bean sugar takes eight days to prepare and mix. We use three wholly different methods to create our vanilla base, which includes sourcing our Organic beans from various global locations and creating our own vanilla extract that’s aged at least 2 years.
This sugar blend not only looks amazing in your sugar bowl, sprinkled on top of your cupcakes, or in your coffee or tea, but is perfect for replacing all or part of plain sugar in any baking recipe. Our Viva Vanilla is solely unique among vanilla sugars, crafted in small batches in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Pouches come in four sizes: 1 oz, 3 oz, 5.2 oz, and 12 oz.
Other special sizes and our line of Gift Packages can be ordered on our “Gifts” page. We also do weddings, showers, bachelor and bachelorette, and other special order party gifts.
We use Certified Organic ingredients whenever available.
Vegan, Non-GMO. Kosher.
Allergy Alert: No wheat, soy, nut, sesame, dairy, or gluten is in this recipe, but it’s made and packaged in a Certified Commercial Kitchen that handles a wide variety of foods. So, err on the side of caution if trace amounts of allergens are dangerous for your health.
Ingredients:
Organic Cane, Turbinado, Demerara Sugars, Organic Vanilla Concentrate, Swedish Pearl Sugar, Gold Sparkling Sugar (Cane Sugar Crystals, FDC Yellow #5, Food Grade Carnauba wax), Pure Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste, Pure Vanilla Extract (Water, Alcohol 35%, Sugar, Vanilla Bean Extractives), Pure Madagascar Ground Vanilla, & Citric Acid (preservative).
Note: Alcohol Content of final product: > .5%
Uses and More:
-For ideas on using Viva Vanilla Bean, or any of our other sugar blends, please visit our “Uses” and “Recipes” pages for inspiration.
-If you want to use this sugar in recipes and need a finer grain, a quick couple of pulses in a food processor will make the larger pieces smaller for baking, rimming your favorite cocktail, sprinkling atop sweet baked goods, and more…
-In our efforts to give you the most pure ingredients, you may find bits of Vanilla Bean seed specks at the top and bottom of your coffee or tea cup. These are edible and are part of what makes our blends honest and genuine-
Warning: Any sugar pieces can be rock hard and can have a real crunch unless melted in something warm.
The perfect pairing has arrived!
Kids of any age will of course love this on everything from their oatmeal to ice cream.
But it’s also for lovers too! I was thinking about my favorite romantic gifts from my husband nothing beats the delicious simplicity of Chocolate and Strawberries (along with kisses and cuddles!)
It took a lot of time and testing to achieve the perfect chocolate and the most stunning strawberry. I used three different organic ways to create each individual flavor, with the entire process taking over a week! Then I added world sugars that naturally have chocolate or strawberry notes, and Voila!! (The only thing artificial is a few drops of food coloring in the strawberry hearts, because, well, I couldn’t help myself.)
I hope you agree that the total result is rich, decadent, and delicious.
Pouches come in four sizes: 1 oz, 3 oz, 5.2 oz, and 12 oz.
Other special sizes and our line of Gift Packages can be ordered on our “Gifts” page. We also do weddings, showers, bachelor and bachelorette, and other special order party gifts.
We use Certified Organic ingredients whenever available.
Vegan. Non-GMO. Kosher.
Allergy Alert: No wheat, soy, sesame, dairy, or gluten are included in this recipe, but it’s made and packaged in a TN Certified Commercial Kitchen that handles a wide variety of foods. So err on the side of caution if even trace amounts of allergens are dangerous for your health.
Allergy Alert:Chocolate, Strawberry.
Ingredients:
Organic Cane, Turbinado, Demerara Sugars combined with Belgian Dark Chocolate Powder, Organic Fresh Strawberry Juice, Premium Chocolate Extract (Cane Sugar, 37% Alcohol, Cocoa Extract), Organic Freeze-Dried Strawberries, Organic Cocoa Powder (Theobroma Cacao), Bellflower-Made Organic Vanilla Bean Extract, Swedish Pearl, Chinese Black, Organic Rapadura, and Pink, Red, & White Sparkling (Cane Sugar, FDC Red 3, Red 40 Lake, Food Grade Carnauba Wax) sugars, & citric acid.
Note: Alcohol by Volume of final product: > .5%
Uses:
Sprinkle on Oatmeal.
Great as an Ice Cream Topper.
Sprinkle it in or on top of cookies, cakes, and all baked goods.
Use it as a Cocktail rimmer or a dip for strawberries!
For more ideas, visit our “Uses” and “Recipes” pages at this site.
Tip: If you want to use this sugar in recipes and need a finer grain, a quick couple of pulses in a food processor will make the larger pieces smaller for baking, rimming your favorite cocktail, sprinkling atop sweet baked goods, and more…
Note: In our efforts to give you the most pure ingredients, you may find bits of Vanilla Bean and Strawberry seed specks at the top and bottom of your coffee or tea cup. These are edible and are part of what makes our blends honest and genuine.
Warning: Sugar pieces can be rock hard and can have a real crunch unless melted in something warm.
