Recently I was fortunate to participate in a LIVE #SundaySupper event in Plant City, FL, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association and several of my Sunday Supper family members.
It was truly a spectacular weekend! We were pampered at the stunning Epicurean Hotel and enjoyed fabulous food and wine at some of Tampa's best restaurants such as Cask Social Kitchen, Ava, Elevage Restaurant, Edge, and Bern's Steak House. We even got to visit the grounds of the famous Florida Strawberry Festival! I have always wanted to attend the festival! Fingers crossed 2016 is the year I make it happen! Click here to visit my Instagram page and see all the photos from our strawberry-licious weekend!
In addition to filling our bellies, we learned all about Florida Strawberries while touring many acres of beautiful strawberry farms. The strawberry growers at Mike Lott Farms and Astin Strawberry Exchange welcomed us on a beautiful Florida day to share their vast knowledge of growing strawberries in Florida. It was picture perfect!
I learned so much about how strawberries are grown in Florida and even about strawberry breeding when we visited the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Dr. Vance Whitaker shared his passion for strawberry breeding and his very own variety, the Sweet Sensation™ strawberry. When shopping, look for the specially marked clam shells that identify Fresh From Florida Strawberries. Florida strawberries are available all winter long, so if you don't find them in your store, be sure to ask your grocer to get them for you!
Sue also shared it is best to store strawberries in the refrigerator with the hulls in tact and unwashed. Once you remove the hull and wash the strawberry you introduce water and water shortens the life of the strawberries and waters down the flavor of the berry. Sue recommends washing, drying, and removing the strawberry hull right before serving. This is valuable info, because I came home with lots of strawberries and want to keep them as fresh as possible!
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Strawberry Jelly Roll Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs separated, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup fresh Florida strawberries - washed & dried and then hulled and finely diced
- Confectioners' sugar
- Strawberries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Let it hang over the sides.
- In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk to incorporate. Set aside
- Whisk 4 egg whites using the whisk attachment and the mixer at high speed until soft peaks form; 1-2 minutes. Slowly add in 1/3 cup sugar and whisk at high speed until glossy and stiff peaks form. About 2-3 minutes but time will vary depending on the speed of you mixer. Watch closely. You don't want the eggs to get dull looking and dry. Set aside.
- Clean off your whisk attachment, and use it once again to beat on high speed the 4 egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and lemon yellow in color. About 5 minutes. Slowly sprinkle in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue beating on high speed until ribbons form on the egg mixture when it drips back into the bowl.
- Sprinkle flour mixture over yolks and mix until just combined. Gently add beaten whites on top of the flour mixture and gently fold mixture to blend until combined and evenly colored.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and level. Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed.
- While the cake is baking, sprinkle a kitchen towel, generously, with confectioner's sugar.
- Immediately invert hot cake onto towel and gently remove parchment paper. Cut off crispy edges and carefully roll up cake and towel from short end. Not too tightly.
- Cool cake completely then carefully unroll and spread with 8 ounces of softened mascarpone cheese all the way to the edges and sprinkle with a little confectioner's sugar to cover the cheese. Top the cheese with 1 cup of finely diced strawberries and distribute evenly in a thin layer.
- Carefully roll cake in the same direction as before. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and garnish with fresh strawberries. Enjoy!
Disclosure: I attended the events in Tampa as a guest of Sunday Supper and the sponsors. I'd like to thank them for inviting me to participate in this amazing event. As always, all opinions are my own.
What a gorgeous dessert!! I was so glad to be a part of this event with you, Marion. xoxo
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful cake! I loved learning about your trip!
ReplyDeleteCan this cake be made day before dinner party, then finish off with cheese and strawberries the day of dinner?
ReplyDeleteKathryn, that will work, however, I recommend making the cake up with the cheese and strawberries the day before and storing in the fridge. Remove from the fridge to allow the cake to warm up a bit before serving. That will result in the best flavor. If you prefer to make the cake the day before and then fill it the day of, just be sure to keep the cake rolled up in the towel prior to filling to make it easier to roll when needed. I hope that helps! Have a super week ~Marion
DeleteI made this tonight and everyone loved it. My only issue was the sponge came out a little rubbery. What did I do wrong? Do you know?
ReplyDelete