Mini Lemon Cakes With Thyme Roasted Strawberries And Whipped Crème Fraîche Recipes

MINI LEMON CAKES WITH THYME, ROASTED STRAWBERRIES, AND WHIPPED CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9×13 cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the lemon juice and zest.
• Add the room temperature eggs to the butter mixture one at a time until thoroughly incorporated.
• Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add the flour mixture, alternating with the room temperature buttermilk, in 3 additions. Scrape the bowl between each addition and incorporate well but do not over-mix.
• Spread the cake batter into the greased pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back gently when touched, about 40 minutes.
• Let the cake cool and when completely cool, use a biscuit cutter in your desired size to cut out rounds.
• Combine the water, sugar, thyme sprigs, and lemon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat.
• Let the syrup infuse and cool, about 30 minutes. Strain the syrup and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and combine the strawberries, vanilla, maple syrup, sugar, and olive oil. Roast the berries until the juices run out and thicken slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Chill the bowl you are using in the freezer for 10 minutes. Beat all of the ingredients until stiff. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Slice the cake rounds in half to form two layers.
• Generously brush each layer with the thyme syrup.
• Spread the bottom layer with a tablespoon of the strawberry preserves and top with the whipped crème fraîche.
• Top the top layer with whipped crème fraîche, roasted strawberries, and a thyme sprig. Garnish with freeze-dried strawberries, if desired, to add crunch. Serve right away.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH THYME AND WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Bake the cake layers:
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, leaving sides unlined and ungreased. Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat; set aside.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place stand mixer bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved (use your fingers to check). Transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until mixture is cooled and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes (when you lift the whisk, mixture should fall back on itself in thick ribbons).
• Transfer melted butter to a medium bowl. Add thyme, vanilla, and 1 cup egg mixture to butter and whisk to combine.
• Transfer remaining egg mixture to a large wide bowl. Sift half of the flour over egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula or large balloon whisk, fold flour gently into egg mixture until almost fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour, then fold in butter mixture with spatula just until incorporated. Gently divide batter between prepared pans; smooth surface.
• Bake cakes until tops are deep golden and centers spring back when pressed lightly, 25-30 minutes. Immediately run a knife around edges and remove springform. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool completely.
• Make the syrup:
• Bring sugar, thyme, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Let sit until cool, about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup and chill until ready to use.
• Assemble the cake:
• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cake to make them flat. Brush tops with 2-3 Tbsp. syrup per cake, depending on how concentrated you'd like the thyme flavor to be.
• Toss 10 oz. strawberries with1 Tbsp. syrup in a medium bowl and let sit at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whip heavy cream to soft peaks in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add sour cream and 2 Tbsp. syrup and whip to stiff peaks.
• Transfer 1 cake layer to a platter and top with syrup-macerated strawberries. Top with half of the whipped cream, then place second cake layer gently on the first. Top with remaining whipped cream. Chill to set, at least 1 hour. Just before serving, arrange remaining 6 oz. strawberries, baby strawberries, if using, and thyme over cake.
• Do Ahead
• Cakes can be baked and syrup-soaked, but not assembled, 2 days ahead; wrap layers separately in plastic and chill. Thyme syrup can be made 5 days ahead; chill in a resealable container. Assembled cake can be made 12 hours ahead; chill.

STRAWBERRY, MINT AND THYME SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the biscuits: Pulse the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in the food processor, about 5 seconds. Add the cold butter cubes. Using on/off turns, process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a liquid measure, combine the heavy cream and orange zest. Add the heavy cream-orange mixture to the dry ingredients in the processor and pulse just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball (with floured hands if the dough is sticky). Gently knead 5 turns on a floured surface. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 3/4 inch-thick. Using a 3-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out 3 rounds.
• Gather the dough scraps and reroll as needed to make 3 more 3-inch rounds.
• Arrange the rounds on the prepared sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons cream and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake the biscuits until pale golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. (Biscuits can be made 2 hours ahead.)
• For the berries and cream: Combine the sliced strawberries, sugar, mint, thyme and orange zest in a medium bowl. Stir to blend. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• For the whipped cream: Combine the heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and sugar in a food processor or a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
• For assembly: Cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Place 1 biscuit bottom in each of 6 bowls. Top each with 1 cup berry mixture, 3 heaping tablespoons whipped cream and then cover with the top portion of the biscuit. Add another dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Go for it!