Overall Champion: Angel Rushing
Recipe: Strawberry Cream Filled Vanilla Cake
Step 1: Ingredients: 1 box vanilla cake mix, 1/3 cup oil, 1 cup water, 3 eggs. Mix all of these ingredients and bake in two 8″ greased/floured pans for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
Step 2: Meanwhile, mix the strawberry cream cheese filling. Ingredients: 2 cups Jaemor Strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 TBSP of water, 18oz. package of cream cheese, 2 sticks softened butter, 2 cups powdered sugar. Combine strawberries, sugar and water and cook over medium-low heat until syrup forms (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth, add some of the strawberry syrup and beat again. Reserve the rest of the syrup and strawberries for brushing cake. Split each cake and brush each layer with syrup. Spread on strawberry frosting and top with strawberries. Repeat with each layer then frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Top with fresh sliced strawberries or fresh filled strawberries (recipe below).
Fresh Filled Strawberries: Beat 8 oz. softened cream cheese and 15 oz jar marshmallow cream until fluffy. Core fresh ripe strawberries and fill with cream mixture. Enjoy!
Cake Category Winner: Tamika Johnson of Gainesville, Ga.
Recipe: Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Topped with Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients: 8 oz. of cream cheese (room temperature), 3 stick of butter (room temperature), 3 cups cake flour, 6 eggs (room temperature), 1 TBSP vanilla flavoring, 2 TBSP strawberry flavoring, 1 dash of salt, 1/2 pack of strawberry jello, 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries.
Directions: Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy consistency. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla flavoring followed by strawberry flavoring, then add a dash of salt. Add cake flour 1 cup at a time, add strawberry jello, fold in fresh strawberries (1 cup at a time). Pour batter into at least a 10 cup sprayed bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before frosting.
Cream Cheese frosting: Mix 8 oz. of soft cream cheese, 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 stick of soft butter, 2 TBSP of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla flavoring together until creamy. May use more or less milk.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Melt chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Dip clean/dry strawberries in the chocolate and put on wax paper. After cake has cooled and has been frosted, decorate the top of the cake with chocolate covered strawberries and enjoy!
Pie/Cobbler Category Winner: Deborah Abercrombie
Recipe: Cool ‘N Quick Strawberry Pie
Ingredients: 1 (8oz.) container strawberry yogurt, 1 (3oz.) box strawberry jello, 1 (8oz.) container Cool Whip, 2 cups fresh Jaemor Strawberries (sliced), 1 graham cracker crust (prepared)
Directions: Stir yogurt and jello together. Add cool whip and stir. Fold in sliced Jaemor Strawberries. Pour into crust, refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish as desired.
Other Category Winner: Anna Marie Wright
Recipe: Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 2 cups fresh strawberries, 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice, 3 TBS hibiscus tea leaves, 1 inch fresh ginger (thinly sliced), 6 cups cold water ice.
Directions: Boil sugar and water. Add ginger, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Blend strawberries until smooth. Mix strawberries with the sugar water. Add lemon juice and water. Stir well then add ice and serve.
Youth Category Winner: Mercy Rico
Recipe: Strawberry and Lemon Pastry Cloud
Ingredients: 5 sheets phyllo dough, 4 TBSP unsalted butter – melted, granulated sugar, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, zest of 2 small lemons, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup sliced strawberries, powdered sugar for garnish
*Ingredients for syrup: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup finely diced strawberries
Directions: To prepare the phyllo: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. On a clean work surface, lay out a single sheet of phyllo dough. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Lay the next sheet of phyllo dough directly on top of the first, brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat until all 5 sheets of phyllo have been used. Note: You’ll need to work quickly so the phyllo dough sheets do not dry out. If you have to step away, cover the phyllo with a lightly dampened paper towel.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the phyllo dough into 9 even rectangles, measuring approximately 3×4 inches. Transfer to your lined baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes or until deep golden brown and puffy. Place on a wire rack to cool.
To prepare the strawberry syrup: Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
To prepare the lemon-vanilla cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add the cream and powdered sugar. Whisk on high until mixture begins to thicken. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and continue to beat until thick. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Use a pastry bag (or ziplock bag with tip cut off) to pipe lemon whipped cream onto a rectangle of phyllo dough. Top with sliced strawberries then add another layer of phyllo. Pipe on more cream then add more strawberries. Drizzle with strawberry syrup. Add a final rectangle of phyllo dough and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sliced strawberry to garnish.