Hello Readers,
I am writing to apoligise for being such a lazy poster.
I made you all this Strawberry Shortcake Sorry Cake. Unfortunately I cannot send it to you, mostly because you are all so far away. If I had, it would have taken anywhere from 2-14 days to get to you. It would turn up all smooshed and covered in fruit flies. You would think that it was a horrible sorry present and I would be banished from your lives forever. The other reason I can't send it to you is that has already been eaten.
My idea is that maybe you could make it yourself, and then eat my apologise. I have a feeling that you will all forgive me if that happens.
For cake:
3/4 cup ground almonds
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
1 1/4 cups castor sugar
3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup blue milk (whole)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds (2 ounces)
For strawberries and cream:
1 cup water
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
600g strawberries, trimmed and quartered
1/2 teaspoon rose water or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or to taste
1 1/2 cups chilled cream (or 1C creme fraiche)
Making the sorry cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 180°. Butter and lightly flour cake tin or 9inch pie dish.
Add flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds to a bowl and whisk until combined well.
Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy, about 15 seconds, then add castor sugar a little at a time, beating. Continue beating until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, this can take a while, 7 to 8 minutes in a stand mixer or 10 to 14 minutes with a handheld. Add butter in a slow stream, beating, then add milk and almond extract and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
Spread batter in pan, smoothing top, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake until top is golden, cake begins to pull away from side of pan, and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto rack. Turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
Make strawberries in syrup:
Bring water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 1 cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer syrup to a bowl and cool completely. Stir in strawberries and rose water and macerate (great word) at room temperature 30 minutes.
Beat cream in a large bowl.
Cut cake into two (slice through the middle). Be careful to make sure you aren't coming through the top or bottom with the knife.
Spread the creamy cream onto the bottom part of the cake, then put the macerated (I don't know if this is a word) strawberries on top of the cream. Pop the top on. Slice it on up. There is an apology slice.
Sorry never tasted so good.
Forever Yours,
Gem
Posted by: MO 
