Easy Patriotic Light Summer Cake with Berries and Cream

The thing about Memorial Day and July fourth, here in the States, is that it's usually warm outside yet we like to have treats with our hamburgers and hot dogs. Sometimes those, "treats" can be too heavy for a warm, summer day. Often people make something "light" to serve their guests.
Here's a simple, fun patriotic cake that is light and delicious yet playful with it's flag like colors, great for any occasion but even more relevant for those patriotic holidays!

You will need:
-a Bundt pan with a hole in the center to hold fruit
-White cake mix (It's usually white)
- (2) packages of Jello mix. One red as in Strawberry and one Blue.
-Cool Whip
-red and blue berries. I am going to use cut up strawberries and blueberries.

Step 1. Baking the cake 
Simply follow the directions for the cake mix. Make sure to bake in a Bundt pan or anything with a circle in the middle to put the fresh fruit in later.

Step 2. Let the cake cool

Step 3. Make and pour the jello

• Follow the directions for the red berry and blue berry Jello mix. Let the liquid cool a bit but don't let it form as jello. 
• Use a THIN instrument to poke holes in the cake. Start from one end and poke a hole, another one an inch away in the direction from the Bundt cake hole towards the edge. 
• Take a spoon and poor some red liquid jello into the holes that are in a row to keep the color consistent.
• Then do the same for the blue liquid jello next to the red, creating a second row and so on until you've gone in a complete circle around the cake
• *Don't over pour.

Step 4. Put the plain cake with the jello inside of it, into the refrigerator so the jello solidifies

Step 5. Wash and cut up fruit (if you're using strawberries you can cut it) or if raspberries, you can leave it whole with the blueberries. Fruit should be red and blue. 

Step 6. Final preparations to cake and then serve

• When the cake has been in the refrigerator long enough and you're ready to serve, put the fruit in the center of the cake
• Spread the Cool Whip on the cake as desired. You can add more fruit on the top if you wish. 
• Keep cool before and after serving. 

Enjoy!!!

Easy Scone Recipe

Easy Scone Recipe by By Danilo Alfaro


This recipe for scones is really easy to make and the scones are light, flaky and buttery. It's a basic recipe made with dried currants, which is simple and classic. But there are endless variations.

One key thing with making scones is that it's important to work the dough as little as possible, otherwise theglutens in the flour will overdevelop and the resulting scones will be too hard.

Another very common baking mistake is using old baking powder, and then wondering why your scones or cake or whatever didn't rise. This happens all the time, and it's unfortunate because it's such an easy problem to avoid.

If the baking powder in your pantry is more than six months old, replace it. And if you can't remember how old it is, replace it. Baking powder loses its potency quickly, and your scones won't rise properly if it's too old. Fortunately, a fresh container of baking powder is really inexpensive.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt (table salt, not Kosher)
• 4 Tbsp butter (½ stick)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
• ½ cup dried currants

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
    
2. Prepare your baking sheet pan by greasing it with butter or shortening or lining it with parchment paper. Or use a silicone baking mat, which is my favorite technique.
    
3. Beat one of the eggs along with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and set aside.


4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.


5. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles large crumbs.


6. In a separate bowl, beat the remaining two eggs and stir in the cream. Then stir the egg-cream mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the currants.


7. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and press it together into a single lump. If it doesn't hold together yet, add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until it does. Don't overwork the dough, though.


8. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1 inch. Cut into rounds with a round or fluted pastry cutter. Or you could cut the dough into triangular wedges, which will reduce the amount of scraps you end up with.
    
9. Arrange the scones on your prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg white, and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.

Makes 8-12 scones, depending on how big you cut them.