Molten Strawberry Tall Cake

 What could be better than a nice slice of strawberry cake? A strawberry cake filled with a cooling, luscious, fruity and tangy cream filling of course!  This recipe is actually a hybrid of the another one I had in the lab, sketches drawn and ingredient list complete and purchased.  The variable that helped to create this spin on a classic, is time.  This was a quicker and lighter version of a cake I had planned for Valentine's Day.  Additionally, I wanted to work on a few skills needed to create an upcoming cake for my daughter Genesis' 14th birthday.  For her special day on the 24th of this month, she requested a 'Cheesecaken' similar to the one I made for my nephew Rob for his January surprise birthday party.  I created a 3 layer cake, Guinness Extra Stout and Butterscotch, with a whole Chocolate Guinness Cheesecake serving as the middle layer.  I made a Guinness Buttercream with Caramel Drip w/ chocolate covered pretzel thins as the topper.  Rob and the family loved the flavor profile and the design, which I was pleased to hear.

 I will be happy to share that recipe as well, stay tuned for the release!  Genesis asked if I could  make her a cake in this style, but she chose Red Velvet Cake and Plain Cheesecake as her flavor preferences.  I agreed, so I decided a little practice before the big event was in order.  As with any busy schedule, sacrifices have to be made, so midway through building my Strawberry Short/Cheesecaken, I had to bail, but I also needed a worthy supplement for what I had already announced would be the star of our dinner party for Vday.  Enter the featured cake for this post.

Rob's Guinness Extra Stout & Butterscotch Chocolate Guinness Cheesecaken

 I decided to play up the strawberry shortcake aspect of the cake, just with a little edge. While staring blankly at the baked layers of strawberry cake, utilizing the strawberry glaze, 2 lbs. fresh strawberries and whipped cream was key.  I then thought of how awesome it would be to have a hidden treasure.  I used a biscuit cutter I fashioned from an empty vegetable can to make a cylinder opening in layers 2 and 3.  Layer 1 would remain whole, to hide the cream center and make 'icing' it easier.  I then blended 1 1b. of fresh sliced strawberries with the glaze and folded in some sour cream for a vibrant tang.  I added a small amount confectioner's sugar to cut the sour cream and marry the flavors.  I spread this between the bottom 2 layers and filled the center.  I frosted the whole thing with whipped topping  and garnished with some glaze and fresh strawberry slices blended.  The results were fantastically familiar and much lighter than the one I'll be making later for my oldest sweet love, Genesis.  The optimal counterpoint for rich dishes is to serve it at events where portions will be such that, by the time it goes around once, it is gone anyway!
The best part about this recipe aside from it's refreshing flavors are the shortcuts.  As much as we would all love to have the time it takes to make everything we give our families from scratch, we can always dress up some items and make them our own.  I used strawberry supreme cake mix, store bought glaze and whipped topping and it saved the day.  Life is hard enough, don't beat yourself up over a little spilled cake mix.