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Neapolitan Marble Cake

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Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry neapolitan cake on a cooling rack.

Neapolitan Marble Cake. One batter, three incredibly delicious flavors. Because sometimes you want a little chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and this beautiful marble cake features all three! Tender, moist vanilla cake with swirls of chocolate and strawberry cake. Fancy looking yet surprisingly easy to make, everyone loves this soft, fluffy marble cake!

If there’s any cake I love making, it’s a marble cake. Seriously what’s not to love about a cake with a cool design and two, in this case three(!), delicious flavors! The “fancy” design might make you think it’s hard to make but it’s super simple.

If you love marble cakes and are a fan of molasses and warm spices, check out my yummy Molasses Marble Cake! I tend to go for molasses more in the fall and holiday time, but for sure go for vanilla, chocolate and strawberry literally all year long!

Marble loaf cake swirled with chocolate on a rack with cocoa and strawberries next to it.

This Neapolitan Cake recipe features:

  • A soft, moist crumb: It’s made with buttermilk which gives its delicious, tender texture.
  • Vanilla: The base of the cake is a delicious vanilla cake batter.
  • Chocolate: No need to chop chocolate, just mix a bit of cocoa with some oil or melted butter, mix it with the base batter and you have your chocolate swirl.
  • Strawberry: Fresh strawberries and strawberry jam add some fresh, in season sweetness!
  • Swirls: A simple table knife mixes all three flavors and colors together!
A Neapolitan marble cake on a rack with a slice, a knife and some strawberries beside it.

ABOUT THE MARBLE CAKE BATTER

As mentioned, you only need to make one batter for this cake which is a vanilla cake batter. That batter gets divided into three bowls. Keep one bowl vanilla then add cocoa to one bowl and strawberries to the remaining bowl.

FOR THE VANILLA BATTER: Just leave 1/3 of batter as is.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BATTER: To the third portion of batter, you’ll stir in some cocoa powder that’s been mixed with with canola oil.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY BATTER: Stir in 1/2 cup lightly pureed strawberries. Lightly pureed meaning just lightly pulse them in a food processor or blender. Lightly pureed will give you nice little specks of strawberries throughout the cake. Strawberry jam will give batter a little bit of color and more strawberry sweetness and flavor.

Strawberries have to be my favorite fruit to bake with in the summertime. If you’re with me, definitely add my Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars to your baking list!

ADDING FOOD COLORING TO THE STRAWBERRY LAYER

This cake is called a Neapolitan cake because of the three different flavors. I left my strawberry batter natural which gives the cake little hints of pink color and little bits of berries.

If you want more of a pink/classic Neapolitan color, just stir in a few drops of pink or red food coloring to the strawberry batter. Start with one or two drops and stir together. Add another drop if you want a deeper color.

A bowl of vanilla cake batter next to a a bowl of cake batter with chocolate and a bowl of strawberry cake batter.

HOW TO MARBLE YOUR CAKE

Once you have your three batters, use a tablespoon to drop the batter into a checkerboard patter. You’ll have enough batter to make two layers of the checkerboard pattern. For the second layer, be sure to drop different color batter on top of the existing colors.

Use a table knife to swirl from side to side down the length of the pan. Rotate the pan a quarter turn and, with a clean knife, swirl again. Definitely resist the urge to keep swirling so that the flavors don’t mix together too much. Less is more here.

SWIRLS AND MORE SWIRLS

Swirling the flavors together is definitely my favorite part of making this cake. If you love the look and taste of swirled desserts, definitely try my aptly named Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies or my Tahini Brownies filled with lots of creamy, rich tahini-chocolate swirls!

Neapolitan cake batter in a checkerboard pattern in a parchment paper lined loaf pan.
Swirled neapolitan cake batter featuring strawberry, vanilla and chocolate swirls.

Pop your cake into a 350 degree oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. You’ll want to rotate your pan halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Let the cake cool in the pan for about ten minutes and then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

A big, fluffy neapolitan marble cake on a rack with slices next to it.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

Ta-daaaa! It’s pretty too to pull your cake out of the oven and see the pretty designs the cake baked into. It’s also fun to cut into the cake to reveal the swirls inside. The best part though is, of course, eating it!

OPTIONAL ICING

Top this Neapolitan Marble Cake with icing or leave it plain. If you want icing but don’t want to cover up all the pretty swirls on top, you can simply drizzle some icing rather than coating the entire top.

A close up of Neapolitan marble cake featuring swirls of chcolate, vanilla and strawberry.
Neapolitan marble cake on a wooden platter with a knife and strawberries next to it.
A slice of neapolitan marble cake
A chocolate vanilla strawberry marble cake, slices, strawberry jam and cocoa and a milk jug

Hopefully I’ve convinced you to make this super delicious Neapolitan Marble Cake! The only thing you’ll need to decide is whether to make it for breakfast, dinner or as a snacking cake. I vote for all of the above. It’s got the best fluffy, moist texture and all the flavors. Cannot wait for you to make it!

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Neapolitan Marble Cake

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This easy Neapolitan Marble Cake recipe is tender, moist and delicious! Made with one cake batter flavored with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry giving it beautiful swirls and lots of flavor! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 3⁄4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1⁄4cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
  • 1/2 cup strawberries, lightly pureed
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • a few drops of pink or red food coloring, optional

FOR THE ICING

  • 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 teaspoons milk
 
 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, line it with parchment paper leaving excess paper hanging over the sides along the length of the pan and butter the parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer), beat the butter and sugar 4-5 minutes, til light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined then add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add flour alternatively with the buttermilk. Divide the batter into thirds.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa and canola oil until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to one of the three bowls of cake batter and stir til combined. To another bowl of batter, stir in the pureed strawberries and jam. Add a couple of drops of food coloring (if desired) until desired color is achieved. 
  5. Spoon the three batters into three alternating spoonfuls (vanilla, chocolate strawberry) across the prepared pan. It should look like a checkerboard. Place different color batters on top of the existing batter to create a second layer of batter.
  6. To marble the cake, use a knife or skewer to run swirls from side to side and top to bottom. Turn the pan and swirl the knife through the batter one more time. Avoid over swirling. 
  7. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. 

FOR THE OPTIONAL ICING

  1. Blend the butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat in the vanilla and add the powdered sugar a bit at a time. Add the milk and blend until smooth. Drizzle or pour over cake.

Keywords: marble, marble cake, cake, neapolitan, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pound cake, buttermilk, dessert

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

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Vanilla cupcakes with strawberries baked inside and with pink strawberry buttercream frosting piped on top.

Moist, extra juicy and super sweet Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are the most delicious way to celebrate summer! Made with the easiest vanilla cupcake batter with a whole strawberry baked inside! They’re topped with the simplest fresh strawberry buttercream. Bonus: these cupcakes are super easy to make. You just need some basic pantry ingredients and the freshest, sweetest strawberries you can find!

THE BEST SUMMER DESSERT

Ok….they might come in a first place tie with strawberry shortcake for best summer dessert. If you’re looking for something similar to but a little different than strawberry shortcake, look no further!

These cupcakes are so pretty, both inside and out. The strawberries become perfectly roasted as the cupcakes bake and give a burst of color, juice and sweet flavor with every bite!

A cupcake sliced in half with a roasted strawberry in the middle and topped with frosting.

MORE STRAWBERRY DESSERTS

Is there anything better than in season strawberries? I make my Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars year round, but they are by far the best when made with in season berries!

Another sweet way to cool down and enjoy some strawberries is definitely with my sweet, creamy No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream! For my fellow Americans, check out the most delicious American Flag Cake with Fruit featuring blueberries for the stars and, of course, chopped strawberries as stripes!

I have to share one more strawberry recipe that I will definitely be making this summer and that is this Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake! I love how it’s fancy and simple at the same time plus it looks delicious!

Cupcakes topped with pink strawberry buttercream on a wooden tray in front of a jug of milk.

ABOUT THESE CUPCAKES

THE BATTER

I used my great grandmother’s tried and true vanilla cake recipe for these cupcakes. I first tested it out as cupcakes for my Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. It’s a super simple, straight forward, foolproof recipe.

THE STRAWBERRIES

As delicious as the cupcake batter and frosting are, the strawberries in the centers are the real stars of the show! That said, use the freshest, sweetest, most beautiful berries you can get your hands on! You can use any shape or size. I tried to choose medium sized berries and chose the freshest, reddest ones out of my bunch. Cut the tops off and remove the white cores.

Vanilla cupcake batter in a muffin tin with whole strawberries in the middle.

ADDING THE STRAWBERRIES IN THE MIDDLES

Once you have the batter mixed, spoon two tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Next, place one berry in the middle of each cupcake then spoon one more tablespoon of batter around it. This is not at all hard, but it is….a little awkward…. Why? Because you want to use a hand or a finger to kind of hold the berry standing up straight in the middle while gently pouring the batter around it.

I spoon that last tablespoon in by dropping three teaspoons in around the sides of the berry/cupcake. I add it by the teaspoon since the teaspoon is smaller and easier to slide in there and three teaspoons make a tablespoon. After I get that last amount of batter in, I just smooth over the tops gently with my finger.

Cupcakes with strawberries baked in the centers and swirls of strawberry frosting on top!

The strawberry in the middle of these cupcakes definitely reminds me of my Cupcakes with Hearts in the Middle recipe! They’re the cutest cupcakes baked with a red velvet heart in the middle. For a chocolate stuffed cupcake, definitely try these Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream!

Vanilla cupcakes topped with homemade strawberry frosting with milk jugs in the background.

HOW TO MAKE THE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

To make the frosting, you’ll need a bowl, an electric mixer and the following ingredients:

  • Room Temperature Butter: Butter that is not too soft and not too cold will help get the perfect consistency. Take the butter out no more than 20 minutes before making it.
  • A Little Salt
  • Powdered Sugar: Even though it’s going to go into a mixer, I highly recommend sifting it first. It only takes a minute and makes sure you don’t have any little bumps of powdered sugar in your frosting.
  • Vanilla: For flavor and it ties in with the flavor of the cupcakes.
  • Heavy Cream Or Milk: Optional. If you need to thin the frosting out a bit.
  • Lightly Pureed Strawberries: They add flavor and color and hint at the big roasted strawberry tucked inside! See below for more info on the strawberries.
Pretty pink strawberry buttercream frosting in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment.

PUREED STRAWBERRIES

I’d recommend a few pulses in a food processor for the strawberries. It chops them up into perfectly sized specks which look so pretty when piped on cupcakes!

I used a blender the first time I made these and I found it too much liquid when fully pureed. As a result, I had to add a lot more powdered sugar to thicken it up. If you do use a blender, just use the chop option and very briefly.If you don’t have a food processor, finely chopping the berries is also an option.

I like to core the strawberries before pureeing them. This just means cutting out the tops and the white part in the top/middle. It doesn’t have any flavor and I’d rather have only the parts that add color/flavor.

FROM PINK TO MORE PINK

I’ve made this recipe several times now and have experimented with the color and amount of strawberries. Whether you make it light pink or bright pink will just depend on the amount of strawberry you add.

Add additional pureed strawberries a little at a time because they will change both the color and consistency. Add berries until you get the color and consistency you like.

FRESH OR ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

I recently put a poll on my Instagram to find out if people would prefer fresh or roasted strawberries in this buttercream recipe. I thought it would be kind of split, but an overwhelming majority of people voted for fresh!

Homemade strawberry filled cupcakes topped with strawberry frosting on parchment paper.

FROSTING THE CUPCAKES

PIPE IT ON

With its strawberry specks and pretty pink color, this frosting will look amazing however you frost your cupcakes. Use your favorite frosting tip (I’ve made them with both my Wilton 6B and Ateco 808).

USE AN ICE CREAM OR COOKIE SCOOP

Short on time or pastry bags/tips? You can still make em super cute by using an ice cream scoop or even a smaller cookie scoop full of frosting on top! I see this style more and more in bakeries these days and love it!

DOUBLE THE RECIPE IF YOU LIKE

This recipe makes 8 cupcakes, but can easily be doubled. I settled on 8 for now since we are still somewhat in social distancing days and most people don’t have a need for 16 or 18 cupcakes. That said, it’s perfectly easy to double the amount. There is an option to double the recipe below or just use the recipe from my Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes.

A strawberry cupcake cut in half revealing a strawberry inside topped with pink buttercream.

These Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are so pretty and easy to make. They’re baked with whole strawberries in the centers and topped with the prettiest, freshest strawberry buttercream! They’re fun to make and even more fun to eat!

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strawberry cupcakes with strawberries baked inside and swirls of strawberry frosting on top!

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: About 8 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Cupcakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Make these delicious Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream for the perfect summer dessert! Like strawberry shortcakes, these from scratch cupcakes have ALL the strawberry flavor. Featuring a whole strawberry roasted inside each cupcake and fresh strawberry buttercream, you’ll want to make this summer dessert all year long!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  • 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  • Strawberries (8 whole, hulled)

FOR THE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

  • 3 fresh strawberries, hulled, lightly purred
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • pinch of salt 
  • 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (add more, if needed, to thicken)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream (if needed, to thin out frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place paper liners in muffin tins.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after the addition of each egg.
  5. Alternatively add the dry ingredient mixture and milk to the sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Fill cupcake liners with 2 tbsp of the batter. Place one strawberry in the middle of each cupcake. With one hand, hold the berry in place and with the other hand, carefully our one more tablespoon of batter around the strawberry. 
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Cool for about ten minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY FROSTING

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl now and after each addition of powdered sugar. Turn mixer to low and add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar.
  2. Turn the mixer up to medium and mix in the vanilla. Add the strawberries and whip on medium until combined. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Notes

For more of a pink frosting, add a bit more strawberries. 

Keywords: Strawberries, strawberry, cupcakes, strawberry filled, frosting, icing, buttercream, fruit, summer

Mini Strawberry Pop Tarts

by

Homemade strawberry pop tarts on a rack with a bite revealing a jam filled middle!

Go-to, super simple pie recipe for the summer: mini strawberry pop tarts! Homemade pie crust, strawberry jam, and lots of sprinkles. Serve them with a scoop of ice cream on top or just eat them like cookies. Not fancy, not complicated to make. Simple, festive and fun, these make the perfect summertime treat!

POP TART INSPIRATION

I stumbled upon the idea for this mini pop tart recipe recently while making Chocolate Pop Tarts (recipe coming soon!) Rather than throwing away my scraps of dough, I made a few mini pop tarts. They turned out so well, I wanted to make a whole batch of them!

Mini pop tarts with rainbow sprinkles in the dough piled up on a cooling rack.

PERFECT SUMMER DESSERT

Since it’s summer, I wanted a fruity, in season flavor. These homemade pop tarts are basically a mini version of my Giant Strawberry Pop Tart!

EASY TO MAKE

These pop tarts are as easy to make as a batch of cookies! Making the dough literally takes five minutes and you can mix it together in the food processor the night before you want to use it! You do need to let the dough chill, so that adds a couple of (inactive) hours. The actual time and effort it takes to make these though is minimal. You’d never believe how easy they are.

If you’re short on time, you can use store bought pie dough and/or jam. Even the homemade version though is not too time consuming.

A stack of mini pop tarts on a rack with a sliced strawberry next to it.

MAKING THE CRUST

Start by pulsing together the dry ingredients in a food processor so that they’re mixed together. Next, pulse in the chopped butter and pulse the mixture a few times until the butter is the size of peas. It’s okay if there are a few larger pieces.

Next, add the water in a tablespoon at a time while you pulse it into the dry ingredients. You’ll add about 4-5 tablespoons of water until you see that the dough is just coming together. You don’t want it to be wet/sticky.

It’s even helpful to have a sheet of plastic wrap already on the counter and ready to just plop the dough on. Gently push down on the dough to form a disks. Wrap the disk up nicely with the plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

Homemade pie dough loaded with sprinkles and covered with plastic wrap.

ADDING SPRINKLES

These mini pop tarts can definitely be made with or without sprinkles. They’re fun, cute and delicious either way! There are two options for adding sprinkles.

One option is to sprinkle some into the food processor right before turning it out onto the plastic wrap. You can really just eyeball it to decide how much to add.

The other option is to just press some gently onto the cut out pieces before assembling them. I’ve made mine both ways and didn’t see a huge difference.

ABOUT THE JAM

I like to make the jam after the dough since it doesn’t need as much fridge time. Putting the jam in the fridge allows it to cool and also helps it thicken up a bit more.

As I mentioned, you can also use store bought jam. Another option is to use homemade or store bought jam AND a little bit of chopped in season strawberries. Even a little bit of strawberries will add a bit of freshness.

Mini pop tart dough cut outs loaded with sprinkles and set on a baking sheet.

ASSEMBLING THE POP TARTS

Once your dough has chilled, you’ll want to let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling it out. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Use a 3 inch cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the dough. You can definitely gather the scraps and roll them out a second time to get a few more pop tarts out of the dough!

Mini pop tarts stacked on a rack with strawberry jam inside!
Strawberry pop tarts on a cooling rack with sprinkles on top.

SERVING THE POP TARTS

You can totally eat mini pop tarts like a cookie for when you want a little something sweet. My preference is definitely warmed with the biggest scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! So good!! I mean, looking at the shape of them, they look like they’re just waiting for a scoop of ice cream!

You can also serve them with icing on top as I did in my Giant Strawberry Pop Tart recipe. If you do add icing, I’d recommend drizzling it on so that you can still see the sprinkles on top! For a tart-sweet lemony flavor, this icing from my Lemon Sour Cream Cookies would be perfect!

Mini pop tart on a plate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
A mini pop tart topped with a scoop of ice cream and a fork next to it.

Sweet, flaky, buttery, homemade and DELICIOUS! These mini strawberry pop tarts are the dessert of the summer! No matter how you fill them or eat them, they’re easy, yummy and fun which is what everyone looks for in a summer dessert!

FOR MORE DELICIOUS DESSERT RECIPES, TRY MY:

ROASTED STRAWBERRY CRUMB BARS

NO CHURN RASPBERRY AND ROASTED STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

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Mini Strawberry Pop Tarts

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 17 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
  • Yield: 10 pop tarts 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Baking
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE JAM FILLING (Use recipe below or 1/4 to 1/3 cup store bought jam with a few optional chopped strawberries)

  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
  • 2–3 tablespoons granulated sugar (to taste)
  • 1/4 lemon, juiced and zested
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 3/4– 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE CRUST (Use recipe below or store bought pie crust)

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 2–4 tablespoons ice cold water

FOR THE EGG WASH

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon milk

FOR THE OPTIONAL ICING

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE DECORATION

  • Rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH

  1. Chop butter into cubes and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Fill a small bowl with some cold water and an ice cube. Stir the ice cube around a bit and set bowl aside.
  3. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough forms pea sized balls. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time while continuing to pulse mixture until it is just combined. Take the blade out of the food processor and add sprinkles. Alternatively, sprinkles can be added after cutting the dough out in a later step. 
  4. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Loosely wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and gently press to shape the dough into a disk shape. Place the disk in the fridge for at least two hours or up to two days.

ASSEMBLING THE MINI POP TARTS

  1. When ready to assemble pop tart, remove the dough from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, generously flour your counter, and prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk. Set aside. 
  2. Roll the first disk out on your floured counter to about 1/8″ thickness. 
  3. Lightly flour your 3″ cookie cutter or biscuit cutter and cut out circles. Place the circles on your baking sheets. Scraps can be rolled out/cut out a second time. 
  4. Brush the edges of the bottom layer with the egg wash. Spoon a rounded teaspoon of  jam and a few bits of chopped strawberries onto the crust and spread it with the back of your spoon or an offset spatula, leaving a 1/4 inch border.  Carefully place a top circle over the bottom crust. Gently press the edges of the dough with your finger tips to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Use a fork to crimp all the edges. (Lightly dip fork in flour if needed to prevent sticking). Use a fork or a toothpick to poke a few holes in the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  5. Remove dough from fridge and brush the tops allover with the egg wash. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Remove from heat and transfer to a rack to cool. Serve with a drizzle of icing, with a scoop of ice cream or enjoy as is! 

FOR THE ICING

  1. Stir together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle over the pop tarts, if desired! 

 

 

Keywords: pop tarts, mini pop tarts, strawberry filling, strawberry jam, strawberries, pie, tarts, pie crust, pie dough

Fruit Yogurt Popsicles

by

Finally! Some nice weather here in Ottawa. That means it’s time for some cool and colorful treats! These nutritious fruit yogurt popsicles are the perfect seasonal, refreshing treat! With just two (or three if you add a sweetner) ingredients, they make a simple, easy dessert or any time of the day option!

ABOUT YOGURT POPSICLES

When it comes to frozen desserts, it doesn’t get much easier, healthier or more delicious than yogurt popsicles!

  • EASY: Just stir together flavored yogurt and fruit, pour it into molds, and freeze! Two simple ingredients (three if you add a sweetener)!
  • HEALTHY: Filled with vitamins, calcium, protein and antioxidants! Plus no artificial sweeteners or dyes!
  • DELICIOUS: Creamy, tasty yogurt and bursts of flavorful fruit!
Colorful raspberry and yogurt swirled popsicles on a counter and frozen raspberries

HOW TO MAKE YOGURT POPSICLES

These homemade yogurt popsicles can be made with a swirl design and flavor or with the yogurt and fruit all mixed together. They’ll be beautiful and delicious either way!

WITH A POPSICLE MOLD

This is my first year with a popsicle mold and I love it. I like the size and shape of the popsicles it makes. It also makes making popsicles super easy.

WITHOUT A POPSICLE MOLD

You can also make these without a popsicle mold! Just pour the mixture into dixie cups, cover them with aluminum foil and stick the sticks in.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

Follow the recipe exactly or make your own variation according to your taste preference or what you have in the fridge or freezer!

Yogurt: I used regular vanilla. Flavored Greek yogurt is a great option too. Greek yogurt popsicles are delicious and super creamy! Whatever type you use, I would recommend using full fat and flavored yogurt since we are not adding a ton of other ingredients.

Fruit: I used frozen raspberries. I thawed them slightly then tossed them in the blender for just a couple of pulses. If you’re using fresh, you can get away with just giving them a couple of rough chops or simply stirring them into the yogurt is fine.

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Fruit Yogurt Popsicles

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 popsicles 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These healthy fruit yogurt popsicles are the perfect refreshing summer treat! With just two or three ingredients, they make an easy, delicious dessert or any time of the day treat!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups raspberries, (or fruit of your choice), semi pureed or chopped
  • 2 1/4 cups vanilla yogurt, regular or Greek yogurt
  • 2–3 tablespoons honey,  maple syrup, or granulated sugar, to taste

Instructions

  1.  In a medium sized bowl, add the yogurt. Add the raspberries (either whole or slightly pureed). For a marbled look, give them just a few stirs or stir completely if you like.  
  2. Taste and add honey or maple syrup if desired. 
  3. Spoon the mixture into the popsicle molds. Place the cover on and sticks inside and freeze 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve. run the molds under warm water for at least 15 seconds to make it easier to remove them. Enjoy!

Keywords: Popsicles, raspberry, yogurt, raspberries, fruit, frozen, dessert, summer, berries

Giant Strawberry Pop Tart

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Your eyes are not deceiving you- this really is a giant strawberry pop tart! Yep-a nine portion version of one of your favorite childhood treats! Just like the original, but instead of warming it in your toaster, you’ll bake it fresh in your oven. It has a tender, super delicious crust, is bursting with strawberry jam and topped with the easiest, most delicious icing and some fun, rainbow sprinkles!

WHY MAKE A GIANT POP TART?

Social distancing definitely has me craving comfort food. One comfort food I used to love to tear into as a kid are pop tarts. I love baking with strawberries (check out my incredibly yummy roasted strawberry crumb bars), and love strawberry pop tarts, so went with strawberry pop tarts!

Blueberry is also a favorite pie/pop tart filling of mine. If you love blueberry, you’ll love my blueberry cream cheese pound cake filled with homemade blueberry sauce!

A giant homemade strawberry pop tart with icing and sprinkles on top!

My first batch of pop tarts were really good, but they seemed a more like regular hand pies. I wanted my pop tarts to be a bit more special with lead me to……a giant pop tart!

THIS GIANT POP TART IS:

  • Fun! Fun to make, look at and eat!
  • Like Real Pop Tarts: They have a similar pastry and jam filling and really look like a giant pop tart.
  • Cleaner and Fresher: No need for preservatives and you’ll taste a huge difference in freshness.
  • A Perfect Dessert: It wouldn’t be too cool to serve real pop tarts for dessert, but a giant pop tart is basically like serving a pie! Also, unlike real pop tarts, this giant lets you choose between middle and edge pieces!
Slices of a homemade strawberry pop tart

HOW TO MAKE A GIANT POP TART

This giant pop tart can be homemade or semi homemade with the help of store bought jam and/or pie crust.

HOW TO MAKE THE SEMI HOMEMADE VERSION

For semi homemade, you can skip making the pie crust and jam and go straight to assembling your pop tart. It’s definitely a great option that’ll save you some time and spare you some dish washing.

I recommend you still make the icing because I’m not sure what you’d buy as a substitute and it is literally the easiest icing you can make.

A handwritten recipe for pie crust out of a family cookbook.

HOW TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE VERSION

To make homemade pop tarts, you’ll need to start by making a pie crust. I start with this step because it needs a couple of hours in the fridge before it’s ready to be used.

ABOUT THE PIE CRUST

I started with my great grandmother’s recipe (pictured above), but made a few tweaks to it. I added some sugar and replaced the lard with more butter.

PIE DOUGH TEMPERATURE

The most important thing to keep in mind when making the dough is to keep the ingredients and dough cold. Bon Appetit has a cool article on the why and the how of keeping pie dough cold.

When making the dough, I like to first cut my butter into cubes and then stick it back in the fridge while I measure out my dry ingredients.

A ball of handmade pastry dough on plastic wrap.

MAKING THE DOUGH

Start by pulsing together the dry ingredients in a food processor so that they’re mixed together. Next, pulse in the chopped butter followed by the ice water.

Swirling an ice cube around in your cold water is a good idea because sometimes cold water straight from the tap is more room temperature. Add the water in a tablespoon at a time while you pulse it into the dry ingredients. You’ll add about 4-5 tablespoons of water until you see that the dough is just coming together. You definitely don’t want it to be wet/sticky.

It’s even helpful to have two sheets of plastic wrap already on the counter and ready for some dough to land on it. Just divide the dough in half, gently push down on the dough to form two disks, wrap each disk up nicely with the plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

MAKING THE JAM

I like to make the jam after the dough since it doesn’t need as much fridge time. Putting the jam in the fridge allows it to cool and also helps it thicken up a bit more.

A delicious slice of a homemade giant pop tart loaded with strawberry jam and topped with sprinkles.

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH

Once your dough is chilled and ready to go, you’ll want to have the following tools:

  • a ruler
  • a well floured rolling pin
  • a sharp knife or pizza cutter: for trimming the edges
  • a parchment paper lined baking sheet
  • a pastry brush or two: one for brushing the egg wash and one for brushing off excess flour off your dough

Be gentle when rolling out your dough and transferring it to the baking sheet. At the same time, don’t worry if it’s not the perfect 9″ x 12″ rectangle. It’s homemade and some of the beauty of homemade is seeing the imperfections.

Once your dough is rolled out, spread the jam leaving about a 1 ” border. Brush the border with egg wash, but don’t discard the egg wash since you’ll use it on the top of the pop tart to help it get nice and golden when it bakes.

Pie crust rolled out in a rectangle covered with bright red strawberry jam.

Once your top layer is on, go ahead and trim any extra dough if needed. Use your fingertips to gently press the edges together and then use a fork to press indentations in the edges. This part is fun because you really start to see it look like a pop tart.

Next, you’ll put some holes in the top of your tart to allow steam to release as it bakes. You could do larger slits as you would with a pie, but I like the small holes to keep it looking more like a pop tart. Make the holes with a toothpick or the tines of a fork.

A big homemade pop tart brushed with egg on a baking sheet.

Almost done! Just pop it in the fridge for another half hour then brush it with egg wash and bake it!

The icing will take you all of two minutes to make. Just stir together powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk and vanilla. I like the richness that heavy cream adds but if you don’t have any, you can still make the icing with milk in place of heavy cream.

Feel free to drizzle the icing over top or spoon and spread it. Sprinkles are optional but highly recommended!

A simple powdered sugar icing in a white bowl with a spoon.
An overhead view of a strawberry pop tart sliced into rectangles.

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR POP TARTS

To serve, cut pop tarts into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Since it was baked as a giant loaded with filling, it tends to work better when served on a plate rather than hand held!

A close up of a homemade pop tart filled with homemade strawberry jam on a plate.

This giant strawberry pop tart really is the coolest, most fun seasonal dessert to make this spring or summer! It’s a retro treat that’ll take you back to your childhood while allowing you to enjoy some delicious, seasonal strawberry flavor!

FOR MORE FRUIT FILLED DESSERTS, CHECK OUT MY:

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Giant Strawberry Pop Tart

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 1 Giant pop tart, 9 individual pop tarts 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Baking
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This Giant Strawberry Pop Tart recipe is an easy, homemade version of a comfort food classic dessert! Includes recipes for delicious, from scratch pie dough and strawberry jam and options for easy store bought swap outs! All coated in a simple, super easy icing and topped with rainbow sprinkles!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE JAM FILLING (Use recipe below or about 1 cup store bought jam)

  • 3 cups strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
  • 1/4–1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 1/2– 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE CRUST (Use recipe below or store bought pie crust)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 4–5 tablespoons ice cold water

FOR THE EGG WASH

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon milk

FOR THE ICING

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE DECORATION

  • Rainbow sprinkles 

Instructions

FOR THE STRAWBERRY JAM FILLING

  1. Add the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, salt and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often for 5-7 minutes or until jam thickens. Stir in vanilla then pour jam into a bowl. Place bowl in the fridge to cool. Jam will continue to thicken as it cools. 

FOR THE DOUGH

  1. Chop butter into cubes and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Fill a small bowl with some cold water and an ice cube. Stir the ice cube around a bit and set bowl aside.
  3. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough forms pea sized balls. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time while continuing to pulse mixture until it is just combined. 
  4. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Loosely wrap each ball in plastic wrap and gently press each dough ball into a disk shape. Place each disk in the fridge for at least two hours or up to two days. 
  5. When ready to assemble pop tart, remove the dough from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, generously flour your counter, and prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk. Set aside. 
  6. Roll the first disk out on your floured counter into a rectangle about 1/8″ thickness and 9″ x 12″ in size. If needed, use a pizza cutter or knife to trim the edges.
  7. Gently transfer dough to the baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the fridge. Roll out second disk the same size as the first one. 
  8. Spoon the jam onto the crust and spread it with the back of your spoon or an offset spatula, leaving about a one inch border. Brush the edges of the bottom layer with the egg wash. Carefully place the top crust over the bottom crust. Gently press the edges of the dough with your finger tips to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Use a fork to crimp all the edges. (Lightly dip fork in flour if needed to prevent sticking). Use a fork or a toothpick to poke holes throughout the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  9. Remove dough from fridge and brush allover with the egg wash. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before icing. 

FOR THE ICING

  1. Stir together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Pour and spread over the pop tart. Top with sprinkles as desired!

 

Keywords: pop tart, pop tarts, giant pop tart, strawberry, strawberry jam, strawberries, pie crust, pie, pie dough

Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars

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sliced fresh strawberry crumble bars drizzled with lemon icing.

These roasted strawberry crumb bars have a soft, buttery crust and crumbly topping and are filled with a layer of sweet roasted strawberries. Topped with strawberry slices and a drizzle of a simple, two ingredient tangy-sweet lemon glaze, they make the prettiest strawberry bars for anytime of the day or year!

It’s not strawberry season yet, but I definitely find myself craving something fresh and bright looking and tasting. With the zest and juice of a lemon along with sweet roasted strawberries, these bars are exactly what my eyes and taste buds needed!

I know they look a little like strawberry pizza! I made these bars in a round form to give them a pie look since the roasted strawberries make it taste a little like a pie.

They are soft, sweet bars that can be eaten with a for or with your hands. You can easily bake them in a square form if you want to be able to cut them into squares.

Sliced and quartered fresh strawberry slices on parchment paper.

HOW TO ROAST STRAWBERRIES

Since it isn’t strawberry season and I can’t get fresh, local berries, I roast the strawberries to bring out more of their flavor and sweetness. I first roasted strawberries when I came up with my roasted strawberry ice cream recipe!

Roasting them is easy and worth the 15-17 minutes! Just slice them, toss them with a little sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice then lay them on a tray and put them in the oven. Stir halfway through roasting then let them cool. It’s important not to discard whatever juice they’ve given off when roasting.

Once the strawberries are cool, mash or lightly chop them. They’ll be soft after roasting and will break apart on their own when you stir them. I like to mash them but leave some little chunks. You’ll then stir in some lemon zest and corn starch for flavor and to thicken them when they bake.

Freshly roasted dark red strawberries topped with grated lemon zest and corn starch in a bowl. .

STRAWBERRY HEART TOPPING

I hadn’t planned on making strawberry hearts, but I couldn’t resist. The heart shapes are optional but they give the bars an extra sweet, feel! I made them with both small and larger strawberries before and, while I love both, I am partial to using larger berries since they stand out a bit more.

Strawberries already have somewhat of a natural heart shape, so it’s easy to turn them into heart shapes. Start by chopping the tops off, coring them and slicing them into 1/4″ slices. With a sharp paring knife, cut a small v shape in the top of your slice. Gently round the inner and outer corners of the tops. If you like, you can trim the lower sides to make them more heart shaped.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE BARS

  1. Roast the strawberries: With your oven at 350 F, roast the strawberries. Assemble the rest of your ingredients while the strawberries are in the oven. Once roasted and cooled slightly, mash or chop the berries and add the lemon zest and corn starch.
  2. Line an 8” round pan: Line the pan with parchment paper. This will make it very easy to pop the bars out once cooled.
  3. Prepare the wet and dry ingredients: Whisk the flour and baking powder together. No need to add salt since we are using salted butter. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.
  4. Cut the flour into the flour: Use a pastry cutter or food processor for this. Make sure you use very cold butter which means don’t take it out of the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Chop the butter into small cubes and add it to a food processor. Pulse for about 20 seconds until you have little clumps of butter/flour that are about the size of peas.
  5. Put it all together: Pour the flour/butter mixture into your wet ingredients. Pour 2/3 of this into the bottom of your baking pan. Use your hands to firmly press it into the pan. Spread the roasted strawberries on top of the crust. Top with the remaining 1/3 dough. Drop it in small balls scattered throughout the top. Top with strawberry slices and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown.
  6. Cool: Place the pan on a cooling rack to cool. Once cool, remove by first running a knife along the edges of the pan. Stick the knife inside and gently lift the bars up. They should slide right out. Top with the easy powdered sugar lemon juice icing.
Flour and cubed butter in the bowl of a food processor.
Butter and flour mixed together in pea sized balls in a bowl.
A pan of freshly baked strawberry Crumb bars on a cooling rack next to a bowl of strawberries.

TOP WITH LEMON POWDERED SUGAR ICING

The two ingredient powdered sugar-lemon icing is the perfect way to top these dreamy bars. It brings out the lemon flavors from the filling and adds an amazing tart-sweet flavor to the top. It will definitely have you licking your fingers if you eat the bars with your hands!

I first saw the recipe for this simple icing in one of my old cookbooks. When I also noticed that both Sally’s Baking Addiction and Katiebird Bakes both used it in their strawberry bars recipes, I knew this was the perfect glaze for these bars!

Freshly sliced strawberry bars with topped with strawberries with a knife next to them.
a close up picture of a strawberry crumb bar with white lemon glaze on top.
Strawberry crumb dessert with a bite taken out of it and topped with icing.

These bars are such a treat! Whether you make them for breakfast or dessert, during strawberry season or not, I’m sure you’ll love them!

FOR MORE DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY RECIPES, TRY MY:

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Fresh strawberry crumble bars drizzled with a lemon powdered sugar icing

Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8–16 slices or bars 1x
  • Category: Baking, Bars, Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This recipe for soft, easy Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars makes sweet, flavorful bars topped with a tart-sweet lemon icing! 

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

  • 2 cups (about 1/2 lb) strawberries, hulled and halved if small or quartered if large
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon (add after roasting)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (add after roasting)

FOR THE BASE AND TOPPING 

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 7 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

FOR OPTIONAL STRAWBERRY DECORATIONS 

  • About 1/2 to 1 cup of washed, halved strawberries (left as halves or cut into heart shapes or some regular halves and some heart shaped halves)

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

FOR THE ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the strawberries with the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice to coat. Place the strawberries and liquid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 15-17 minutes, stirring halfway. Pour roasted strawberries carefully into a bowl along with their liquid and stir in the vanilla and cornstarch. Lightly mash or chop the berries then set them aside to cool. 

FOR THE BASE AND TOPPING

  1. Line the bottom of an 8″ round pan with parchment paper. Set aside. 
  2. Combine the brown sugar, egg and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. 
  3. Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or place the flour mixture and chopped butter into a food processor. Pulse for about 20 seconds until pea sized crumbs form.
  4. Pour the sugar mixture into the flour/butter mixture. Spoon about 2/3 of this mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Use your hands to firmly press the mixture down so that it is good and compact. Spread the roasted strawberries evenly over the base. Top with the reserved 1/3 of the crumb mixture. It might clump together. Break the dough into little balls and scatter them throughout the top. 
  5. Add sliced strawberries or heart shaped strawberry slices to the top. Add as many or as little as you like. 
  6. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden. 
  7. Remove from oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Cool it at room temperature or place it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process. 
  8. Once cooled, stir the lemon juice and sifted powdered sugar together and drizzle over the entire crumble or over individual slices. 

 

 

Keywords: Strawberries, dessert, icing, lemon, zest, powdered sugar, roasted strawberries, crumb, crumble, bars

Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie

by

Two full glasses of strawberry pineapple banana smoothie topped with banana and pineapple slices.

I crave this easy Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie year round. It’s cold and refreshing anytime of the day during the summer and it brightens up my breakfast in the winter. Use fresh or frozen fruit and make it with milk for a creamy, healthy treat!

EASY SMOOTHIE TO MAKE

When I want a quick, healthy breakfast, I love whipping up a strawberry pineapple smoothie. It has five ingredients and can be made in five minutes.

Another convenient thing about this smoothie is that the ingredients are things that you probably already have on hand in your fridge or freezer. You can use fresh or frozen fruit.

A blender full of fresh strawberry and banana slices and pineapple chunks.

NATURALLY SWEET

Depending on the sweetness of your fruit and depending on your taste buds, you might want to a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

A blender with strawberry, pineapple, banana smoothie with honey drizzled on top.
Two big glasses of strawberry, banana, pineapple smoothies on a wooden tray.

Blend this strawberry banana pineapple smoothie up for a refreshing splash of sweetness and nutrition any time of the day or year!

FOR MORE SMOOTHIE RECIPES, TRY MY:

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two mason jars full of strawberry pineapple banana smoothies with strawberries in the smoothie and a banana and pineapple slice on the rims of the glassses

Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
  • Category: Smoothie, Breakfast, Drinks
  • Method: Blender, No Cook
  • Cuisine: American, Healthy
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Description

This easy, healthy Strawberry Pineapple Banana Smoothie recipe makes the perfect breakfast or snack!Whip up this simple five-ingredient smoothie in less than five minutes!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen banana, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries⠀
  • 1/2 cup pineapple, chopped ⠀
  • 3/4 cup milk⠀
  • 1–2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend and enjoy!

Keywords: strawberry banana pineapple smoothie

No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

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A large rose shaped strawberry ice cream cake with stawberries and raspberries on top of it and next to it on a white plate with a glass measuring cup full of strawberry sauce behind it and a small mason jar full of berries next to it and a stack of small white plates with a metal spatula knife.

This No Churn Raspberry Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream is a beautiful, delicious, decadent dessert that is unbelievably easy to make! No, really, it couldn’t be much easier and you don’t need any special tools or ingredients. You can use any cake mold or even a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread tin!

The humid days in Ottawa last week made me want to investigate ice cream ideas and I’m so glad I did! Not sure why I’ve never made ice cream before. I guess I always assumed I needed an ice cream machine and figured it’d take a long time to make. I now know that I have a simple, easy method of making ice cream at my fingertips and that I can create limitless combinations of flavors!

a large white plate with roasted strawberry pale pink ice cream in the shape of a rose on it and mint leaves strawberries and raspberries around it

SHAPE AND FLAVOR IDEAS

Feeling creative, I took out my rose silicone cake mold that my friend Marina had given me when I stayed with her in Guatemala. I had worked with a lot of students from Guatemala while teaching ESL in Boston, so I went there to learn more about their culture and to see what their lives had been like there.

Marina was patient with my somewhat limited Spanish. We discussed lots of topics including health, love, culture, careers, politics, reality tv and cooking! Marina showed me how to make empanadas and traditional hot chocolate. I showed her how to make my great-grandmother’s Fluffy Moist Banana Bread using her cool rose-shaped baking mold. She noticed how much I loved the rose shape and later took me to her favorite baking store to buy me one!

fresh strawberries in a ceramic colander in a sink

I decided on strawberries and raspberries as the flavor for my ice cream because I thought their bright red color would go so well with the rose shape of my mold. They also look and taste so good now since they are in season! Wanting to amp up the strawberry flavor and sweetness, I decided to try another first and roast my strawberries.

a bowl of fresh cut strawberries and a wooden measuring cup with fresh raspberries in it

ROASTING STRAWBERRIES

Roasting your strawberries is so easy and worth the 15-17 minutes! You simply slice them, lay them on a tray and put them in the oven. You give them a stir halfway through roasting and take them out to cool. It’s important not to discard whatever juice they’ve given off when roasting.

roasted strawberries and their juices on silpat

Once the strawberries are cool, you can mash or lightly chop them. They’ll be soft after roasting and will break apart on their own when you stir them. I like to leave little chunks but want them broken down enough to lend their color and flavor to the ice cream. I mix the cooled strawberries and their liquid into the sweetened condensed milk along with the raspberries. That way there’s less to mix in with my whipped cream.

WHIPPED CREAM

Since cream whips better when it’s cold, it’s good to keep the cream in the fridge until you use it. I also put my bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least a few minutes before using them since a warm bowl would increase the temperature of the cream. I also recommend putting your rose mold or bread tin in the freezer before using as well.

Whipping the heavy whipping cream until you have medium peaks. Next, grab a spatula to scoop out about a cup of the whipped cream and gently fold it into the condensed milk and berry mixture. Give it a few folds and then fold the sweetened condensed mixture into the bowl of the remaining whipped cream.

ROSE MOLDS AND BREAD TINS

Once you have all your ingredients combined, gently pour the mixture into whatever mold you choose to use. I used my 4 cup rose mold which left me with enough leftover ice cream to fill a smaller bread tin. Most people opt for a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan which is something I’ve also done. Whichever mold you choose, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then let the freezer take over for 4-6 hours until it’s frozen solid.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY SAUCE

The roasted strawberry sauce is optional but recommended! The ice cream is delicious on its own or served with fresh or chopped, sweetened berries. I like the roasted strawberry sauce because it makes me feel like I’m eating a decadent dessert. It reminds me of the strawberry sundae I used to love at Dairy Queen as a kid (and still love today) and tastes like something my grandmother would’ve made. It basically only requires chopping the berries and adding sugar, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon juice and throwing it in the oven. I made the sauce right after roasting the berries for the ice cream since I had the oven on. It also gave the sauce plenty of time to cool while the ice cream was in the freezer.

a large white plate with pink colored homemade raspberry and roasted strawberry ice cream on it in the shape of a rose with strawberry sauce behind it

THE BEST PARTS

One of the most exciting parts of making this No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream was unveiling the rose shape! To do this, I checked to make sure the ice cream was solid by touching the top of it. I then let it sit at room temperature for about ten minutes and then inverted it over my serving plate. I let gravity take over for a few minutes and then gently pulled the mold off! Ta-daaa!

The other exciting part of this recipe for me was tasting the roasted strawberry flavor combined with the cream! The berries added the potent sweetness and freshness of summer and went so well with the rich cream!

a large white plate with pink colored homemade raspberry and roasted strawberry ice cream on it in the shape of a rose on it and a cake cutter

If using a bread tin, break out your ice cream scoop and serve it in cups or on cones!

a large white plate with pink colored homemade raspberry and roasted strawberry ice cream on it in the shape of a rose

You won’t believe how easy and delicious this treat is. Pick up some whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk and fresh berries and you’ll be enjoying this creamy, sweet treat in no time!

a large white plate with pink colored homemade raspberry and roasted strawberry ice cream on it in the shape of a rose with strawberry sauce behind it

SAME RECIPE, DIFFERENT SHAPE

homemade no churn strawberry and raspberry ice cream in a bread tin with strawberries on top and a measuring cup with strawberries next to it
homemade no churn strawberry and raspberry ice cream in a bread tin with strawberries on top and a bowls of homemade ice cream next to it
a bowl of fresh homemade no churn raspberry and roasted strawberry ice cream with a spoon in it
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a piece of strawberry ice cream cake on a white plate with strawberry sauce on it and a strawberry and raspberry on it. A large strawberry ice cream cake is on a white plate in the background with mint leaves on the plate and a measuring cup with strawberry sauce is next to it.

No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Ice Cream
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream is bursting with intense flavor from roasted strawberries! It’s a sweet, creamy and delicious treat that’s easy to make!  

Scale

Ingredients

ICE CREAM 

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled  and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

ROASTED STRAWBERRY SAUCE

  • 1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved if small or quartered if large
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice 

DECORATION

  • A few whole strawberries and raspberries
  • Fresh mint leaves

Instructions

ICE CREAM

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place the strawberries on a lined baking sheet lined and roast for 15-17 minutes, stirring halfway. Allow the strawberries cool then lightly mash them along with their liquid. 
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cooled strawberries with the raspberries and the sweetened condensed milk. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed just until medium peaks form.
  4. Gently fold in about a cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk and berry mixture and then fold the condensed milk mixture into the bowl of whipped cream until combined.  
  5. Pour the whipped cream, condensed milk and berry mixture into a mold (if using) or a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread tin, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4-6 hours.
  6. When ready to serve, remove pan from freezer and remove plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes then invert it on a serving plate if using rose shaped mold. After about ten minutes, gently remove the mold. If using a bread tin as your mold, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the ice cream. 
  7. Decorate with mint leaves and strawberries and raspberries and serve with roasted strawberry sauce.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Toss the strawberries together with the sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour the strawberries onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 18-20  minutes. Allow the berries to cool completely. 

3. Puree if desired or serve as is with larger bits of strawberries. 

Notes

If possible, place bowl for mixer and beaters in freezer before using along with your mold (rose shaped mold or loaf pan). 

Keywords: strawberries, roasted strawberries, strawberry sauce, ice cream, strawberry ice cream, raspberries , no churn ice cream

American Flag Cake with Fruit

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Square slices of pieces of american flag cake decorated with blueberries and strawberry slices on a counter with a strawberry and three blueberries and a cake pan behind the cake

Who wants a slice of moist, sweet vanilla flag cake made blueberries and strawberries baked inside?! I’ve had this idea for this American Flag Cake with Fruit for at least a month now! I knew I wanted to make something simple, yet special for the 4th of July and this is it. Fresh blueberries and strawberries add flavor when baked on top of this tender white cake!

sliced strawberries on a paper towel and a small mason jar filled with blueberries and a white cake in a buttered pan

SPECIAL HOLIDAY

This is my first 4th of July as a Canadian permanent resident. I get to keep my American citizenship forever, but I think my new status in Canada has me feeling extra appreciative to be a resident and citizen of two countries that I love so much.

a beautiful american flag cake with blueberries and sliced strawberries on a white cake in a cake pan

STRAWBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES

There are so many pretty, patriotic desserts that pop up on Pinterest and Instagram around the 4th of July. Topped with bright red strawberries and fresh blueberries, they look fresh, seasonal, and festive. Baking the berries with the cake makes this cake festive, seasonal and a bit unique!

CAKE BASE

I used my great grandmother’s trusty white layer cake recipe for the cake. Instead of making two layer cakes, I made one large 13 by 9″ cake and just increased the baking time a little. The cake is moist, tender and delicious and easy to whip up.

MAKE ONE LARGE OR MANY SMALL FLAGS

Most flag cakes make one large cake. You can make this cake as one big flag or many small, individual flags. Making the single, large flag takes less time and is a bit easier. Making the individual flags is nice because it’s fun to serve people their own individual “flag.” The cake will look and taste great however you make it!

HOW TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL FLAGS

Once you have the batter in the pan, you divide the cake into thirds horizontally and vertically. This will give you nine slices. You can use a ruler to make sure your flags/slices are all the exact size, but I like the slight imperfect homemade look that I get from just eyeballing it.

I started making my flags by making two rows of three blueberries in the top left corner. I then placed my thinly sliced strawberries on each flag to create stripes. I opted for four “rows” of stripes (including the shorter rows to the right of the blueberries).

a close up picture of baked blueberries and sliced strawberries baked into a white flag cake
Absolutely love that deep color of the cooked fruit!

I had a feeling this cake would be good, but was pretty blown away by it! It looked adorable smelled so good when it came out of the oven! Who doesn’t love the smell of baked blueberries and strawberries!

slices of american flag cake made with blueberries and strawberries with a strawberry in the background and a cake pan

You’ll love how good the blueberries and strawberries smells while the cake bakes! Who doesn’t love the smell of baked blueberries and strawberries?!

I hope you enjoy this patriotic, festive American Flag Cake with Fruit. It’s sooo good with either whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream, but I also love it as is!

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square pieces of white cake with blueberries and strawberries in the cake decorated as a flag and crumbs around it.

Flag Cake

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 25
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 9 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Cake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This easy American Flag Cake with Fruit is a super moist and festive vanilla flavored flag cake with blueberries and strawberries baked inside.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 4 cups whole strawberries, hulled with tops removed and sliced into slim slices

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 13-by-9 inch cake pan then line it with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over on both sides (this will make it easier to remove the cake from the pan). 2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. 3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to mixture alternatively with the milk. Beat well. Pour into the pan. 4. Beginning in the top left corner, place two rows of three blueberries. Next, using the sliced strawberries, very lightly press the strawberry strips into the cake to make the “stripes). Make three flags in the first column and then two more columns of three flags. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan. Once cooled, gently pull up on the sides to lift the cake out of the pan. Slice in individual flag shapes and enjoy!

Keywords: flag cake, cake, blueberries, strawberries, dessert, 4th of july