Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream + On Turning 30

Growing up, I remember my mom owned a sweater with the phrase “30 never looked so good.” It was a white pull-over sweater with crazy fonts and coloured shapes – think Saved By the Bell styled clipart. When I was a teenager, it become one of my mom’s favourite sweaters to wear while doing chores around the house and at the time I remember thinking how “old” 30 seemed. To a kid like me, being 30 was practically a lifetime away. I still had high school and university to get through. Not to mention that late 20’s post-university phase of figuring out a career, buying a house, balancing a bank account and walking successfully in high-heels. Pretty much everything that I thought responsible, serious adults did once they turned 30 and have everything figured out.

It’s funny how your perception changes when you get older. I’ll be turning 30 on Friday and sometimes I still feel like the same person I was when I turned 20. I keep joking with Trevor that although we’re married, have jobs and a mortgage, I still feel like I’m pretending to be an adult. It’s like I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and waiting for the day that someone calls me out on this act and then I can shrug and say “yeah, you got me.”

Unlike my former teenage self, I no longer expect everything to start making sense when I turn 30. In fact, I’ll consider it a blessing if I have things figured out when I’m 60 (I’m coming for you 2045!). Right now I’m making the most of everything I have now, enjoying the ride and taking things as they come. With so much that happened in my 20’s that was awesome, great, good, and not-so-wonderful, it makes me excited to think of what could be waiting for me in this new decade.

Except for that high-heels thing, because I so haven’t figured it out. Maybe when I’m 40.

In anticipation of my upcoming 30th, I thought there would be no better way to celebrate than sharing a recipe for strawberry yogurt cake. Strawberries are my all-time favourite berry, but since they’re not in season right now I had to make due with some all-natural strawberry jam. If you’re reading this and strawberries are in season, I recommend substituting the jam for two cups of sliced strawberries. To keep the strawberries from sinking in the cake, reserve 1/4 cup of flour to toss with the strawberries and stir in prior to baking.

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Yield: One 10" cake

Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or more all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter/margarine, softened
• 1 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup strawberry flavoured Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup all-natural strawberry jam
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Coconut Whipped Cream

• One can of full-fat of coconut cream
• 2 tsp cane sugar

Directions:

1. The night before you make the cake, pop the can of coconut milk in the fridge to chill overnight.
2. Begin making your cake by preheating your oven to 325*F. Grease and flour a 10″ round pan.
3. In a small bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour (if using), baking soda and salt.
4. Using a stand mixer, cream together softened butter/margarine and cane sugar. Gradually add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add strawberry yogurt, strawberry jam, and lemon juice and mix well.
5. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet mixture, blending until no flour is visible. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then remove the cake to cool on a wired rack.
6. While the cake is cooling, stick your mixer bowl in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge, remove the lid and scrape out the thick cream. If there is liquid in the can, put the liquid aside and reserve for another recipe (I suggest smoothies!).
8. Place the coconut cream in the chilled bowl and beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer until creamy. Add cane sugar and an optional teaspoon of vanilla extract.

When shopping for coconut milk, make sure that the can says full-fat. I like to give the cans a gentle shake and tend to have the best success with cans whose contents feel thicker. Cans that feel watery means that the coconut cream and the water will likely have a harder time separating.

If you are new to making coconut whipped cream, Angela at Oh She Glows has a fantastic step-by-step photo tutorial.