Cake for "A"

This afternoon we made a cake for A. She is due to arrive tomorrow but sadly I have no reason to believe that she is any nearer than last week... Today the boys and I made a birthday cake for her. We had hoped she would want to come to her party...

Here is C writing her name on the cake, with K closely supervising.

Now it is K's turn with the icing, he is adding some stars.

Here is a shot of the boys putting the finishing touches on the cake.

TA DA!

Here both boys are getting ready to enjoy their big slices of cake.

By the way, this cake was FABULOUS. It is Strawberry Meringue. The meringue was spectacular, and the orange juice we added to the cake mix made it so moist. At first bite C exclaimed, "Oh WOW! This is great!" We did use a box cake mix which was a bit of cheating. I am sure we will make this again, especially in the summer when we can get tasty fresh strawberries. If we do I'll try to do it without the box.

Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Meringue Cake

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cups orange juice
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 cups whipping cream
2 pints fresh strawberries, divided

Directions

1.In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, orange juice, egg yolks and orange peel. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium until foamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread the meringue evenly over cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool in pans on wire racks (meringue will crack).

2.Beat cream until stiff peaks form. Mash 1/2 cup of strawberries with remaining sugar; fold into whipped cream. Loosen edges of cakes from pans with a knife. Using two large spatulas, carefully remove one cake to a serving platter, meringue side up. Carefully spread with about two-thirds of the cream mixture. Slice the remaining berries; arrange half over cream mixture. Repeat layers. Store in the refrigerator.