I should change my blog to Habanero Chronicles.  Strawberries were super fresh so I decided to make a cake.  I screwed up on the frosting since I was too lazy to look up my recipe.  I didn’t use powdered sugar either so it just melted and all the strawberries kept sliding off.  It was pretty funny looking but DELICIOUS.

Strawberry Sauce:

• 1 ½ pounds Strawberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 3 habaneros

Cake:

• 1/2 cup Milk, room temperature
• 6 Egg Whites, room temperature
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 1/4 cup Cake Flour
• 1 3/4 cup Sugar
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 12 Tbsp Butter, room temperature

Frosting:

• 2 8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 oz Grand Mariner
• 2 oz Lemon Juice
• Remaining Strawberry Sauce

Wash and hull strawberries.  Slice all one to use as garnish.  Finely dice habanero peppers.  Add ¾ of sliced berries to a sauce pan with diced habaneros, 1/3 cup of sugar and ¼ cup of sugar.  Bring to a boil and reduce.  Use immersion blender or remove from heat and blend.  (1/4 sliced strawberries will be used for garnish.  Mix with 2 Tbsp. sugar and lemon juice and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven 350F and grease two cake pans.

Combine milk, egg whites and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix well.

Sift cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixer stand.  Add room temperature butter and mix on medium to combine till dough resembles a light crumble.  Add wet ingredients and continue to mix till fully incorporated and smooth.  Add half of the strawberry sauce and fold by hand.

Divide batter into two pans and bake for approximately 23 minutes till toothpick comes out clean.  Allow cakes to rest 10 minutes and then turn out onto wire racks to cool.

Mix all the ingredients of frosting till light and fluffy and refrigerate while cakes are cooling.  Frost and add sugared strawberry slices to garnish top.