Strawberry Swirl Cake

We had some good friends come for dinner on Saturday and the weather was sticky hot!  I wanted to make a dessert that would be delicious but not heavy.   What goes better with hot and sticky weather other than strawberry shortcake?   This cake was a breeze to make although the finished product makes it look like you spent a lot of time on it.  My camera setting was wrong and I didn't realize it until days later-- so I apologize for the poorly colored photos.

Strawberry Swirl Cake
Adapted from Kraft Food and Family

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix
1 pkg. (3oz) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool-Whip whipped topping, thawed
1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions:


PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.
Prepare cake batter as directed on package.
Pour half of the batter into medium bowl.
Add dry gelatin mix; stir until well blended.
Spoon half of the white batter and half of the pink batter, side-by-side, into each prepared pan.

Swirl batters together using a teaspoon.

BAKE 30 min. Cool 30 min. in pans. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

MIX sour cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping.

Place one of the cake layers on serving plate; spread top with 1 cup of the whipped topping mixture. Top with 1 cup of the strawberries and remaining cake layer. 

Spread top and side of cake with remaining whipped topping mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries just before serving. Store any leftover cake in refrigerator.

Bounty Bars- Coconut Chocolates

Just in time for Valentine's Day! How pretty are these coconut candies? They taste like a Mounds Bar or an Almond Joy, minus the joy of the almond! They are extremely sweet, so I cut them to be bite-sized. I'm sure you could cut them into more of a candy-bar size if you really want the full effect of a candy bar.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter (18 tablespoons)
3 cups shredded coconut
4 oz dark chocolate (I actually used semi-sweet)
2 Tbsp oil

Directions:

Dice butter; put cream, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and heat until it boils, stirring almost constantly. Boil for another 5 minutes, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat and stir in coconut.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with waxed paper and pour the mixture into pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, turn it out onto a cutting board and remove the paper.

Cut it into cubes or into shape of a rectangular cuboid (which is the original shape of a Bounty candy bar).



Combine chocolate and oil in the top portion of a double boiler. Heat until melted. Dip each coconut cube in the melted chocolate to coat.

Allow to dry on waxed paper. I put it in the fridge to speed up the process.

Serve at room temperature (or cold.... whatever!).