Strawberry cake and my 2nd blog birthday!

How time flies…  It seems only such  a short while ago that I celebrated my one year anniversary with Simone’s Kitchen and voila, here we are in the second year already. And yes technically I have been blogging for 8 years now, but I started Simone’s Kitchen exactly two years ago, so two years it is.

It’s been an interesting year again. Simone’s Kitchen got a new baby in the shape of a line of oils and vinegar, which dude Tom is selling on various markets throughout Holland. And since november of last year he is officially working for our little company.

Of course I would not be me, if I hadn’t started and stopped a couple of blogs in the last year too. I just can’t seem to help myself.. But all things considered, I think I’ve pretty much stuck to Simone’s Kitchen. It’s harder to change anyway since the logo is now not only a blog logo but it is also attached to a lot of bottles. Not so easy to make a complete change anymore!

In blog land a lot has changed here in the Netherlands over the past year. The trend of more and more people who start to blog is still ongoing. And that is fun. The more people, the merrier, right? I do think we can be nicer to one another. Bloggers can be quite bitchy from time to time. And it doesn’t really matter if you’re a “big” or a “small” blogger (what does that mean anyway??) it is all about sharing your passion. It doesn’t matter if it is fashion, beauty, food or travel or all of the above. It’s about writing about the things you love.

And if your readers are three family members or 100.000 strangers, in essence it is the same. Sometimes – when I think about all the people that are reading my brainfarts I get a little anxious. Imagine a whole football stadium full of people who are all listening while you explain you need to lose weight or visited an event or whatever… That is kind of weird to think about. So I don’t think about it really. 🙂

It’s still weird if people recognize me or if I am with Tom at the market and someone is at the stall, that I have never seen before and they start talking to me about the whole30 and ask me how it is going… That is slightly odd but also really fun. Interaction with followers is the best part of blogging. That and interacting with other bloggers. Nothing is more fun than spending an afternoon or an evening with a group of fellow bloggers and talk about all the things a normal human being wouldn’t understand! Or take endless pictures of your food without feeling embarrased…

I’ve said it before but I’ve met so many people through blogging and a few of them even have become close friends. I have seen things, been to places and experienced things that I would never have if not for blogging. So yes, I love it! Simone’s Kitchen would not exist without you, my dear readers.

So thank you for another fun year and to celebrate I am giving you this gorgeous strawberry cake with a bottom of cantuccini cookies mixed with a bit of chocolate (cause everything is better with chocolate) and with lots of cream to make it truly decadent.

In fact I care so much about all of you that I am making this on our very last day of the whole30. So talk about torture… I am giving the cake away to my neighbours, because even if I could technically eat it on the day you are reading this, it would not be the best thing to eat after not eating cream, sugar or carbs for 30 days. I might not feel too well if I did…!

But I ám looking forward to making this again sometime soon in the near future! (and eating it, face into the cream straight away!)

Strawberry cake with cookies and cream

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I made this beauty in a tart tin with a loose bottom. I didn't take into account that it would be hard to get off once cooled.Oops... So it is a good idea to place a piece of baking paper in the tin before adding the cookie-dough. It is quite crumbly so getting it off will break the crust. It won't taste any less but better to use the paper!  

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Prep time 1 hour hr

Total time 1 hour hr

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1 tin of 22 cm

Ingredients

• ▢ Ingredients:
• ▢ 250 gram cantuccini cookies or different cookies if you prefer
• ▢ 50 gram cacao nibs or a bar of dark chocolate hacked into pieces
• ▢ 125 gram butter
• ▢ 250 gram double cream
• ▢ 250 gram mascarpone
• ▢ 1 tbsp of sugar
• ▢ zest of two limes
• ▢ handful of macaroons finely diced or crumbled. Roughly 100-150 gram
• ▢ 250 gram strawberries
• ▢ 100 gram raspberries
• ▢ few twigs of red currants optional
• ▢ 2 tbsp of icing sugar
• ▢ few basil leaves for decoration
• ▢  

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• Put the cookies into a foodprocessor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Melt in the meantime the butter in a small saucepan and leave to cool a bit. Add the cacao nibs into the crumbs and add the butter. Stir everything through well.
• Put a piece of baking paper in the bottom of the tin and press the cookie mix into it with a spoon. Make sure to also press it against the sides. Put into the fridge and leave to cool for at least 45 minutes before continuing.
• In the meantime whisk the cream with one or two tbsp of sugar to stiff peaks. Add the limezest and the crumbled macaroons. Stir everything through and than add the mascarpone. Fold it in until well combined with the cream
• Clean the fruit and cut the strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on size. Add a tablespoon of icing sugar and put aside.
• Once the crust is cooled enough remove from the tin carefully. Like I said it is very crumbly and will break easily. Place it on a plate or platter before you start filling it.
• Spread the cream in a thick layer on top of the crust and place the fruit on top. Sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with a few basil leaves if you want.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @insimoneskitchen_ or tag #insimoneskitchen!

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About the Author

Simone van den Berg

Food blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Likes to create healthy and easy recipes for daily use, but also loves the occasional sweet dish. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist

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