Chocolate Strawberry Cake and a tart that didn’t oblige!
Erma Bombeck
The kids made cards for me … pretty ones, & each reflective of their current personalities. The daughter’s in her trademark black, with a B&W picture of me she clicked a few days ago. 
The son’s in all the colours he could use, with words to say he made it on his OWN…no help from anyone! They got me a set of pretty coffee mugs… & then we tried to bake together! A bit tough, with tempers quickly taking off because the weather was so HOT, then we & the weather cooled down with a sudden hailstorm!
A little bit of investigation revealed Meghlaya, a North-Eastern Indian hill state, but he knew no better. He was too excited to care, & told me that stuff sells better if he can say they are imported! A sign of the times…sigh! I bought them anyway. The strawberries were meant to go into a chocolate tart, which didn’t oblige, so made a cake ‘with’ the kids today. They’d been on my case to bake something for Mother’s day; they wanted to help me make it. 
Got up this morning with a MD spring in my step, & reached the kitchen with David Levobitz’s recent French Tart scribbled on a scrap of paper. Failed to see the writing on the wall; I am obviously not a pastry chef in the making, & have a long way to go. It started off badly. Someone wrote to me the other day asking if I ever had baking disasters? Ever? This is just to put it on record … & is just one of the many I’ve had!!
Levobitz said use a Pyrex bowl; I used a microwave bowl, but it wasn’t a Pyrex one. Disaster struck, like I knew the voice in my head was telling me it would…why did I ignore it? I did… & paid the price with shards of glass & brown butter puddles, 5 minutes into the morning. Bravely got a Pyrex bowl & started again. Need my head examined I suspect. 5oz of flour was not making anything called dough. Added more…almost another 5oz. Still a pretty gloppy dough … but not to be disheartened, I slathered it into my tart tin, & baked it. 
Got a tart crust alright, but it’s very very fragile, & is still cooling it’s heels in the fridge. I think the fridge is my rightful place though, after my pretty pathetic baker’s morning at 40C! The picture has a lovey shell, but it is = crumbs!! Maybe chilling will fix it, & only time will tell! Almost 200gms of butter later, finally made a ‘fat less’ chocolate sponge out of the Le Cordon Bleu Cook’s Bible. Sliced it into 2, sandwiched it with a whipped cream & chopped strawberries, topped it with a quick dark chocolate ganache, & sliced strawberries. Finished the top off with sliced almonds & roughly chopped pistachio nuts … with help from the kids. Daughter did all the dirty work for the sponge (I did the washing though). Then we had an argument (she teen, me not), & she disappeared with a bruised ego. The son helped me with the ganache … I mean, he clicked a couple of pics, & then religiously licked every spatula, offset & otherwise, said thank you, & scooted! Here’s what we made… 
Sponge cake
4 eggs; separated
4 1/2 oz Castor sugar
2 oz cocoa
3 oz flour
Filling
200gms strawberries (sliced)
3-4 tbsps Castor sugar
200ml low fat cream
Slivered almonds, chopped pistachios for garnishing
Topping
150gms dark chocolate
100ml cream 
Method:
-
Preheat oven to 220C. Grease & line a Swiss roll tin. (I used a 6′ square tin, & cut 2 layers out of the cake. I think the jelly roll might work easier)
- Sift the flour & cocoa thrice. Reserve.
-
Whisk the egg whites till soft peaks, then gradually add sugar & whisk till smooth. Add yolks & vanilla extract. Whisk.
-
Gently fold in the dry ingredients, with light spoon movements, so the air doesn’t get released.
-
Bake in a greased lined jelly roll tin for 8-10minutes.(I baked it for 20-25minutes because the tin was deep & not a jelly roll one)
-
Cool completely, & cut into half.
Filling:
Whip cream & Castor sugar till holds peaks.
Topping:
-
Gently heat the cream & dark chocolate on simmer till smooth. Take off heat, & whisk with a smooth till smooth & shiny. Cool to room temperature & pour over cake.
-
Top the cake with rows of sliced strawberries etc. Chill until served.
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
43 Comments
Michelle
The cards are adorable! Make sure to keep them, your children will enjoy them when they’re older. I treasure the ones my Mom kept.
The strawberry cake looks delish! Love the pan!
glamah16
Your family is so beautiful and creative. Looks like you had a beautiful day.
Parita
Oh..the cards looks so cute and lovely…the cake looks yummy, happy mothers days 🙂
Elra
Good Grace Deeba, I am loving this post. It’s the cutest ever! The cards that you got from your children are incredibly cute, they have such a great sense of humor. I like that she call you Albert Einstein’s mom, and the advice about styling your hair… obviously she is going to be your style advice.
Have a wonderful one Dee!
elra
Happy cook
Happy Mother’s Day Deepa and looks like kids made you day with the cards.
Shyama made a card and she gave presents too , will post them tommorw a si have to download the pictures to the computer.
Hats off to you girl for baking in such a high summer season there.
Now i know your secret of beeing thin, as you are melting away in that kitchen heat while making the cakes 🙂
Barbara Bakes
I would love your chocolate strawberry cake for Mother’s Day!
Elenka
Happy, happy Mother’s Day to you, Deeba!!
meeso
Wonderful dessert… Happy Mother’s Day!
Helene
The cards are so cute. And the dessert looks delicious. Happy Mother’s Day!
Snooky doodle
this cake looks great. You really got really made me feel better knowing that even great chef like you ahs disasters 🙂
HoneyB
You will treasure those hand made cards!! I have many things in storage that my kids gave me.
The cake looks delicious and beautiful! Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Linda
What creative cards from your children. They are so cute.
I think the tart looks beautiful…just like the beautiful person you are. Hope you had a nice Mother’s Day.
Reeni♥
The cards are so precious! And your cake had a good turn-out despite your problems. It looks gorgeous with those deep red strawberries sitting pretty on top. Happy Mother’s Day!!!!
Nags
Can sense you have a good one 🙂 Love the collage at the end!
PS: I highly doubt whether strawberries even grow in Malaysia since its more famous for tropical fruits. But then again, who knows 😀
Maria
Happy Mother’s Day! Gorgeous dessert!
Bunny
Happy Mother’s Day Deeba, well at least you tried to bake with the kids!! LOL!!! Your cards are adorable!!
Bharti
Happy Mother’s day Deeba. I love this post. Comforting to know all moms go thru the same stuff. And my daughter is only 6!
MyKitchenInHalfCups
Do you think mom’s are just made to take care of disasters? I know I sometimes used to think so.
Love your cards and the tart.
Prathibha
Happy Mother’s day…Lovely cards….Great stuff…
Superchef
Happy Mother’s Day!! hope you enjoyed the day1 the cards are sooo adorable and the cake, ever so awesome!!
Ria
Wowie!! That cake looks very yummy!!You sure had a good time with the kids and I sure did have a wonderful time reading your write up! Must say that you are a SUPER COOL mommy!!! 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day!!!!!
Manggy
Ooh, Meher is turning out to be quite the photographer isn’t she? What wonderful gifts to receive! Sorry about the crust flop. The cake does look delicious, though.
Happy mother’s day!
Aran
happy other’s day deeba! what a wonderful tart. love the family photos!
Ginger
The cards are so cute. The cake looks incredible. It sounds like a perfect Mother’s Day!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
What gorgeous cards and so different too! 🙂 sorry to hear about the tart that wouldn’t behave but it looks magnificent-great save and a family effort no less! 🙂
MAHIMA
Thats sooo cute deeba 🙂
Tart looks awesome!
The Cooking Photographer
Thank-you so much Deeba for visting my blog. I couldn’t wait to find yours!
You live in New Delhi! I want to visit. My friend Raman travels back often to visit his family, and he makes it sound so alive!
Your blog is beautiful, and this post is so personal and fun. Especially with the teen daughter! Mine is 7 going on 16.
I’ll be back often. 🙂
~Laura
Soma
Those cards are so from the heart & that is an awesome picture. my kids made me loads of cards.. too many!! but aren't these the best things ever in life..
your disasters inspire me… i feel i am not the only one..even professional bakers like u can go thru it once in a while:-D
The end result is just fantastic Deeba!
Eliana
What a fantastic looking cake. It looks so sophisticated.
anudivya
How sweet of your kids, and I am sure this is a well deserved mother! Happy Mother’s day Deeba.
I love the b/w pic of yours that your daughter took. Very natural and beautiful.
pigpigscorner
What a cute card! The cake looks amazing.
ButterYum
Stunning!!!!!!!!
noble pig
The cards are magnificent! Wow, I am so impressed.
But happened with that tart dough, that’s weird to have doubled the flour and still gloppy. It all turned out wonderful though!
Happy Mother’s Day!
coffeegrounded
Happy Mothers Day!…belated (sorry).
The cards are precious, Deeba…just like your children.
I’m amazed at your efforts. The final result is beautiful. I’m afraid I would have given up and hid myself under a rock after the glass explosion. (I made the mistake of adding hot water into an empty pyrex dish that I had preheating in the oven. I was going to steam my loaf of bread.) OOPS! I had shards of glass all about the kitchen. I did learn something, though: Pyrex is mighty, but heat is mightier. lol.
I’m still amazed at how I missed being a human pin cushion.
Miette
Deeba, your recipe is very yummy! Hpe you spent a very happy Mother’s Day! Your cards are very very pretty! Love all you made with your children!
Cheers,
Miette.
Ricardo
That is not a tart, that is an explosion of strawberries that devour me whole and take me into this dreamy place of sweetness and joy, that is heaven in a tart shape. thanks for sharing it well done 🙂 xx Rico-Recipes
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
What a lovely Mother’s Day! the cards are priceless! And your baking turned out beautiful as well! Looks very tasty!!
Gloria
Happy day to you Deeba you have lovely kids blessing them!! and this look absolutely nice and wonderful, Love yah! xoxoxo Gloria
Pille
It certainly looks spectacular, Deeba!
PS Thank you so much for popping by in February and congratulating us on the birth of our baby girl. She’s doing very well, is already weighing 6 kg. We’ve named her Nora, and she’s a real sweetie 🙂
Nicisme
Awww, your kids are great to make such wonderful cards for you!
The strawberry cake looks gorgeous too! (As do you in that photo)
Julia @ Mélanger
Wow, how cute are your kids??? Those handmade cards are great. Love anything homemade. It’s so much more special! Hope you had a lovely day!
Sophie
Your kids ara cuties, aren’t they?
This strawberrry tarte looks oh so fab! This is excellence!! Pure indulgence!!
Fahrenheit 350°
This looks fabulous! I just featured this post on a strawberry post on my site!