Strawberry Cheesecake Torte

Strawberry Cheesecake Torte
By: Doris Christopher

1 pkg (16oz) pound cake mix
½ cup water
1 pkg (3oz) strawberry gelatin
¼ cup seedless strawberry jam
1 lemon
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup cold milk
1 container (12oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 pkg (3.4oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced and halved
1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line BAR pan with 13 inch piece of parchment paper. Prepare cake mix according to package directions; pour into BAR pan, spreading evenly. Bake 15-18 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Carefully lift cake onto cooling rack; cool completely.

In a microwavable container microwave water 1-2 minutes or until boiling. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Add jam; whisk until smooth. Invert cake onto smooth side of a large cutting board; remove parchment paper. Prick cake at ½ inch intervals using a fork. Brush cake evenly with all but 2 Tablespoons of the gelatin mixture. Trim ¼ inch around edge of cake; discard edges. Cut cake crosswise into 3 equal layers.

Zest lemon; set zest aside. Juice lemon to measure 2 Tablespoons of juice. In a large batter bowl, combine cream cheese and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Add milk; whisk until smooth. Spoon whipped topping over cream cheese mixture. (Do not mix.) Sprinkle with pudding mix; mix well. (Mixture will be VERY thick).

Place one cake layer on Oval platter. Fill a large Ziploc bag with filling mixture. Snip tip with scissors. Pipe a straight border around edge of cake layer. Using a large scoop, place 4 scoops of filling down the center; spread evenly to border. Top with second cake layer. Repeat filling as above. For third layer, pipe a decorative border around edge. Spread any remaining filling down center.

Arrange kiwi on top of cake. Place strawberries and reserved gelatin mixture in a small mixing bowl; mix gently. (If gelatin mixture has set, microwave for 5-10 seconds or until softened.) Spoon strawberries over top of cake; sprinkle with reserved lemon zest.

Yields 16 servings

Luscious Lemon Angel Roll

Luscious Lemon Angel Roll

Sponge Cake:
5 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tarter

Angel Roll Filling:
¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 lemon
7 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1 container (8oz) Cool Whip, thawed, divided
1 jar (11.75oz) strawberry ice cream topping
Powdered sugar for garnish
12 fresh whole strawberries for garnish

To make the sponge cake:
Beat the egg yolks until they turn creamy and a much lighter shade of yellow.

Add the sugar and blend it well into the yolks. Add the water and vanilla and combine well with the yolks mixture. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add it to the yolk mixture. Mix well until batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until smooth, then add the cream of tartar. Continue beating until the whites are stiff and form peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix slowly just until well combined (use a wooden spoon). Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined BAR pan (11x17).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, just until a light brown color. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack, remove parchment paper from cake.

Assembling the roll:
Sprinkle ½ cup powdered sugar over cake. Place a piece of wax paper over cake. Place a cooling rack upside down over the wax paper and carefully turn cake out at once. Roll up cake in wax paper as for a jelly roll. Cool completely in the fridge.

Unroll cake, discard wax paper. Spread cake with ¼ cup ice cream topping.

Angel Roll Filling:
Combine cream cheese and the remaining ¼ cup powdered sugar; mix well. Zest whole lemon, juice lemon. Add zest and lemon juice to cream cheese mixture; combine well. Add food coloring (if desired); mix well. Fold in 1 cup cool whip.

Gently spread over ice cream topping; re-roll cake. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Slice roll with knife. Serve with remaining cool whip and fresh strawberries. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serves 12