The Market's Spring Fling Cake

https://www.food.com/recipe/the-markets-spring-fling-cake-406495?fbclid=IwAR3aPkK0m-tCkl5gMND14ZGh3tDrnel_2nbbS2Rl3z2D03KHJFpyi7uTcII

READY IN: 1hr 50 minutes

SERVES: 12-14

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
2 1⁄2 cups shredded zucchini (the zucchini was very finely shredded)
5 eggs
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt

FROSTING
3⁄4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FRUIT FOR THE CAKE
1 pint strawberry, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced
4 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
1 pint blueberries
apricot glaze (optional) or apricot jam, thinned with a bit of warm water (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a 10 inch cake pan.

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream, and vanilla.
Combine the DRY ingredients in another bowl; then add to zucchini mixture.
Batter will be rather wet and easy to pour. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 50-70 minutes.
Cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan. (Note: The cake can be made a day prior and refrigerated).

Frosting: Whip cream cheese with butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until combined.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff, then fold the whipped cream and 1/2 t vanilla into the frosting mixture.

Assemble Cake: Cut cooled cake in half lengthwise (creating two layers). You can cut the cake into three layers, like they do at The Market.
Spread frosting over the first layer, add a layer of fruit (repeat if you are making a three-layer cake).
Put on the top layer and frost. The sides of the cake are NOT frosted.
Arrange fruit in circles (or your preferred design) over entire top of the cake, slightly overlapping the fruit. Spread apricot glaze over fruit with a pastry brush.

Homemade Crème Fraîche

This recipe comes from the book "Breakfast in Bed," by Jesse Ziff Cool.

According to Jesse, crème fraîche is traditionally made with buttermilk, but Julia Child discovered years ago that blending sour cream with heavy cream produces the same results.

Martha Stewart and others use crème fraîche frequently. I seldom see it in the dairy case in the grocery stores. The history of crème fraîche can be found here.

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream

Stir the heavy cream and sour cream together in a saucepan. Heat it over medium heat just until it's slightly warm to the touch (about 90 degrees), about 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a clean ceramic bowl, cover it with a cloth, and put it in a warm spot--a place where you would put bread dough to rise--for about 8 hours. Refrigerate it overnight. The thickening will continue as it cools, and the creme will be ready to eat in the morning. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Use crème fraîche in place of whipped cream for fresh fruits. It can be used as a topping for some soups and in some casseroles.

Another recipe for creme fraiche here.

Homemade Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche is very easy to make at home. Below is a recipe and whilst it takes a while to make, it’s certainly worth giving it a try.

Preparation time: 8-14 hours

Ingredients

240ml/8fl.oz. Double/Whipping Cream
2 tbsp Buttermilk

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a glass bowl, mix well, cover, and leave to stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir well, cover with clingfilm, refrigerate and use within 10 days.

Gulliver's Creamed Corn

8 cups corn
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons salt (or use 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sugar
Butter or margarine
2 teaspoons flour
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cut corn from cobs and place in a saucepan with whipping cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar and MSG. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a small pan and stir in flour. Do not brown. Stir butter-flour roux into corn and cook until slightly thickened. Turn corn into oven-proof casserole, sprinkle with cheese, and dot with butter. Brown under broiler. Makes 8 to 10 servings.