Happy 1st/4th of July!

Happy Canada Day everybody!

Canada Day was yesterday, so I’m a day late. But this actually a recipe more so for a red, white & blue July 4th, so I thought I’d compromise and post between the two, making me too late for Canada Day and too early for Independence Day. It works… sort of.

We’ve already discussed some of the things I miss from Canada. I guess I miss Canada Day too. I love that country and having a day to celebrate it is nice. But it’s okay living here on Canada Day, because I still get my favourite part, just 3 days late.

Fireworks.

Alright, fair warning folks, things are about to get sappy.

I love my husband. I love him a lot. He makes me laugh, but more importantly, he makes me smile even when things aren’t funny. Fireworks are a big deal to me because they make me think about Trevor.

No, it’s not because I see fireworks when we kiss or anything super clichéd like that.

When we were still in school together, our University would make a big deal about Canada Day. There would be big events in the area, and lots of fireworks. Unfortunately, due to the “still in school” part of the story, we never had any time to go see any of these events/parties/etc. We were stuck in dorm rooms, completing assignments  and studying like good little students.

So our first Canada Day after we started dating, there were no parties we were attending, no events we were helping out at, just us working on assignments in my dorm room. But once it got dark in the evening, we could hear the fireworks. They were close enough that they painted the inside of my room in temporarily vibrant hues. We had been working for hours. It was time for a break.

Wandering outside we discovered that we didn’t have to go to any events for a fireworks show, it was all large and clearly visible right from my dorm’s front lawn. We watched them in awe together, Trevor standing behind me, arms around my waist.

10 minutes later after the lights died down and everyone started milling back into their homes, it was back to the books and the annoying assignments.

Years later, Trevor would tell me about how that evening, with colours overhead and me in his arms, he knew that I was the one. It had been less than 2 months into our relationship.

So yeah. I have a special spot in my heart for fireworks. We try to watch some of them together every year.

So thank you America, for giving me fireworks in July even after I moved away from Canada Day celebrations. It means a lot to me.

Happy 4th of July everybody!

Red, White & Blue Berry Cream Cake

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Berries & Syrup

• 4 cups Assorted fresh berries (I used 2 cups blueberries and 1 cup each of raspberries and cut strawberries)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sponge Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 + 1/8 cups sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Cream Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 + 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, separated
• 2 cups whipping cream

Directions

1. Berries & Syrup: In a bowl, combine berries, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Gently press berries; drain, reserving juice. Set berries aside. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and reserved juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool completely.
2. Cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk egg yolks, water and oil; add to dry ingredients, beating until smooth. In another mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Spread into an ungreased 9-in. springform pan with the bottom lined with a circle of parchment. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-38 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan, peel off parchment and cool on a wire rack.
3. Cream: Place a large metal bowl and the beaters of a hand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a different mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour whipping cream into the cold metal bowl and beat the cream using cold beaters until cream begins to increase in volume. Slowly add 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar while beating and continue beating until cream is fully whipped. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese.
4. Assembly: Split cooled cake into three layers; place one layer on a serving plate. Spread with a third of the filling; top with a third of the berries and drizzle with a third of the berry syrup (approx. 1/4 cup). Repeat 2 more times for second and third layers. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

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