Recipes to keep you refreshed this spring

A tres leches cake on display, topped with strawbeerries.

Photo by Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

A tres leches cake on display, topped with strawbeerries.

Angie Cotton, Managing Editor of Production

    With spring on the horizon, the sun will stay out a little longer and we’ll crave more refreshing foods. Fortunately, the spring also brings avocado, strawberry, and mango season. If you’ve been looking for new recipes that’ll incorporate produce that’s in-season, today’s your lucky day. Here are two revitalizing recipes that you should give a shot this upcoming spring season:

 

Tres leches cake:

 

For the cake you will need:

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup whole-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract 

¼ tsp salt

14 oz condensed milk

12 oz evaporated milk

1 cup milk

 

For the frosting you will need:

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sliced strawberries and mangos to your liking

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Separate the egg whites into a bowl and mix until soft peaks form. Incorporate the sugar and continue mixing until the batter is glossy.
  3. Add your egg yolks, salt, and vanilla extract. Fold into the mixture. Then add your flour and continue folding until smooth.
  4. Pour into a greased/lined cake pan and bake for 25–30 minutes at 350F until golden. You can test if it’s done by inserting a toothpick into the center; if the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.
  5. Mix the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and milk in a bowl. Once the cake is done, pour this mixture while it’s still warm and make sure to distribute it evenly across the cake. 
  6. Refrigerate the cake. In the meantime, we’ll make our frosting.
  7. Heat a pot of water until boiling. Once it’s reached boiling point, lower the flame as low as it’ll go. Place a bowl on top of the pot and add all of your frosting ingredients into the bowl. The water should NOT be touching the bowl directly. 
  8. Continuously mix for 8-10 minutes. Then, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the frosting until it forms stiff peaks.
  9. Frost your cake, and top it with fresh strawberries and mango slices to your liking. Best served cold.

 

Shrimp and avocado salad (2 servings):

You will need:

½ lb of shrimp cooked to your liking

4 cups of greens of your choice, such as spinach or a lettuce mix.

Olive oil

Lemon juice

1 avocado

Salt and pepper

(Optional) sliced almonds

 

  1. Put it all together. It’s not that hard.