Shelly's Recipe

CHAMPAGNE AND STRAWBERRIES CAKE

Category: Cakes

2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Girard's Champagne Dressing
1/4 cup sparkling wine or champagne
4 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried strawberries
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

Syrup
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sparkling wine or champagne

Preheat the oven to 325. Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together the sugar, flours, milk powder, baking powder, salt and pudding mix. Whisk well to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the water, canola oil, Girard's Champagne Dressing, sparkling wine, eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add in the dry ingredients, folding until well combined. Add the strawberries and carefully fold to distribute evenly.

Pour into the prepared pan and cook for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

While cake is cooking, combine all the syrup ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let boil gently for two minutes. Let the syrup sit off heat for five minutes to cool a little, then pour over hot cake slowly, allowing syrup to be absorbed before adding more, until it is all gone.

In a small bowl combine sliced strawberries and sugar. Mix to combine. Mix once in a while so juices can come out.

Allow the cake to cool completely, then invert onto a plate. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.