Strawberry Fest 2012!

The Village of Long Grove does Strawberry Fest every year and I have never been! Well, that might not be true.  My mom thinks that we came once before and it was so long ago that I was being pushed around in a stroller.  Essentially, I have no memories of Strawberry Fest.  Bri, my mom and dad, and I all decided to see what it was all about. And then, I made a cake.

But first, my mom and I stopped at the mall (I am in desperate need of jean shorts) and we saw: PUPPIES! They were doing an adoption drive and we fell in love with Aiden.  Someone needs to adopt him ASAP.  My mom and I were tempted, but we decided that poor Ricky and Lucy (our cats) would not be too thrilled about a new brother.

After the mall, we drove out to Long Grove.  It was hoppin! There were tons of booths with all sorts of fun stuff such as clothing, jewelry, crafts, art, and of course, strawberry items!

Strawberry Daiquiris! 

Strawberry Donuts!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Mmm...

We purchased a ton of fresh strawberries and I have been brainstorming yummy ways to use them since.  Here is my first strawberry creation: Strawberry Yogurt Cake!

Strawberry Yogurt Cake (adapted from Live Love Pasta)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sliced strawberries (fresh from Strawberry Fest!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease a bundt pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  Whisk in the baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, applesauce, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the lemon juice. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the greek yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix in the milk and vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, stir into the batter. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for about 60-65 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy :)