Huzzah! Looks what just popped up on Food Network's website: My lattice-crust Strawberry Pie Cake! As this is my favorite part of the job, most of you have already heard me gabbin' about how I develop a new wacky cake for each issue of the magazine. This beauty is just a few days away from making the rounds in our July-August '12 issue. I am so darn excited to share this one with you. Here's how it works...
First you par bake (or just slightly under-bake) yellow cake in a pie plate. While that happens, toss sliced strawberries with sugar and let them get all juicy—that's called maceration (sounds mean, right?)
Next, cut out pie dough strips for the lattice crust.
And press a few strips together to make 1 long pie dough rope. (This turns into the fluted edge).
Let the cake cool a bit, then top it with the strawberries. I like to really press them into the top of the still-soft cake so I can get the most berry-action possible!
Then you build the lattice crust right on top of the cake. Make sure the plate is cool enough to handle or the dough with get too soft, too quickly.
Do you all know how to make a lattice crust? You start by arranging pie dough strips in parallel rows about 1 inch apart (in the case, on top of the strawberries). Fold back every other strip halfway like you see in the photo, below, then lay a strip of dough across the center of the pie perpendicular to the original strips. Unfold the strips over the perpendicular one. Repeat, alternating the strips you fold back, to make a lattice pattern.
Since there isn't a bottom crust to crimp, I make a faux–fluted edge by roping that long strip of pie dough around the rim of the pie plate, pressing the ends together. Tuck the edge of the dough under itself, then crimp as you would a normal pie crust.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with a little sanding sugar before you pop it back into the oven. A few minutes at 450˚ will soften the strawberries, finish the cake and will make the crust crisp and golden brown. Serve this a la mode or with a big scoop of whipped cream!
Admittedly I'm bias because I love all cakes (not just my own) but trust me when I say this one is super, super special. My cake-hating boyfriend thought it was amaze-balls—and that says something. Anyway, please let me know if you embark on a cake-pie adventure. I'd love to hear about it! Happy baking :)
(Photos by Kat Teutsch for Food Network Magazine—photos from foodnetwork.com)
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