Strawberry Cream Delight: Cherished Recipe Provides Grand Finale to New Year's Dinner

I admit it: I have a recipe addiction.

I rip them out of newspapers and magazines, grab them from displays in supermarkets and print them from websites, collect them from friends and backs of product packages. Having done so for decades, I have boxes full, but comically, I never look at most of them again!

Instead, I return time after time to those few stars that became instant hits with my family or company. These winning recipes have become “untouchables!” They are so delicious that unwilling to miss an excuse to enjoy them, there is little time in the schedule for trying new things.

Written, typed, or printed, most are still on the paper and cards on which I acquired them; their edges are frayed and the ink is sometimes smeared from being held by fingers and hands with remnants of flour or other more exotic ingredients. The recipes sit silently in boxes or rubber banded together throughout the year until their particular occasion hits the calendar and then they come to life once again, deliciously living up to our fondest recollections.

In my family, many of these favorite recipes have become associated with particular times of the year, events, or holidays. So with New Year’s Eve on the horizon, I will once again be making “Strawberry Cream Delight!”

This particular recipe came to me about 30 years ago from Lisa, a work acquaintance. She was on maternity leave after the birth of a child and discovered the recipe while at home, watching “Good Morning America.” She shared the recipe when she returned to work and I recall feeling awed that Lisa could manage a newborn and focus on recipes at the same time; my skills were never that good!

I grabbed a copy of the recipe from the table, but did not actually try it for a few years until I needed something impressive for New Year’s Eve company. An immediate hit that looked festively lovely and tasted delicious, it has been on the New Year’s Eve menu ever since. Ironically, I don’t think I got to tell Lisa because not long after, she moved to a new job as a result of her husband’s work transfer. Nevertheless, all these years later I think of her fondly for the gift she shared.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Delight

Filling:

2 pckgs. of 12 or 3 pckgs. of 8 unfilled lady fingers (the soft, spongy kind; bakery dept. in grocery stores)

1 pckg. of cream cheese – 8 oz.

2/3 c. sugar

1 pint heavy cream

1 t. vanilla

1. Line sides and bottom of a spring form pan with the ladyfingers. (Some will be left over.)

2. Mix vanilla, cream cheese, and sugar in a mixer until fluffy.

3. Add heavy cream to the mixture gradually and continue beating until stiff

4. Pour half of the mixture into the pan lined with the ladyfingers.

5. Add a layer of ladyfingers on top of the filling layer.

6. Add remaining mixture on top of ladyfinger layer.

7. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until quite firm.

Topping:

16 oz. frozen strawberries in syrup

2 T. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1. Thaw the strawberries in a colander, allowing liquid to drip into a bowl.

2. When thoroughly drained, pour the syrupy liquid into a measuring cup and add enough water to bring the total to 1 cup.

3. Place most of the liquid in a saucepan, but reserve about 2-3 oz. and mix this reserved liquid with the cornstarch; try to get any lumps out.

4. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.

5. Cook until boiling; it should look thick and translucent; be sure to stir constantly and don’t use a high heat to avoid burning on the bottom.

6. Cool mixture.

7. When cooled, mix the strawberries into the now thickened liquid.

8. When sufficiently cooled, place this mixture on top of the frozen cake; recover with plastic wrap and return to freezer.

Ideally, freeze the dessert for 7-8 hours, though 3-5 usually suffices. Then thaw in refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving; if in a hurry, thaw on counter.

When ready to serve, remove the sides from the spring form pan; the outcome will look extremely impressive! Slice and serve. Leftovers can be returned to freezer or refrigerator; will hold up decently in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Final Notes: Ladyfingers and frozen strawberries can be tough to find around the winter holidays, so shop in advance. The packages of ladyfingers can be put in plastic bags and frozen for up to a year. Thaw in advance of using. Also, spring form pans can vary a bit in size, so I sometimes make a recipe and a half of filling and buy some extra ladyfingers. If I have extra after preparing the cake, I make a couple of “mini” versions in aluminum foil pans or a casserole dish; not as pretty, but it still tastes great!