Sunday, March 27, 2011

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Quick Bread...With Strawberry Whipped Butter

It's safe to say that strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit...I'm a very happy gal when spring comes and the red, juicy berries are back in season!! Michael loves them too...so much that he came home from work one night this week with three containers of strawberries. I had also picked up a container on my home that day, so we suddenly had a LOT of strawberries on hand at Casa Garcia. A fridge full of strawberries meant we enjoyed eating a lot of strawberries this week. Good thing they're healthy as well as delicious!!

Some made their way into the salad featured on my Newman's Own video post, while others were added to breakfast cereal and on top of yogurt. Despite eating strawberries every single day this week, I still had most of the last container in the fridge this morning. I decided to use them to bake up a little treat. After thumbing through cookbooks and looking online, I decided on a strawberry quick bread recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. 

Never being one to leave well enough alone, I decided to add a layer of strawberry-infused cream cheese to the middle of the loaf. Then I had another idea! I also made some delicious whipped strawberry butter to serve on the side. The combination is pure strawberry goodness...call it Love at First Bite if you will! This bread is very easy to whip up, and your kitchen will smell heavenly while the loaf bakes. It's sweet enough for a snack or light dessert, but is just healthy enough for a take-along breakfast.

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Bread with Strawberry Whipped Butter
adapted from King Arthur Flour's website

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5 loaf pan. Make the cream cheese layer by using a mixer to combine the following ingredients: 6 ounces softened cream cheese, 2 tbs. strawberry jam, 1 egg, and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside in the fridge while you make the batter.

Step 2:  Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl: 1 stick melted butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, the zest of two lemons, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Whisk well to combine.


Add 1/3 cup milk, 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon to the wet mixture. Whisk well to combine. Carefully fold 1 cup chopped strawberries into the batter.


Step 3:  Add half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Pour the cream cheese mixture down the center. Top with the remaining batter and smooth carefully. Use a butter knife to swirl the batter and cream cheese.


Step 4:  Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the loaf is golden and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. While the bread is baking, make the strawberry butter. Combine 1/2 stick softened butter, 2 tbs. whipped cream cheese, 2 tbs. strawberry jam, 2 finely chopped strawberries, and 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a bowl. Whip with a mixer until well combined and fluffy. Spoon it into a small ramekin and refrigerate to firm up.

After the bread has cooked, let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a rack for at least an hour. To serve, slice with a sharp serrated knife. The bread is moist, with pieces of strawberry and a ribbon of strawberry-flavored cream cheese.


Serve the bread with the whipped strawberry butter on the side. The bread is delicious without it, but the flavored butter takes it over the top. And sometimes? That's just what you need...


And other times? Something is so tempting that you just have to have a bite...or two...even if you're setting up your shot! Yes...those are my bite marks in the slice of bread on the plate. At least I took time to wash my hands before taking the pic...


16 comments:

  1. Oh, dear! That looks yummy. Wonderful idea about the strawberry butter :) Triple the strawberry fun!

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  2. Beautiful loaf of bread! Love the strawberry butter idea too. I use strawberries in my morning smoothie- no fresh ones here in Michigan yet, only frozen..... :(

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  3. gorgeous loaf! i got the orange glaze!! Cant wait to make something with it and give you a shout out! i appreciate it again!

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  4. MMMMM!! You said the magic words!! Strawberry bread AND butter!! Wow. what a combo. I made some sort of strawberry butter last year, but had totally forgotten about it. Nicely done!

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  5. Yum Wendy, I just came over to grab your url so I can add you to my new address. Hoping you had a lovely weekend. If you had this bread, then I'd say yes.
    -Gina-

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  6. I've been wanting to make strawberry bread, and now your over the top photos are pushing me in that direction again. How delicious this looks!

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  7. Wendy, this sounds unbelievably delicious! I love strawberries as well and we go through unbelievable amounts of them when they are in season. However, I have not made a quick bread with them and yours, especially with that cream cheese in the middle looks so good. YUM!

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  8. This is just so delicious and decadent looking, Wendy! I love using plump strawberries, especially this time of year, in baked goods and you really took it over the edge with this! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe.

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  9. I tasted it warm yesterday and then cooled this morning. I think it was even better today! The bread is so moist...partly from the cream cheese layer, partly from the berries. The brown sugar gives it a nice back flavor as well. I can't wait to make another loaf of this as strawberry seasno progresses!!

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  10. Wow! This looks so good! I want to have this for breakfast tomorrow...

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  11. Mmmm, love strawberry bread, and the strawberry whipped butter is just heavenly...

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  12. I just bought a big tub of strawberries! These are going to be made very very soon :)

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  13. I love strawberries, but have never made strawberry bread, go figure. Yours looks soo good. Can't wait to try it!

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  14. Thanks, gals! I always know that something's a keeper when hubby asks how soon I can make it again :lol:. I don't repeat things that often since I'm always finding new recipes to try. To make it into the regular rotation? Something has to be extra-good. And this is...I hope you'll all try it and let me know what you think.

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  15. A beautiful addition to another strawberry recipe. Love the mouth watering bread, and the pretty pink whipped strawberry butter, as and addition to a "heavenly" treat!

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  16. What a great way to use the wonderful strawberries that are finally coming into season!

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