Episode 3: Pink cake from the official Stardew Valley cookbook 🍰☀️ Haley’s favorite! INGREDIENTS Watermelon-Strawberry Jam: - seedless watermelon, cubed: 6 oz (170 g) - sugar: 1/3 cup (65 g) - salt - strawberries, chopped: 6 oz (170 g) - lemon zest: 2 tsp - cornstarch: 2 tbsp - water: 3 tbsp - lemon juice: 1 1/2 tbsp Cake: - unsalted butter, room temp: 1 1/4 cups (275 g) - ap flour: 2 1/2 cups (350 g) - baking powder: 1 1/4 tsp - baking soda: 1 1/4 tsp - salt - sugar: 1 1/2 cups (300 g) - vanilla bean paste/vanilla extract: 1 tbsp - duck eggs, room temp: 2 - buttermilk, room temp: 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) Strawberry-Cream Cheese Frosting: - freeze-dried strawberries: 1 1/8 oz (33 g) - confectioners sugar: 3 3/4 cups (453 g) - unsalted butter, room temp: 1 cup (220 g) - cream cheese, room temp: 1 lb (450 g) - large piping bag and large star tip METHOD 1. Blend watermelon, sugar, and salt. 2. Pour mixture into saucepan over medium heat, stir in chopped strawberries and lemon zest and simmer until dark red, stirring occasionally, ~20 mins. 3. Whisk cornstarch and water into a slurry, and mix into pot, stirring until thick, ~4 mins. 4. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool at room temp for 30 mins, then chill in fridge for at least 2 hrs. 5. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease 2 9-in round cake pans with butter, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease paper with more butter. 6. Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 tsp salt and whisk until combined. 7. In a separate bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups (275 g) butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, ~5 mins. 8. Beat in vanilla paste, then duck eggs, one at a time. 9. Mix 1/3 of the flour mixture at low speed, followed by half the buttermilk. Then, another 1/3 of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk. Finally, mix in the last 1/3 of flour, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed to medium and mix until smooth. 10. Divide batter into the 2 cake pans and bake until toothpick comes out clean, ~35 mins, rotating cakes after ~20 mins. Cool for 30 mins, then flip onto wire rack and cool completely. 11. Save 8 freeze dried strawberries and grind the rest into powder. Sift the powder into a bowl. Add the confectioners sugar and mix to combine. 12. In another bowl, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, ~2 mins. Mix in strawberry powder on low speed. 13. Fill piping bag with tip with the strawberry frosting. Spread frosting onto base of plate. 14. Place cake onto plate, pipe frosting ring around the top edge of cake, and fill in with the jam. Place second cake on top. 15. Ice the entire cake, then chill the cake and remaining icing in fridge, ~20 mins. 16. Remove the cake and decorate with the remaining icing. Place the 8 freeze dried strawberries on the top of the cake, then serve. #stardew #stardewvalley - @adriennejzhang