Strawberry Custard Cake

I wanted to make something special with the feeling of Spring for Mother's day this year. Putting together layered cakes and making cupcakes are usually my favorite type of dessert to jump to, but my mom isn't a huge fan of either of those so I wanted to pick something that would look slightly like a cake, but have the texture of a custard. This fit the bill perfectly! It has a smooth custard texture, firm enough to slice and is packed with chopped strawberries.  

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. strawberries, chopped

4 eggs, separated

3/4 c. Splenda

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 c. flour

2 c. warm milk (heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, check, heat again 20 seconds if need be)

*Optional (what I used), whipped cream, crystallized rose sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray and set on top of a baking sheet. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in an electric mixer, and the yolks in a large bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

Meanwhile, add the Splenda in with the egg yolks and whisk together. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and melted butter and whisk again until everything is well combined. Add in the flour and whisk again. Add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, and whisk until everything is incorporated. The batter will be VERY runny, which is what you want. 

Gently fold in the whipped egg whites until about half of them are incorporated in with the egg yolk mixture. There will be really weird looking egg white lumps left, and no worries, it is supposed to look like that.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread out the chopped strawberries. The egg white should still be stiff enough to hold the strawberries on top. Bake for 1 hour in the oven, checking after 40 minutes because each oven can vary. The cake should no longer giggle in the center when touched. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before slicing or removing from the springform pan. 

Top with whipped cream and crystallized rose sugar!