a simple recipe :: not-your-grandma’s-fruitcake cake

In general, I’m more of a savory snacks kinda gal, but every now-and-again I want a good sweet dessert. Sure, it’s easy to grab a handful of candies or one of the billion candy bars they have at the grocery store check out but it’s not very wholesome or filling. This recipe might not be as quick and easy as grabbing a candy bar, but it’s certainly simple enough that my kids can make it with little help from me! We like to make a giant trifle bowl of it and eat it over the course of a few days.

For the base of your “cake” you’ll want to slice up whatever fruits you have handy. The one pictured has strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, bananas, and grapes. Not all of those are readily available this time of year, so just see what your grocery has in stock.  Maybe clementines, kiwi, apples, pears, and maybe even some pomegranate. Pretty and tasty!

Once you have your fruit layered, you’ll want to add a layer of granola to the top. Sometimes I use my homemade granola but if I’m out of it, I use Berry Cobbler Granola by Cascadian Farms. It’s the perfect amount of crunch and sweet to me.

And now for the crowning glory: orange zest whipped cream. People can be really intimidated by the idea of making whipped cream, but they shouldn’t be. I promise it’s really very simple. Sure you could get Cool Whip and mix in a splash of OJ (I’ve done it before!) but nothing beats the taste of real, fresh whipped cream! First you’ll soften 4 ounces of cream cheese and add one cup of whipping cream. If you like sweeter whipped cream, you can add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Then mix away. If you’re mixing by hand, this will take longer, but if you have a hand or stand mixer, it should take about 5 or 6 minutes before it starts looking a little bit like whipped cream. At that point you’ll want to add 1/4 cup of orange juice (from the bottle or fresh) (and a little orange zest, if you like) and keep mixing. After a few more minutes of mixing, you’ll notice that the cream makes nice peaks. Peaks are good but don’t mix too long once the peaks appear or you’ll have a nice orange-flavored butter!

Spread the whipped cream over the granola and it’s ready to serve! You can also make it ahead and refrigerate – but remember that the juices and colors may mix a bit if it sits for too long. It’ll still taste great, but won’t be as pretty.

This is the requested birthday “cake” in our house and it’s something that everyone loves. What family-favorite sweet recipes do you have? We’re on the look-out for a few new ones!