Strawberry Chocolate Ripple Cake

Local strawberries - who can resist that sweet smell on this first day of summer? The fragrance is irresistable, they look perfect, I cannot possibly walk past and leave a pint behind. There is just no way.

I don't really know where my love affair with the strawberry began. I am sure it was in fake flavoured strawberry ice cream, isn't every girls dream to eat only the pink stripe of the neapolitan tub without any other colours touching it?

Growing up, I think we only used to have strawberries on special occasions, and if my memory serves me correctly, you could only buy strawberries in the summertime. That sounds wierd now, because you can get strawberrie all year round. It doesn't make sense, but I'm sure it was true.

And, summertime was planting a garden with my dad, and I am sure we had strawberries in there somewhere.

Strawberries, in my mind, go best with chocolate and whipped cream (hmm..they also pair with with a tall bubbly glass of champagne), and this is a childhood dessert that was made with a package of Arnotts Chocolate Ripple Biscuits and whipped cream. I thought I would try to make it better with homemade dark chocolate cookies, sweet strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Be prepared though, this "cake" has to work it's magic overnight in the refrigerator. You will be amazed that one recipe of cookies (or one package) can turn into something so delightful.

Chocolate Cookies

Makes 18-20, depending on size of scoop

Adapted slightly from Hersheys

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine butter and sugar in large bowl and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, and continue mixing until creamy. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture.
Drop 1oz scoops onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake 8-12 minutes, or until just set. Remove from oven, cool 2 minutes on sheets and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, finely dice up half a pint of strawberries (as small as you can, otherwise cutting this cake will be difficult).

When cookies are completely cooled, whip up 3 cups whipping cream with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon sugar until medium peaks form. Set aside.

To assemble: you are basically sticking the cookies together sandwiched with whipped cream and strawberries to form a log (using about 12 of the cookies you baked).
Take one cookie, spread with about 1 & 1.2 tablespoons whipped cream, add about 1 tablespoon chopped strawberries and then sandwich with another cookie. Set on plate.
To the back of one cookie, add more cream and strawberries and sandwich on a third cookie. Kepp doing this until the log is formed, and using leftover cream, cover the entire log.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. Refriegerate until ready to serve.

To serve: garnish with additional strawberries and then slice the cake on a diagonal to get the "striped" look.

Enjoy!