Simple Strawberry Cake

Posted by Emily Wiley on 06/22 at 02:15 PM

Strawberry season is my favorite season; though it is a short one. Throughout the month of June, I enjoy strawberries on my morning cereal and swirled into yogurt, tossed with spinach salad, on top of shortcakes and waffles, and layered with vanilla cake and cream cheese frosting. We also currently have four quarts in the freezer just begging to be thawed and consumed.

This month the Local Food Journey is sponsoring a strawberries recipe contest. So far we have received recipes for strawberry-rhubarb crumble, strawberry pie, strawberry-mint syrup, and more. A winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month and will receive a $25 gift certificate to Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College.

So while you’re thinking about which recipe you would like to submit, may I suggest that you whip up this simple strawberry cake?

It comes together quickly—with just butter, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 1 egg, milk, and vanilla. The real star is the strawberries, as they should be.

Simple Strawberry Cake. Photo Credit Emily Wiley.

Sprinkle more sugar on top to create a nice sweet crust.

Simple Strawberry Cake. Photo Credit Emily Wiley.

It takes 50-60 minutes to bake, but I promise that it is well worth the wait!

Simple Strawberry Cake. Photo Credit Emily Wiley.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to share your strawberries recipe with the Local Food Journey.

Ingredients

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra to grease pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. (I don’t have either, so I just poured all but about 1/2 cup of batter into my 9-inch pie dish. If you try to use all of the batter, it will overflow. I assure you.)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.)

Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or lightly whipped cream.

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

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