An easy cake, where the strawberries really shine. This Simply Strawberry Cake contains one pound of fresh strawberries and once you make it, you’ll see why it’s one of my favourite cakes.
If you’re in need of an impressive dessert at your next dinner party, may I suggest this cake?! The strawberries are hulled, halved, and then arranged in a layer on top of the batter. Once it’s done baking, some of the berries will inevitably sink into the cake itself, but a decent number still sit on top, making for one beauty of a cake. The baked strawberries form glorious puddles of jam within the cake, making each bite completely scrumptious. Your dinner guests will love you even more for this cake.
Natural, no-fuss ingredients that you probably already have:
This Simply Strawberry cake contains the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter (can also use salted, and omit the salt from the cake)
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- A large egg
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- 1 pound of fresh strawberries
So there you have it: an uncomplicated ingredient list, that is suitable for even the novice baker. For those of you with children, I suggest you rope them in to making this Simply Strawberry Cake. You can hull and halve the strawberries of course, and leave the rest up to them (with some guidance). Just make sure you get your slice once it’s done baking, before they demolish the whole thing!
How to make the Simply Strawberry Cake:
Begin by sifting the dry ingredients in a bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined. Add dry mixture in two increments, mixing well after each addition (so no flour streaks remain, but being careful not to over-mix.
Pour mixture into prepared pie plate and smooth on top.
Place the strawberries, cut side facing down, in a single layer on top. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the berries. Don’t be tempted to skip this step, as the sugar helps balance the tartness of the berries and forms a deliciously crispy crust once the cake is baked.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 50 minutes to an hour more. Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Serve at room temperature, cut into slices with fresh whipped cream or ice cream (if desired).
Important note:
This cake is made for a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. That is, the height of your plate should be at least 2 inches, so the cake does not overflow in the oven. You can also make this in a 9-inch springform pan, or a 10 inch (but the cake will be thinner than pictured).
Simply Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries hulled and halved
- confectioner's sugar for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahreneheit (177 degrees Celsius). Butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan (or 10 inch regular pie pan) and set aside.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and the sugar. Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, beat on high speed until light and fluffy, and pale in colour (about 3 minutes). Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix until just combined. In two additions, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared pie pan. Arrange the strawberries on top, cut side facing downwards, in a single layer. You will have to pack them very tightly together to make them fit, and possibly overlap some of the strawberries. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the strawberries.
- Bake the cake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degress Fahrenheit, and bake cake until golden brown, for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean (disregarding any gooey strawberry bits). Place cake on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, cut into slices and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Optional: serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
What a scrumptious and delicious cake .Can’t wait until it’s summer where I live (Auckland) N.Z.)
to be able to buy the fresh strawberries and make it