Simple Strawberry Cake
This satisfying cake is full of rich butter and eggs, warm vanilla, and topped with bright strawberries. Feel free to substitute other seasonal fruit like rhubarb, blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, or even plums or nectarines -- and enjoy this cake all year round. This recipe was inspired by and adapted from Two Peas in a Pod.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- ½ cup (115 grams, or 1 stick) softened unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 cups (255 grams) Janie's Mill Frederick Cake Flour, All-Purpose Flour, or Silky Smooth Pastry Flour (Spelt or any lower-protein flour will also work well -- See Flour Variations below.)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract -- See Baker's Notes for other flavor options
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
- 12 ounces strawberries (more or less!), hulled and sliced about ¼-inch thick (you may substitute any seasonal fruit)
- 3 tablespoons turbinado, demerara, or regular granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the cake before baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and butter and flour it. (You may also use a 10-inch cake or pie pan.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the softened butter, both sugars, and vanilla for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. The mixture will become pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
- Reduce mixer to low speed, and add half the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining halves, beating until the ingredients are just barely combined, and no lumps or dry flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Put the fruit on top in concentric circles or whatever pattern you like, then sprinkle the 3 Tablespoons of sugar on top.
- Bake until golden brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Baker’s Notes:
- Stone-ground flours are not standardized the way industrial roller-milled flours are, so the same volume, e.g. one cup, of different flours will have different weights. So if you don't have a kitchen scale, now would be a good time to get one! It will make all your baking projects easier and more successful!
- This recipe works well with all Janie's Mill lower-protein flours, including ancient grains with low gluten potential such as Spelt, Einkorn, and Black Emmer.
- You may use the 80% extraction Frederick Cake Flour or the 100% extraction Frederick White Wheat Flour. Or substitute all of part of the Frederick flour for All-Purpose, Silky Smooth Pastry Flour, Spelt, Black Emmer or Einkorn. Each of these will lend the cake a unique flavor profile.
- You may also swap out some of the Frederick Cake Flour for Dark or Light Rye Flour, Buckwheat or Cornmeal or whatever is in your pantry. A ratio of 1:1 usually works well. This is a great way to get to know your flours and enjoy delicious cakes while you learn.
- Feel free to substitute the vanilla with whiskey or rum, and add some lemon or orange zest.
- You can use just about any fruit for this recipe. Rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, currants, cherries, peaches, plums, apples, pears. You can also omit the fruit and still have a fine cake!
Posted on May 31 2023