It’s strawberry season here in Bacchus Marsh in Victoria, Australia. Positively one of the best times of the year. Once you taste the local strawberries you’ll wonder what those things you can find in the supermarket are. The freshly picked strawberries are divine. They taste so sweet. So I’ve gone a little crazy with the cooking this season, having just last week made the Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie. I didn’t have enough strawberries or any rhubarb to make another pie so I made a strawberry cake. Certainly not “good for you”, but scrumptiously delicious.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 85 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling on the mixture before cooking
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (low fat is fine)
- About 10 strawberries, hulled and halved
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Put it aside to be added to the wet ingredients in a moment.
- With your electric mixer, beat the butter and cup of sugar until well combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until mixed in. Gradually add the dry ingredients and milk, and beat on low speed until smooth, it will remain quite thick.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the strawberries on top, cut side down, so that they completely cover the batter, use more or less as required for your cake pan. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.
- Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C and bake until the cake is lightly golden and a tester comes out clean, about an hour.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack before removing.
- Eat and enjoy.
Note: You can store this at room temperature for several days wrapped or in a container.