easy strawberry cake

So social media does not only connect us to our friends and relatives and annoying postings we did not sign up for while derailing democracy under a flood of irritating ad popups, there is also a deluge of cooking ideas that are easy to tap into. Some food websites really stand out among the crowd and Natasha's Kitchen is one of them. Simple ideas, easy to implement and pretty tasty to eat. Good Eats! as Alton Brown used to say. And like Giada, Natasha has a winning smile.

This recipe came out in strawberry shortcake season, and we had already bought a pretty good Whole Foods strawberry cake earlier so the idea was planted. Of course it seems like every season is fresh berry season these days with our global economy that feeds our affluent stomachs with all these once irregularly available treats. This would easily convert into Easy Blueberry Cake, or Easy Peach Cake. And a little work could upgrade the nutritional quality of the white flour and sugar main ingredients. We already substituted the sour cream by plain yogurt since it is healthier and always on hand in our kitchen. But life is short, and how many berry cakes will we be doing before we check out.

We served it with Talenti pistachio gelato drizzled with the fresh strawberry sauce, since Ani's favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio, so bob always chooses the one that will contribute to family happiness. It comes in a small jar, so it is also right-sized for preventing exaggeration. This combination was universally appreciated upon its serving with our in social distancing exception bubble (in laws). Ani declined the gelato for calorie counting reasons. No matter, this brand pistachio is really good. Even works with Trader Joe's high fructose free organic midnight moo chocolate syrup. Versatile stuff.

ingredients

cake stuff
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
1 c sour cream (substitute plain yogurt!)
1/2 c light olive oil or vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
12 oz strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered is better! they lie flatter and cover more surface)
1 t powdered sugar for dusting, optional
strawberry Sauce Ingredients
16 oz strawberries hulled
1/4 c granulated sugar or to taste

instructions

  1. Prep the strawberries. Cut them in half and knotch out the top white interior attached to the leaves, then halve them again. The uglier ones can then be chopped.
  2. Cut a round parchment paper circle as large as the extended bottom of a circular 9 inch springform pan with bottom rim gutter lock, not the internal side lock variety. Lock it down and butter the interior. 24 seconds on high in the microwave was enough to get the butter to track on the surface. Experiment 5 or 10 seconds at a time.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer: KitchenAid!), beat together 2 eggs with 1 cup of sugar on high speed for 5 minutes or until light in color and thick.
  4. Add 1 cup sour cream (plain yogurt!), 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together: 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt until well incorporated. With the mixer on med/low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter 1/3 at a time, letting the flour incorporate with each addition and continue mixing just until well combined. Do not over-mix.
  6. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with 6 oz of diced strawberries then spread the remaining batter over the top. Cover the surface with 6 oz of halved strawberries (cut-side-down), pressing them down just slightly into the batter.
  7. Bake at 375˚F for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake rest in the pan 15–20 min, then remove the pan side ring and cool it to room temp or until just lightly warm.
  9. Run a thin spatula or knife around the cake edges to loosen it from the pan, then transfer it to a cake platter.
  10. strawberry syrup:
    While the cake is baking, make the strawberry sauce: in a blender or food processor, combine 16 oz strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar (or add sugar to taste) and blend until pureed.
  11. To serve, dust with powdered sugar if desired. Drizzle individual slices generously with strawberry syrup.

notes

  1. Natasha's Kitchen: Easy Strawberry Cake.
  2. Talenti gelato.
  3. Illustrations available.
ezstrawberrycake.htm: 29-aug-2020 [what, ME cook? © 1984 dr bob enterprises]