Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Simple strawberry cake recipe

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Southern California may have earthquakes, mudslides, fires, floods, and really bad traffic, but we also have fresh local strawberries just about all year. Local strawberries in December - that offsets a lot of natural disaster potential in my book.

December strawberries amaze and delight me mostly for their availability. They're very good, and they definitely taste like strawberries (unlike the supermarket strawberries most Americans have to deal with year-round, which taste, to me, like foam rubber). But southern California's spring strawberries, those are perfection. Big or small, sweet or sour-ish, bright red and juicy. We can go through a half-flat in an afternoon - that's six pints, for those of you who're counting.

When I overbuy, I sometimes make this simple strawberry cake. It's a quick bread with a wonderful crumble topping, perfect for breakfast or excellent with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I bake it as a loaf, but muffins would work well too.


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Simple strawberry cake
An easy quick bread studded with fresh strawberries and topped with a buttery crumble. Perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
2 eggs1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil1 cup sugar2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided1 tsp baking soda1/3 cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed1/2 tsp cinnamon5 Tbsp butter, salted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large loaf pan (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick cooking spray.In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the eggs, oil and granulated sugar together until the mixture is thick and pale, about 1 minute. Add the strawberries and beat at low speed about 30 seconds, just enough to break up the berries a bit.Sift together 1 3/4 cups of the flour and the baking soda into a small bowl. Add to the bowl and mix briefly, just until everything is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.Make the crumble: Mix together the remaining 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the flour mixture. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it has the texture and feel of wet sand. Sprinkle the crumble generously over the batter in the pan.Bake the strawberry cake about 1 hour, until a tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 loaf or 12 muffins

15 comments:

Rachael (Fuji Mama) said...

Thank goodness for California strawberries! Life just wouldn't be as rich without them! This looks fabulous . . . a definite must try!

Bizzy said...

I am a muffin person, so I would like to try this as muffins. I stay away from strawberries usually because, I am afraid there is too much liquid for a cake. I am really happy to see this one.

Dorothy at Shockinglydelicious said...

I walked through the Malibu Farmer's Market on Sunday an hour before closing, and scored a half flat of gorgeous strawberries. Now I know what to do with some of them!

Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. said...

Looks incredible!

Megan said...

I think my strawberry recipe just got replaced. I have to wait another month for fresh strawberries but I'll be ready!

Angela said...

Erika, I love the new blog layout! This strawberry bread is a must-try. Also, I wanted to let you know that I'm working on a fun twist (literally) on your garlic knots! I'll be in touch :)

Angie
http://alohayinzmangia.blogspot.com/

Monet said...

Smile. Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, and I'm jealous that you live in such close proximity of those red jewels. Thank you for sharing, my dear. Visiting the blogs that I've come to love this year brings me such comfort. Thank you for being such a sweet and uplifting presence. Have a great Friday.

Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen said...

I love strawberries & this looks great!

buy rift platinum said...

OMG! so yummy. . i super love strawberries.=)

Sue said...

This bread looks fantastic~YUM! I know what you mean about our CA strawberries:) Aren't we lucky?

Erika Kerekes said...

Sue - we are incredibly lucky. Everywhere else in the country strawberries taste like plastic. I don't think I've ever bought a bad strawberry in California. Lucky for sure.

Angela said...

Erika -

I made this bread into mini-mini muffins for my blog's first birthday party! Thanks for the great recipe. We found it's beneficial to mush up the berries a little to release the flavor :)

Angela

http://alohayinzmangia.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-1st-birthday-brunch-party.html

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?

Erika Kerekes said...

@Anonymous yes, but I would let them defrost and drain in a colander for an hour or two before putting them in the cake. Probably best to get out some of the liquid first if you're using frozen. Let me know how it goes.

Heard about Seattle Reverse Mortgages said...

This would be perfect for a brunch party. I can't wait to give it a try... three of my favorite things - strawberries, butter and cinnamon! Yummmm.

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