Better late than never, episode II

For Cassie's birthday, I almost always make, at her request, some kind of strawberry dessert: usually strawberry shortcakes, but it could also be Grandma Pina's Strawberry Cream Cake or, if I'm feeling really ambitious or we're feeding a crowd, the Cook's Illustrated Strawberry Cream Cake. This year, though, Cassie asked for Katherine Redford's Chocolate Chip Cookies, so that's what she got.

 

But yesterday I was looking through my folder full of recipes I set aside to try (and cleaning out the ones I've changed my mind about) and saw this one, which is a simpler strawberry cake than any of the ones I listed above. Mom had just brought home a big container of strawberries, so I decided to give this a shot. It was really easy to throw together, and we all liked it a lot, especially the Strawberry Girl herself, who specifically asked that I post the recipe.

 

If you go to Jenn Segal's take on this recipe at Once Upon a Chef (where it's "modestly adapted" from Martha Stewart Living), you can enjoy all of her beautiful step-by-step photos. More importantly, you will see that, as of the date of this writing, there are 923 comments on just this one recipe. I've been writing UaKS for more than six years now, and this is my 385th episode. During that time, I have received a grand total of 46 comments. Oh well, at least I am, as Dave Stoller would say, your "numero uno papa" (though I have no illusions in that I am obviously also your "unico papa").

 

Strawberry Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (June 2005) and Jennifer Segal via Once Upon a Chef

Time: ~1:10 (20 minutes active)

195 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
85 grams (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
200 grams (1 cup) granulated white sugar + 25 grams (2 tablespoons)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (120 grams) dairy or nondairy milk (low-fat is fine; I used almond milk)
~340 grams (¾ pound) strawberries, hulled and halved

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9½-inch deep dish pie pan or a 9-inch square cake pan.
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and 200 grams (1 cup) of the sugar on medium-high speed (4 on our KitchenAid) until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl down with a silicone spatula. On medium-low speed (2 on our KitchenAid), beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape the bowl again.
    4. Starting and ending with the flour, gradually stir in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, until smooth but just combined.
    5. Scrape the thick batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the halved strawberries on top of the batter, cut sides down, packing in as many as you can. Sprinkle the remaining 25 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar over the strawberries.
    6. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the cake is golden brown and delicious, firm to the touch, and a skewer or wooden toothpick inserted into the center (but not into a strawberry) comes out clean, about 40 minutes more (both recipes say bake for another hour after turning the heat down, but mine was done way before that).
    7. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan. Cut into wedges and serve, with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you like. Serves 8 to 10. (The cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days.)