My good friend Heather lovingly curates Carton Blanche, an online boutique which specializes in premium get-well care packages filled with a comforting mix of items. Heather invited me to share a simple and cheery recipe for her cartonblanche.com blog. Everyone we know is baking to help get through the current worrisome state of things. I was so honored to be asked to contribute. . . and to have a proper reason to bake!
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Although it doesn’t feel like it, the calendar slipped into spring the other day. No one even mentioned it.
Now that we are all huddled in our homes, we bakers have the perfect opportunity to bake our hearts out. A dream come true – under most circumstances. My absolute favorite thing to do is bake, but the weight of the moment rendered me uninspired. Trying to gather ingredients from hoarded and stripped empty grocery store shelves has been discouraging and sad. I stared at my beautiful new-ish blue stand mixer several times this week, only to walk back out of the kitchen. Finally the Harry’s Berries treasure in my refrigerator demanded I get busy before it was too late. So Strawberry Buttermilk Cake it was. One of my favorite simple and delicious springtime cakes. And so pretty! This cake was baked for my friend and neighbor Becky, whose birthday was this week. She is amazing every single day, but she brought back hard to find items from a trip to her home town and made them available to those who are without in our neighborhood. We Glen Greeners are most appreciative.
The peach tree just started to bud here at Camp Glen Green
When I bake, I always use the highest quality and most humanely raised ingredients I can find. Baking a cake for a friend is a sweet act of love. Using ingredients that come from kindly treated creatures make the present all the more special. I look for the very best butter and milk products from premium organic dairies who commit to sustainable practices, pasture-raised eggs from farms whose hens truly have room to roam, and local artisan flour. In this cake I used Straus Family Creamery Butter and Vital Farms eggs. Organic Beehive from Central Milling is my go-to all-purpose flour. The next best flour of choice is Whole Foods 365 Organic Unbleached. In Los Angeles, we are incredibly lucky to have Harry’s Berries strawberries at our local Farmer’s Markets, when they are in season. They are quite possibly the very best strawberries in all the world. A 9-inch springform pan is a perfect vessel for baking this cake in.. A 9-inch deep-dish pie plate will also work.
STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK CAKE RECIPE
Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Bake Time: 50–60 Minutes
Servings: 8–12
INGREDIENTS
8 tbsp unsalted butter (4oz), at room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (149g + 2 tbsp)
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk* (4oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ pound strawberries (8 oz), hulled and halved
Whipped cream for serving (optional)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray with flour (Pam)and line with a parchment circle. Or spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan if using.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
In a stand mixer, beat butter and ¾ cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, then buttermilk and vanilla until just combined.
Add dry ingredients gradually, mixing just until smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over berries.
Bake cake for 10minutes @ 350°F and then reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50–60 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack.
Slip the cake off the pan base (you may need the help of a spatula) and cut the cake into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream if desired. Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered.
* Whole milk can be substituted for the buttermilk if you don’t have any on hand.
Should you need a gift to comfort a friend, cozy things can be found here:
