Incredible Cake

A few years ago I was thumbing through an old Martha Stewart Magazine.  My intention was to save the recipes that looked interesting and pitch the rest.  I have a bad habit of keeping PILES of magazines for way too long.  I always think that I am going to go through each one and cut out what I want and throw the rest away..Do you think I ever do?

Absolutely not :)

I made a "mental note" to make this particular cake that Martha featured in that month's issue.  It looked great and she commented that there were a few variations to the strawberries that she used and I stored this little nugget away for future use, a possible Easter Sunday cake.

As is customary for me, I forgot that mental note I made.  That is until I came across a post from Two Peas and Their Pod.  Right before my eyes was the Strawberry Cake that I had long forgotten!  That day I bought 2 pounds of strawberries and when I got home from school I made 2 of these cakes.

It was a cinch to whip up and I mean that.  Take your time when mixing each ingredient to ensure a fluffier texture to the cake.  Don't skip the last step when you sprinkle the top with Turbinado sugar.  It makes the prettiest , sweetest crust on the top.  I loved the way the strawberries just sink down in the cake :)

This cake is good warm but I thought it had the best flavor at room temperature served with a little cloud of fresh whipped cream.  It is good for 2 days under a glass dome (to show off it's beauty) if it lasts that long.  We polished off one of the cakes that night and the other went with my husband to work the next day.

*An alternative to strawberries/10 inch pan is to use any other berry you like or have on hand and make in 2 smaller pans.  Just keep an eye on it to make sure you don't overbake it.  Blackberries and blueberries were another variation I tried and it was great as well.

Strawberry Cake 


*Adapted from Martha Stewart and posted on Two Peas and Their Pod*

6 TB unsalted butter, ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries,  sliced
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan or pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

Gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Arrange strawberry slices on top of batter. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool in pan.