Strawberry Cake

I'm floating on a cloud right now. I finished my Certified Mgmt Accountant (CMA) exam on the weekend and now I'm totally done with school. This is the first semester EVER since high school that I'm not going to school. I am really happy with how it went. It was a group effort and I think we crossed all our T's, dotted all of our I's. Now all that's left is to wait for the marks to come out in August, If I pass then I will (finally) have my accounting designation. It's am amazing feeling to have jumped through all the CMA hoops but at the same time I feel a little lost with so much more free time on my hands.

What have I been doing with this extra time? Baking, of course. And if I'm not baking I'm looking at recipes deciding what to bake next. It's good timing as the fruits in my fruit bowl have been ripening faster than I can keep up, so they've been getting incorporated into baked goods so they don't go to waste.

One person said this tasted like angel food cake meets pound cake. Another said it was like a baked version of strawberry shortcake. I couldn't have described it better. If you use frozen strawberries instead of fresh add 10 mins to your baking time. The cake batter is sturdy and versatile and it works great as a base for other summer fruits like peaches/berries. The sugar bakes and melts to create a crunchy topping that is to die for. While the orange zest is optional, I strongly recommend it for the brightness it imparts.



Strawberry Cake
9" Pie Plate | Martha Stewart, June 2005

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tbsp orange zest (optional)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

2. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (3 minutes). Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, zest (if using)and vanilla.

3. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top (cut sides down and as close together as possible). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Stored at room temperature, loosely covered for up to 2 days.