Got Cake? Make a Strawberry Ribbon Cake in Five Minutes

This is a recipe for a simple, unfrosted, scrumptious homemade cake. The cake takes about five minutes to mix up and 30-35 minutes to bake. The cake is light, moist, and full of sweet-tart strawberry flavor in the form of a ribbon of jam that runs through the cake. Lightly sprinkling the cake with sugar before you bake it gives the cake a slightly crunchy crust on the top and eliminates the need for frosting. The cake is plenty sweet without the frosting, and it's perfect for a simple dessert or to serve alongside coffee and tea for a morning or mid-afternoon treat. If you want to dress up the cake, you can always dollop it with whipped cream and scatter on a few strawberries. Or serve some ice cream alongside the cake. It will all be good! The cake also will be good if you decide to vary the flavor of the jam. Raspberry jam works especially well, but use what you

like/have on hand.

Simple Strawberry Ribbon Cake -- Serves 6-8

1/3 cup of canola oil

2/3 cup of sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons (divided)

1 extra-large or jumbo egg (or use two small/medium ones)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

1 teaspoon of butter extract

1 cup of buttermilk

1 1/4 cup of flour

1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of strawberry jam or preserves

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, 2/3 cup of sugar, egg, vanilla, almond extract, butter extract, and buttermilk. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk them in gently (don't get too industrious with the whisk!) until everything is blended and mostly smooth. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, combine the jam and lemon juice. Microwave them 20-30 seconds until hot. Stir the jam and juice until they are mixed and smooth (except for pieces of strawberry). Heat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour half of the batter in the cake pan. Drizzle the jam over the batter in the pan and, as much as possible, smooth it out over the top of the batter. Pour the remainder of the batter over the jam. Sprinkle the top of the batter evenly with the remaining sugar and dust on the cinnamon. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until it turns golden and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before serving it (in the pan) or removing it from the cake pan.