This is a recipe for a simple, scrumptious homemade cake that takes about five minutes to mix up. You will need 30-35 minutes to bake the cake, which I sometimes do while making or eating dinner. 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 a 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. Enjoy!
Simple Strawberry Ribbon Cake -- Serves 6-8
1/3 cup of canola oil
2/3 cup of sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons (divided)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 teaspoon of butter extract
1 cup of buttermilk (or use 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk)
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.
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