Easy Strawberry Cake
- PREP 15min
- COOK 40min
- TOTAL 55min
You will love this simple, light, and lovely homemade strawberry cake recipe! We bake halved fresh strawberries into a batter with lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Serve slices of cake plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
You Will Need
8 ounces (225g) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, softened (1 stick), divided
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for strawberries
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (125g) sour cream or plain yogurt
Directions
Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan at least 2 inches tall.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
In another bowl, whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
On low speed, mix half of the flour mixture into the butter and egg yolk mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain, then mix in the remaining flour.
Add the (unbeaten) egg whites and sour cream. Mix on low speed until blended.
Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Arrange the strawberry halves, cut-side down, on top of the batter, covering the top of the cake. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the strawberries.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack, then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature with powdered sugar dusted over the top or homemade whipped cream.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: You can refrigerate the leftover cake for up to 3 days. Freeze it, wrapped well in foil, for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can rewarm slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Recipe adapted and inspired from Alice Medrich’s “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts”
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.