Something Sweet

Fancy.

As much as I love making fancy cakes with roses and leaves and basket-weaves (I love basket-weaving!), my favorite cake is so simple, you might not even believe it.

I came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine (I know, I KNOW), and I know I've blogged about it before, but that blog is long gone. So. Here we are.

A corner of this cake is missing...what...

Strawberry cake is super easy, super tasty, and well super super! I had some milk that needed finishing, and strawberries, and needed to treat myself after one heck of a stressful week (stress that we conquered pre-cake).

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
Vanilla (I never measure, but at least 2 tsp)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 pound fresh strawberries

You can do this in one bowl if you're keen to make clean up easy, too. Mix your butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg. Add your dry ingredients and your milk in turns: dry, wet, dry, wet, stirring until everything is smooth and dreamy. This should smell like the perfect vanilla cake batter, which it is.

Your pan can be a 10" pie plate, or an 8" square. Butter your pan. Pour your batter in. Smooth it!

Rinse your berries, cut the stem end off, and then cut the berry in half lengthwise. Lay the berries cut side down over the top of the batter. You can sprinkle with a little more sugar if you are inclined.

Into a 350 degree oven, put thy pan. Close the door and set your timer for 40 minutes. At 40 minutes, you are going to check your cake. (With a toothpick -- if you slide it in and it doesn't come out clean, you need more time!) Here at altitude, my cake requires another 20 minutes before it is done and beautifully brown.

This cake can be served warm or cold, and it's delightful with whipped cream. The berries sink into the cake, and the cake rises up, and the sugar gets a little crusty, and oh my.

Pro tip: you can do this cake with other berries, too -- even a combo, like...raspberries and blueberries? YUM! I have only ever used fresh fruit, never frozen, so I'm not sure if that's something that works or not.