Strawberry Summer Cake


I am back!

Six days home and then back again.

It was sort of a whirlwind trip, or maybe it's just that when you're nine months pregnant (just passed my 36th week!) everything that isn't sitting on the couch seems like a whirlwind? Could be.


I only had ONE exhaustion-of-pregnancy related breakdown. I'm proud of that.

So I totally, totally love my family. And I hate living far away from them. There I said it.

In China, the concept of "five generations under one roof" is considered a virtue (I mean, I think so...I definitely read it in a book). I know not everyone would go for that, but I totally would.


Everyone showed up to this funeral, and I mean EVERYONE.

It's amazing how many people two people can make over the course of a lifetime.

Funerals are sad by nature, but they are also sort of...what? Not happy. Not satisfying. Comforting, maybe? As a hundred people with similar features and DNA and disparate lives sit around to eat cheesy casserole potatoes and catch up.


All the cousins have grown-up jobs now (with the possible exception of myself, and one who is happily living out of his van while touring the country), professional lives.

But we all still call each other by our little-kid names. Anna, Jess, and Don are still Annie, Jessie and Donny to each other, no matter how old we get.

And now I'm back, back to my normal life. Back to pregnancy countdowns, nanny schedules and, of course, food (although there was no shortage of that over the week, either).


It's a welcome interruption, I think, family occasions. I'd have a rough go of it trying to convince the past five generations to move into my little apartment.

But I'd sort of like to try.


Strawberry Summer Cake (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

What a simple cake! But so delicious. The crumb is sweet, the strawberries melt into jelly, the sugar softens and crisps along the top. You really should try it some time.

6 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t table salt
1 c plus 2 T granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c milk
1 t vanilla extract
1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch cake pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 T sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream if you like, but I don't think it needs it!

Strawberry Summer Cake

7 comments:

Cakebrain said...

Okay, I should have saved you some black sesame chiffon! It's supposed to "make the baby shoot out like a stick of butter"! Mind you, it didn't do that the first time for me, but the second time it worked! You have to eat a lot of black sesame though. Your strawberry cake looks scrumptious!

Dreams of cakes said...

This is a cakes I will try soon! Perfect for summer. Thanks!

LynnieBee said...

YUM!!! We did a strawberry pie this weekend at my house, since our oven was broken, I'll be posting that soon too:) Gotta absorb all the strawberry goodness while we can :)

jeannesioux said...

It's kind of weird to "go home" for awhile, isn't it. It is very nice, but it is like past and present getting all mixed up together. It is really nice, but also weird when I spend time at Grandma Fletcher's house. So many wonderful memories, feelings, and just plain love of those mountains nearby. It's kind of like living past, present and future all in one moment.

Kris Ngoei said...

It is great to have you back :-) And this strawberry summer cake is a great bake to welcome summer.... so pretty and looks delicious!

amlamonte said...

thanks you guys! whoa cakebrain, makes the baby shoot out like butter?? i'm both intrigued and frightened! :)

Unknown said...

Wow! This looks soooo good. I've been thinking of making a gluten-free strawberry cake and this definitely inspires me!