A tasty summery cake that comes together comes together pretty quickly. Because you’re mixing sliced strawberries with some sugar to start with, I thought I could get away with buying frozen sliced strawberries with sugar – this turns out to be not the best idea. In the little tubs of strawberry slices, they’re actually only giving you a few real slices, and a lot of just random bits leftover from cutting up other strawberries, so it’s hard to get nice looking rows of strawberries on top, and they seem to sink more than in Bon Appetit’s picture. Live and learn!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise (not frozen and then thawed)
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch, divided
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
• zest of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently toss the strawberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside, tossing occasionally, until ready to use.

Lightly coat a 9×13″ pan with oil. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides. Pour in some sugar and tilt the pan all around to coat the inside with sugar, then pour out the excess.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and whisk together. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Add the dry goods to the wet and whisk gently.

I used some of my red cornmeal, yours may not be so speckley.

Drizzle in 3/4 cup of olive oil while folding it in with a rubber spatula, until fully incorporated. Don’t give up, it really does all mix in eventually!

Gently turn the batter out into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Stir up the strawberry jam with a spoon so there are no huge chunks, then drop little dollops all over the batter. Swirl in using a knife or skewer.

Arrange the strawberries on the top in rows, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top.

Bake 40-45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and it passes the toothpick test. Cool in pan.

They may not be as visible, but you’ll still taste the berries!

Strawberry Snacking Cake

From the April 2021 Bon Appetit magazine.

 

• 8 ounces strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch, divided
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
• zest of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently toss the strawberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside, tossing occasionally, until ready to use.

Lightly coat a 9×13″ pan with oil. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides. Pour in some sugar and tilt the pan all around to coat the inside with sugar, then pour out the excess.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and whisk together. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the dry goods to the wet and whisk gently, then drizzle in 3/4 cup of olive oil while folding it in with a rubber spatula, until fully incorporated.

Gently turn the batter out into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Stir up the strawberry jam with a spoon, then drop little dollops all over the batter. Swirl in using a knife or skewer. Arrange the strawberries on the top in rows, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top.

Bake 40-45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and it passes the toothpick test. Cool in pan.