A strawberry pastry was part of my own Mother’s Day celebration for years. The school my son attended from pre-school through sixth grade created a Mother’s Day Tea for moms, with even the littlest hands diving in to wrap refrigerated crescent roll dough around strawberry preserves. The older children (with adult supervision!) baked the pastries; and along with sun tea made by the children, we moms enjoyed a special treat that created loving memories for decades to follow.
Here’s to upping the ante with a very approachable recipe: A cake that will be a highlight of your Mother’s Day brunch or tea time. It pulls together easily enough for kids and dads alike to prepare, yet has a simple elegance befitting this special occasion. I’ve added a hint of orange to the cake for that je ne sais quoi compliment to the strawberries.
Select perfectly ripe fruit to maximize the berries’ flavor. Medium-sized fruit is best for distribution on the cake and ease when it comes time to slice and serve. Don’t worry about perfectly placing the strawberries atop. The batter will rise above them, so an intended pattern may be covered anyway. Martha’s version has them scattered higgledy-piggledy, with appealing effect!
A helpful tip: Set a timer to track the initial 10 minutes of baking so you will know when to reduce the oven temperature. Reset the timer for 45 minutes to begin checking the doneness of the cake.
Fresh Strawberry Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart
INGREDIENTS
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for the pan
- 1-1/ 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/ 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
- 3/ 4 cup granulated sugar, preferably super-fine; plus an additional 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/ 4 cup whole milk, approximately
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium orange
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, approximately 16 berries; hulled and halved lengthwise
INSTRUCTIONS
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower 1/ 3 position in the oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter a 9-inch pie pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the zest of the orange using a microplane zester or very fine grater, avoiding the white pith. This yields about 1 teaspoon of zest. Set aside. Cut the orange in half and extract the juice into a measuring cup. This yields about 1/ 4 cup of juice. Add enough whole milk to bring the combined liquids to measure 1/ 2 cup total. Set aside.
- Put the 6 tablespoons of butter and 3/ 4 cup of sugar into a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until they become pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add the egg, orange zest, vanilla and juice-milk mixture. It will look curdled. This is A-OK.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated, do not overmix. You can use a silicone spatula to combine the last bits of flour clinging to the bowl.
- Transfer the batter into the buttered pie pan, smoothing to level it with a spatula. Place the strawberries on top of the batter, cut sides down and close to each other but not overlapping. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the berries.
- Bake the cake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325° F. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of it comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it, about 50 additional minutes. Avoid testing the cake through a strawberry.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cake may be served warm or at room temperature with a bit of whipped cream and sliced berries.
The cake can be stored covered and at room temperature for a day or two, but it will likely be eaten before then!
Here are a few photos-in-progress to help you track yours:
