SPRING TIME STRAWBERRY CAKE

QUICK! Its sunny! Get outside Melbournites and brave the wind, the hayfever, the swarms of weird little bees and bask in this glorious sunshine. Hang out your washing ON THE LINE....OUTSIDE and lay on a picnic rug and soak up the vitamin D -ahhhhhhhh! Now nothing says Springtime like a cake, bejewelled with ruby red strawberries. The ratio of strawberries to cake batter is pretty much equal and they have a jammy-like texture once baked. Add a dollop of greek yogurt (or double cream if I was to serve this to my mother) and it is the perfect way to feel rejuvenated after the horrible weather we have had here in Melbourne....that rain over the weekend was Biblical!

Perfect for a picnic and can be easily made into muffins. This cake should keep for about 3 days but you will most likely scoff the lot on the day its baked.

Enjoy!

SPRING TIME STRAWBERRY CAKE

recipe adapted from ole' faithful smitten kitchen

85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups plain flour (can do a combo of 3/4 cup plain white flour + 3/4 cup of wholemeal, spelt, oat, barley...flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
450 grams strawberries, hulled and halved

Grease a 25cm pie/quiche dish or a standard 24cm springform tin.
Pre heat oven to 180C deg.
In a medium sized bowl mix together the flour(s), baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixed beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla and milk and mix until just combined.
Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into prepared dish/tin.
Arrange strawberries snug together trying not to overlap them -it will be a tight fit!
Bake in oven for 10 minutes then reduce temp to 150C deg and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes (mine was done at 50 min mark) until cake is golden on top and a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, and strawberries are gooey inside.
Let cool in dish/tin, cut into wedges and eat whlie still warm and the sweet strawberries melt in your mouth.
Yum.