Recipe 14 of 100 Fresh Strawberry Cake

I discussed in my recent post on The Nosher my obsession with cooking with fresh berries over the summer.   So when I went strawberry picking and came home with more strawberries then I knew what to do with I knew I had to bake. The husband does not love strawberries (ok, we have concluded he actually is allergic, but he still loved the cake and ate it)– so there was more for me to enjoy.

My entire apartment smelt like a strawberry patch while this was baking. While we have mostly seen rain, and only little glimpses of summer, the smell of this cake gave me hope that true summer weather is just around the corner. Maybe if we all make our homes smell like summer other nature will get a hint.

Fresh Strawberry Cake - ready to be eaten! 

This  Fresh Strawberry Cake is incredibly light which I really appreciate in the summer. Not only that, but it is pareve. You can certainly make it ahead and it will keep for 2 days (but it will be hard not to take a bite)!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart

½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

6 tablespoons unsalted margarine, at room temperature

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 10-inch pie pan or a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.

In a larger bowl, beat margarine and 1 cup sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer (about 2 minutes). Mix in egg, almond milk and vanilla until just until lightly mixed. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until smooth and there are no clumps.

Pour into prepared pie pan or springform pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer - Sprinkle 2 tablespoons 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 40 minutes to 50 minutes.

If you are having this with a dairy meal serve with whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream.

ENJOY!