some days it feels like summer strawberry cake

 

I was going to bake this cake yesterday when it was all warm and sunny. That didn't happen (hey, there was a new episode of Community!) so I baked it this morning for breakfast. Turns out that a summery strawberry cake is just as delightful on a chilly and overcast morning.

6 Tbsp. butter at room temperature, plus extra for the pan
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of raw cane sugar (next time I'll try brown sugar)
1 large egg
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pound of strawberries, hulled and halved (hulled and halved! that would be a good tumblr name. I'm on it)

- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan or a deep dish pie plate. 

- Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth. 

- Pour in pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter in a single layer. (I stopped reading the recipe once I made the batter so I put the strawberries down first and then the batter, generally making an upside down strawberry cake which was still good.)

- Bake for ten minutes and then reduce heat to 325. Bake until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about fifty minutes. 

- Let cool in pan, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with whipped cream. I didn't have any whipped cream so I ate it with a cold glass of milk which is almost as good. Almost. 

recipe adapted very slightly (all I did was use raw cane sugar in lieu of granulated sugar) from Smitten Kitchen