Strawberry Cake

The strawberry cake is a delicious springtime dessert that encapsulates the sweetness of fresh strawberries. Here is the recipe to make it:

Ingredients

• 200 g fresh strawberries
• 150 g sugar
• 200 g 00 flour
• 100 g softened butter
• 3 eggs
• 120 ml milk
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar (for decorating)
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
2. Wash the strawberries, remove the stems and cut them in half or quarters depending on size. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until you get a creamy and light mixture.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to mix the batter.
5. Add the grated lemon zest to flavor the batter, if desired.
6. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder and pinch of salt in a separate bowl.
7. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter, egg and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk until you get a smooth and homogeneous batter.
8. Butter and flour a cake pan or line it with parchment paper. Pour half of the batter into the pan.
9. Evenly distribute the cut strawberries over the batter.
10. Cover the strawberries with the remaining batter.
11. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
12. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool before removing it from the pan.
13. Once cooled, dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Make sure to let the cake cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar, to prevent it from melting due to residual heat. This cake can be served on its own or accompanied by pastry cream or ice cream for a more indulgent dessert.

Trivia

The strawberry cake is a very versatile dessert. In Italy, especially when strawberry season arrives, it is common to find it in pastry shops with variants that also include chantilly cream or a generous dusting of chopped pistachios for a touch of color and crunch.