Strawberry Country Cake

So. I hear it’s been hot on the east coast. How have I heard? oh, well mostly because about 73% of my facebook newsfeed has been dominated by my east coast friends telling me how hot it is. I get it, yall. You want Satan to take his weather back. And here’s what I have to say about it:  Is this really that unusual for DC? I feel like we always get temperatures over 100 and they tell little old ladies to stay inside and drink lots of water and stay out of the heat if you can. Did the rest of you just block that out of your memory? It’s DC. That’s what you’re getting.

My other thought is: hey. It’s DC. That’s what you’re getting! Your own fault for living on the east coast in a city where it will be satanically and humid to boot. Which is why you should all probably plan a mass exodus to California. Exhibit A:

Yep. Currently in Walnut Creek it is 63. High of 83 today. Sunny. Wonderful. People here of course find a way to complain. But the fact of the matter is I do completely and entirely sympathize with you, East Coast. I lived that my whole life… worse even! Try mowing the lawn in Georgia once a week when it’s hot and humid and miserable. I get it. Which is why the weather forecast here amazes me. And I think is reason enough alone to get everyone off the East Coast and come to the Best Coast. I mean, West Coast…

I pulled this cake together amidst preparing a meal for a dinner party and it turned out great! The original recipe calls for enough batter to make two cakes. That’s unnecessary which is why I’m going to do my best to half it so you just make one cake… Unless of course you want to make two… then go here.

I don’t know what it was exactly that I loved so much about this cake. I feel like it’s one of the first cake recipes I’ve used in a while that felt like the cakes Mom and I used to make.  You know, where you had to use eggs at room temperature. And you need to sift the dry ingredients. Good old fashioned cake. Tastes like childhood.

For one cake:

6 tbs butter (3/4 stick) at room temp.

3/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

2 large eggs at room temp.

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sour cream at room temp.

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp orange zest

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbs cornstarch

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a cake pan (8” or 9”).

Cream together butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add eggs, one at a time. Then add sour cream, zests, and vanilla and beat until combined.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly and mix until just combined and smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until firm.

Slice the cake in half horizontally with a long knife. Use a spatula to spread half of the whipped cream on top of one of the 1/2 cakes. Top with half of the strawberries. Then place the other 1/2 cake on top and spread the rest of the whipped cream on top. Top the cake with the rest of the strawberries and then the blueberries. Enjoy immediately!

 

Strawberry Oat Scones

Hi friends. Sorry I’ve kept you waiting on a post. Life has been busy as I’m getting ready for (another) move. However, Jesus resurrected on Sunday and I made sure to celebrate with some baking.

As I was up early to make some Easter scone treats, I reflected on the fact that this was my first Easter without my mom in my 24 years on this earth. As most of you know, I’m not terribly religious. But I do enjoy the excuse for a family gathering and lots of food. It’s safe to say that everything I know about baking, I learned from my mom and it was hard not to bake with her yesterday. So, I’m gonna dedicate this post to Sandals (scandals to some). Thanks, Mom. For everything.

Ok ok. Enough sentimental goodness. Let’s get down to the real stuff:

strawberry fields

This recipe has a lot of similarities to the Sunday Morning Biscuits. So if you made those, these are a great follow up! Additionally it’s a quick and easy recipe to whip together. I might experiment with whole wheat flour next time.

Use your hands to mix in the strawberries… it will be messy, but well worth it…

Recipe adapted from here:

1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup sugar plus a little extra
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400.

Whisk together buttermilk and egg. Set aside. Combine flour, rolled oats, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your hands until it looks like crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk/egg mixture with a spoon (or your hands) until just blended. Add the strawberries and gently mix.

Knead dough 8-10 times on a floured surface and pat into a disk about 1.5 inches thick. Slice into whatever size/shape scones you desire. Place on greased baking sheet. Top with a little extra sugar (turbinado if you have it). Bake for about 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on wire rack. Enjoy!