Friday 5 August 2016

Strawberry Cake.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's summer in a cake!

Here in the UK, summer means strawberries. And, lots of them. They're available all year round in the supermarkets but it's in the summer months when they're at their sweetest.


During Ramadan this year, I baked this strawberry cake for Iftar one night and it received rave reviews from everyone who tried it.

It's a simple vanilla cake batter which is toppped with plenty of strawberries before being baked.

The result is one of the best cakes I've tasted this year. The strawberries break down and almost become like jam within the sponge. So good! We enjoyed it with vanilla whipped cream but custard and ice cream would be amazing here too. 

Strawberries, previously: strawberries with coconut whipped cream + brown butter biscuit crumble // eton mess cake // strawberries and cream cake // strawberry shortcake squares // my four layer strawberry and orange layer cake

 A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Caster Sugar
2. Butter
3. An Egg
4. Vanilla Essence
5. Milk
6. Salt
7. Baking Powder
8. Plain Flour
9. Strawberries

Bismillah, let's begin!

First, put the oven on at 180C. Take a round 20cm (8 inch) cake tin. I used and highly recommend this one!

Butter the tin and set aside for later.

Next, let's prepare our berries so that they're ready to go later on. Take 450 grams Strawberries. They don't have to be the sweetest - even sour berries will work here as they'll sweeten up when they bake. Also, if you have less than the amount that I mentioned, don't worry. The cake will still be fine!

Grab a knife and a chopping board.

We are going to hull and halve each berry.

To hull, remove the stem and leaves.

Before slicing the strawberry in half through the middle.

Keep on hulling and halving until ...

... you're left with a bowlful of strawberries.

I have to admit that I was snacking on these all the way through this bake - they were so sweet!

Next, let's make our vanilla cake batter. I made it by hand but an electric mixer will work just as well.

First, take 200 grams Caster Sugar.

Add it to the mixing bowl.

Then, take 85 grams Butter, soft.

And, add to the bowl.

Use a spatula ...

... or a whisk, to beat the two until well combined.

Next, take 1 large Egg.

Give it a crack and pour it in.

Next, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence. I used this halal vanilla extract.

Pour in the vanilla.

Then, take 120 ml Milk.

And, pour that in too.

Before grabbing a whisk ...

... and whisking everything until well combined.

Next, throw in 1/2 teaspoon Salt plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder.

Finally, take 190 grams Plain Flour.

Add it to the bowl.

And, we are ready to mix.

Gently stir in the flour ...

... until just combined.


Grab the buttered tin.


And, pour in the batter.


Smooth it out with a spoon.


Once the batter has been smoothed out ...


... it's time for the strawberries!


Start placing the strawberries cut-side down on the batter.


They don't have to be in a single layer!


Finally, take 2 tablespoons Caster Sugar.


And, sprinkle on top!


Place the cake tin on to a baking tray. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 160C and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Once baked, the cake should be golden set.


A skewer should come out with no wet batter on it. There may be liquid from the strawberries but that is completely fine.


You can serve the cake immediately ...
... or let it cool completely.

I left my cake overnight to cool and served it the next day with vanilla whipped cream.


The best summer dessert!


This cake can also be made gluten-free. The cake on the right was made with gluten-free plain flour and less strawberries.

Full Written Recipe:


Strawberry Cake.

Prep Time: About 20 minutes.
Bake Time: About 1 hour + 5 minutes.
Serves: About 8 people.

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter
200 grams Caster Sugar
85 grams Butter, soft
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
120 ml Milk
½ teaspoon Salt
1 and ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
190 grams Plain Flour

For the Topping
450 grams Strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons Caster Sugar

Method

First, put the oven on at 180C. Butter a round 20cm (8 inch) cake tin and set aside.

Next, prepare the strawberries. Hull and halve the strawberries and set aside for later.

The cake batter! Place the caster sugar and butter into a mixing bowl and whisk/beat until well combined.
Then, add the egg, vanilla and milk. Whisk until combined
Finally, add in the salt, baking powder and flour. Stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth out.

Time for the topping! Place the strawberries cut-side down on the batter. It doesn’t matter if they are not in a single layer. Sprinkle with the caster sugar.

Bake! Place the tin on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 180C. Then, turn the oven down to 160C and bake for 50-55 minutes until the top is golden and the middle is set. A skewer should come out with no wet cake batter on it.

To serve, cool slightly then slice. Serve with vanilla whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard. Enjoy!

{Adapted from Smitten Kitchen}

Your Photos:



This Time One Year Ago:

This Time Two Years Ago:
chicken and sweetcorn pizza

This Time Three Years Ago:
samosa plate


Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your strawberry cake.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!



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