summer | Spatula in My Pocket

A fresh, light (yet dense!), and incredibly moist cake – the perfect treat to bake during quarantine, and enjoy with a cup of tea.

This cake comes together really easily with ingredients you more than likely already have in your kitchen. It is also an excellent way to make use of the juicy strawberries in season.

I also got to use my heart shaped pan, which I often feel gets neglected.

Do not do what I did, which is to try and tip out the cake from the pan!

This cake is way too delicate to be removed from a regular cake pan. Please use a spring from pan with a removable bottom or use any pie dish and serve the cake straight from it.

Here are some other juicy strawberry bakes you might like:
Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake
Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote

Stay home, stay safe, and bake on.
xxx

Simple Strawberry Cake

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

· 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

· 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour

· 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/4 tsp salt

· 1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

· 1 large egg, at room temperature

· 1/2 cup (118 ml) milk

· 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

· 1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease a 9 or 10-inch baking pan or Pyrex dish with butter or oil. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3-5 minutes.
Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined.
Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
Transfer batter into prepared pan and smooth with spatula.
Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake until golden brown about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan before slicing.

Notes

* If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to a ¼ tsp.

**Leftovers can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

October has begun and so has fall. The avalanche of pumpkins, apples and cinnamon has already hit us. And here I am…still hanging onto my summer desserts.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

I’m not ashamed of it. Not one bit. I would gladly eat a slice of this moist, buttery lemon cake any day of the year.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

I love my monstrous frosted layered cake creations but sometimes, just sometimes, I crave the comfort of a simple, homely, fresh out of the oven cake. A cake that doesn’t ask for planning or fancy detailing. A cake that can be whipped up in minutes.

This lemon pound cake is just that.

Simple, delicious, and ridiculously easy to make.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

It has a soft, fluffy, moist texture with a bright lemon kick from the tangy glaze on top. It’s buttery and lemony and it literally melts in your mouth. And it couldn’t be easier to make.

Here are some tips to remember:

A pound cake gets its fine, dense (not heavy) texture from the all the mixing. The mixing incorporates air, creating volume, which then levels the loaf. So make sure you beat the sugar and butter well and again after the addition of each egg.
Buttermilk gives you a moist, flavorful cake. The acidity in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder making the cake lighter in texture. To make homemade buttermilk; combine ½ cup whole milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.
The cake gets most of its flavor from the lemon zest so make sure you do not skimp on the zest. Only use the thin, yellow zest layer of the lemon, which contains the lemon oils, and avoid the white layer which tastes bitter.
Grease your loaf pan very well. I like to oil the pan, line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, and then coat the pan with flour. This ensures that the cake will pop right out of the pan in one piece.

Once the cake is slightly cooled, I like to top it off with a thick lemon glaze. The glaze gives the cake a burst of citrus flavor and takes on a beautiful almost matte finish once it hardens.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

It has become go-to lemon pound cake recipe. Maybe it will become yours too. 🙂

Lemon Pound Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes Yields: one 9 inch loaf

Cook Time: 45 to 55 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon (around 1 teaspoon)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, soft at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (see notes below)

For the glaze:

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Dust with flour, shake off the excess.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Add in the butter and beat with a hand mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and lemon juice. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 – 55 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan to finish cooling before glazing.

Meanwhile make the glaze; combine all the glaze ingredients, start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and milk and add the remaining lemon juice as needed. The icing should be thick and smooth. Add more lemon juice or powdered sugar if needed to get the correct pouring consistency. Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Let it dry before slicing the cake.

Notes

1. Homemade buttermilk: ½ cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar

2. This cake will keep about 4 days at room temperature or upto one week in the refrigerator.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

A fresh, light (yet dense!), and incredibly moist cake – the perfect treat to bake during quarantine, and enjoy with a cup of tea.

This cake comes together really easily with ingredients you more than likely already have in your kitchen. It is also an excellent way to make use of the juicy strawberries in season.

I also got to use my heart shaped pan, which I often feel gets neglected.

Do not do what I did, which is to try and tip out the cake from the pan!

This cake is way too delicate to be removed from a regular cake pan. Please use a spring from pan with a removable bottom or use any pie dish and serve the cake straight from it.

Here are some other juicy strawberry bakes you might like: Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote

Stay home, stay safe, and bake on. xxx

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

· 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

· 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour

· 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/4 tsp salt

· 1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

· 1 large egg, at room temperature

· 1/2 cup (118 ml) milk

· 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

· 1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease a 9 or 10-inch baking pan or Pyrex dish with butter or oil. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3-5 minutes.

Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined.

Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Transfer batter into prepared pan and smooth with spatula.

Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake until golden brown about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan before slicing.

Notes

* If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to a ¼ tsp.

**Leftovers can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

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Like this:

October has begun and so has fall. The avalanche of pumpkins, apples and cinnamon has already hit us. And here I am…still hanging onto my summer desserts.

I’m not ashamed of it. Not one bit. I would gladly eat a slice of this moist, buttery lemon cake any day of the year.

I love my monstrous frosted layered cake creations but sometimes, just sometimes, I crave the comfort of a simple, homely, fresh out of the oven cake. A cake that doesn’t ask for planning or fancy detailing. A cake that can be whipped up in minutes.

This lemon pound cake is just that.

Simple, delicious, and ridiculously easy to make.

It has a soft, fluffy, moist texture with a bright lemon kick from the tangy glaze on top. It’s buttery and lemony and it literally melts in your mouth. And it couldn’t be easier to make.

Here are some tips to remember:

A pound cake gets its fine, dense (not heavy) texture from the all the mixing. The mixing incorporates air, creating volume, which then levels the loaf. So make sure you beat the sugar and butter well and again after the addition of each egg.

Buttermilk gives you a moist, flavorful cake. The acidity in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder making the cake lighter in texture. To make homemade buttermilk; combine ½ cup whole milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.

The cake gets most of its flavor from the lemon zest so make sure you do not skimp on the zest. Only use the thin, yellow zest layer of the lemon, which contains the lemon oils, and avoid the white layer which tastes bitter.

Grease your loaf pan very well. I like to oil the pan, line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, and then coat the pan with flour. This ensures that the cake will pop right out of the pan in one piece.

Once the cake is slightly cooled, I like to top it off with a thick lemon glaze. The glaze gives the cake a burst of citrus flavor and takes on a beautiful almost matte finish once it hardens.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

It has become go-to lemon pound cake recipe. Maybe it will become yours too. 🙂

Lemon Pound Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes Yields: one 9 inch loaf

Cook Time: 45 to 55 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon (around 1 teaspoon)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, soft at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (see notes below)

For the glaze:

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Dust with flour, shake off the excess.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Add in the butter and beat with a hand mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and lemon juice. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 – 55 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan to finish cooling before glazing.

Notes

1. Homemade buttermilk: ½ cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar

2. This cake will keep about 4 days at room temperature or upto one week in the refrigerator.

Share this:

Like this:

Here are some other juicy strawberry bakes you might like:
Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake
Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote

Stay home, stay safe, and bake on.
xxx