Strawberry Spoon Cake
This easy to make, unfussy cake with a top layer of jammy strawberries is so gooey it’s best to serve the whole thing with a spoon. The batter comes together quickly with minimal effort, using basic pantry ingredients and a small handful of berries — frozen or fresh. If you’re using frozen, be sure to defrost them in the microwave first. Extract as much juice as possible from the fruit by macerating and mashing it, so that it lends the cake additional moisture while baking. Add a dash of freshly ground cardamom or ground ginger on top before baking it off, if you like, or some ribbons of fresh basil once it’s hot out of the oven. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C (good for immune health), manganese, folate (vitamin B9), and potassium. They are very rich in antioxidants and plant compounds, which may have benefits for heart health and blood sugar control. Strawberries are obviously the healthiest when eaten on their own with no sugar added but indulging in a strawberry cake for a special occasion is a nice treat.
Makes: 4 servings
Time to cook: 30 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing
5 ounces/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup)
⅔ cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar
½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Cooking Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside.
2. Using your hands or the back of a fork, mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in ⅓ cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.
3. Ina medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar, milk, and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish and spread evenly into corners.
4. Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before spooning into bowls.
Nutrition per serving
529 calories; 26 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 367 milligrams sodium.
Recipe by Jerrelle Guy, NY Times Cooking
