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Strawberry lemonade cake
I am a summer child. I begin wearing sandals in early March in the fervent hope that the air will warm up. I wear tank tops too long in the fall because I don't want the scent of the summertime to leave me.
Strawberries and lemons
I love the berries and vegetables that bloom in my grocery store in May and June. I wait all year to make lemonade because, let's just face it, lemonade tastes best in the summertime.
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Eggs beaten; liquid base for strawberry cake
Of course, I love this cake. This cake is summer infused into flour and eggs. The base of this recipe is Ina Garten's ridiculously moist lemon yogurt cake with a lemon-sugar glaze. When I stuck my fork into the cake, it clung to the crumbs like it never wanted to leave the middle of this heavenly concoction.
Batter
I had this vision of bright ruby strawberry batter marbling through the yellow cake but the end result was more subtle and beautiful. The strawberry batter is a pale creamy pink that swirls through the yellow lemon batter. It tastes like a fresh summer afternoon: the smell of fresh mown grass, the creak of a porch swing, and the zing of refreshing lemons surrounded me.
Strawberry Lemonade Yogurt Cake
Adapted significantly from Ina Garten's
Lemon Yogurt Cake
and Smitten Kitchen's
Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
3 eggs
Lemon base:
¾ cup white whole wheat or all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat; all purpose flour would result in a brighter colored cake)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plain fat free yogurt (the original recipe calls for whole milk yogurt but I think fat free works perfectly well)
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup vegetable oil
Strawberry base
¾ cup white whole wheat or all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup plain fat free yogurt
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup pureed strawberries (about 4-5 large strawberries, pureed) (or, consider substituting the strawberries with raspberries)
Glaze
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch or 8 inch cake pan or 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
2. Whisk the three eggs together.
2. Make the lemon base: Sift together the 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together half of the eggs, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
3. Make the strawberry base: Sift together the 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. In another bowl, whisk together half of the eggs, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup oil, and 1/2 cup pureed strawberries. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Alternate dollops of the lemon base with the strawberry base in the cake pan. Using a clean knife, carefully swirl the strawberry batter into the lemon batter to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 35 minutes in the cake pan and 50 minutes in the loaf pan, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice with the tablespoon of sugar over low heat in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the lemon juice is clear. Set aside.
7. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
