I haven’t been writing you often enough, but I have a very good reason. It’s not just because I’ve been busy teaching in my home in Palm Desert, CA, or because I spend lots of time taking care of my husband in a board and care. I have a much better reason.
New recipes run across my phone everyday. I find one that sounds fabulous and can’t wait to make it, in the hopes I can send it to you. I run to the market, take photos each step of the prep, and anxiously wait to take the dish from the oven and taste it. Unfortunately, most often, it doesn’t meet my expectations and I know if I make it again, I can improve it. I always want to send you the best. I always have such good intentions, truly believing I will make it again. Unfortunately, the recipes end up in a bulging folder entitled, TO BE MADE AGAIN. The folder is overflowing for a reason.
Happily, this loaf cake is the exception. The recipe comes from the NYT entitled, Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake. I like strawberries, but in a cake, they always lack flavor. I gambled by adding a cup of freeze dried strawberries to the batter. A lucky bet. The cake is exceptional. The strawberry flavor is more pronounced than the lemon, so I decided to call it Double Strawberry Loaf Cake.
Loaf cakes are most commonly served for brunch, tea or snacking. Think of them as muffins in a loaf. This one, dolled up with a luscious strawberry glaze, is fancy enough to be dessert. The addition of the frozen strawberries that I’ve also added to the glaze gives it a vibrant pink color.
These are ideal when you want extra strawberry flavor in anything; sauces, baked goods, you name it. All you need to do is pulverize them in the food processor until ground. A small processor works best. The above are purchased from Target,. They are also available from Trader Joes. For this recipe I used 1 cup, but next time I’m going to try adding a little more, maybe 1 ¼ cups.
You will need 3 bowls to make this cake. The small one is for finely chopped berries to macerate, a medium-size for the wet ingredients and a large one for the dry ones.
The recipe is for one 9 × 5 inch loaf cake. I opted to make 3 cakes, one for a friend, one for myself and another to freeze.
I love how lofty and golden the cakes come out.
It is every bit as good as it looks.
DOUBLE STRAWBERRY LOAF CAKE
CAKE
1 cup/150 grams diced strawberries
1 tablespoon plus 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (10grams, 0.35 oz.) freeze-dried strawberries, pulverized in food processor
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup/227 grams sour cream, at room temperature
½ cup/110 grams vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
GLAZE
1 cup/123 grams confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries, pulverized in food processor
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. To make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. To macerate strawberries: In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar to macerate while you prepare the cake batter.
3. To make batter: In a large bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, freeze-dried strawberries, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Whisk to combine. In a second large bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently to mix. Lift the macerated berries out of their liquid and add them to the batter. Gently fold in the berries until evenly incorporated.
5. To bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. If it looks to be browning on top too much, tent with aluminum foil.
6. Cool it in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then unmold the cake carefully, turn right side up and transfer to the rack to cool completely.
7. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, lemon zest and juice and stir until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Let stand until set.
To make Ahead: Cake may be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days or frozen.
Makes one 9-inch loaf.
NOTE;
To make 3 small cakes, each approximately 3 x -5 inches, follow recipe but begin checking baking time at 35 minutes.
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM NYT entitled Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake without freeze-dried strawberries
