Strawberry season is here and the farm stand has abundance of fresh and tasty ones, full of flavor and wonderful aroma, so much better than the ones at the supermarket.Yet, unlike the store bought ones, these delicate strawberries don’t keep for long. As I was was tempted to buy more that can be consumed in a short time, I ended up using the surplus to make jams.
Since I’m not too fond of highly sugary jams, I cooked some of these strawberries with less sugar, and for a shorter time. This type of jam doesn’t keep long either, so I decided to use this light jam to flavor a simple buttermilk cake, to which I also added vanilla and a bit of freshly ground four peppers mix, to enhance the strawberries’ aroma.
Despite the fact the swirl didn’t turn out as “swirly” as I thought it would, the cake turned out very tasty and aromatic. This crowd pleasing and easy to make cake, is perfect for picnics or outdoors entertaining. Try it and enjoy.
Notes:
* Most jams require equal amounts of fruit and sugar. Here I’ve used 2 cups of fruit per 1 cup of sugar, thus making a light jam that can keep for shorter time, in the fridge. It is perfect for serving with scones (recipe for which can be found HERE).
* The syrup can keep, in a jar in the fridge, for up to a month. It’s wonderful for flavoring lemonade, or ice tea.
* If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 1 cup of whole milk with 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the mixture sours. Another option is to mix ½ cup of thick yogurt with ½ cup of whole milk.
* Four peppers mix consists of green, white, black and pink peppercorns. It adds an interesting subtle spiciness to the cake. However, if you feel it’s too bold for your taste, simply omit it .
The jam:
Prep time: 10 minutes
Waiting time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1. Place the strawberries in a medium pot. Add the sugar and lemon juice and let sit for 2 hours, until the sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, mixing lightly. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the strawberries from most of the syrup and place in separate jars. Seal while the jam and syrup are still hot . You should end up with about 1 cup of jam and ½ cup of syrup.
The cake:
Makes: 24
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 L eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk (see notes)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup flour
1 Tbs baking powder
Dash salt
¼ tsp freshly ground four peppers mix (optional, see notes)
1 cup light strawberry jam, from above recipe
2 Tbs strawberry syrup, from above recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line a 12” x 8” (20.5cm x 30cm) pan with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until it dissolves. Add the oil and whisk again. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and whisk again. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and four peppers mix, and whisk to a smooth batter. Do not over mix.
3. Pour most of the batter into the lined pan, leaving about ½ cup of batter in the bowl. Add the strained strawberries to the bowl and mix with a spatula. Using a spoon, add the mixture on top of the batter, then use a knife to swirl the batter in.
4. Bake for 40 minutes. Take out of the oven and brush the syrup on top of the cake. Place back in the oven and bake 5 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack, to cool to room temperature, before cutting.
Looks yummy 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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Very appealing Ronit…feel like eating this☺
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Thank you Jyo, I’m glad you liked the cake. It turned out very tasty. 🙂
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Beautiful cake, Ronit. I particularly like the addition of the pepper mix. The jam would be delicious with a classic Devonshire tea (fresh scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream).
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Thank you Tracey, I’m glad you liked the cake and the addition of pepper. It would indeed be perfect for serving with cream tea. 🙂
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How did you know? With cherry season upon us, I dragged out a bag of frozen ones from last year to finally thaw and take the pits out. I’d been putting it off all year. But the deed was done – and before I turned into a pumpkin at midnight. I had a small bowl of them after lunch, simply topped with a little sour cream, but that left a whole lot left. They are really kind of soggy for eating out of hand, but maybe I could substitute them for the strawberries herein?
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Cherries will work well here. Though taste/texture wise, I’m doubtful about using ones that were frozen for a whole year in a noncommercial freezer. it will be interesting to read how it came out! 🙂
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Love strawberries and I love your cake. A few years ago I bought the Ball Fresh Tech Automatic Jam Maker which only makes (4) 1/2 pint jars of jam in very little time. Gone are the days of canning lots of jelly… Strawberry turns out real nice using this appliance.
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Thank you Judi, glad you liked the cake. I usually don’t bake with strawberries, but this one changed my mind about it. The jam maker sounds interesting. I will look into it! 🙂
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This looks SO fantastic! Summer in a cake!
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Thank you Annie, I’m glad you liked the cake. You’re so right, it is indeed “summer in a cake”! 🙂
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Beautiful cake Ronit!!
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Thank you Deepti! 🙂
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Looks so yummy!
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Thank you Angela, I’m glad you liked the cake. It was very yummy! 🙂
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The pot of coffee is on, I am waiting! 🙂
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lol Thank you Franck, for such a lovely compliment! I’m just afraid your coffee will get cold by the time this arrives from New York! 😀
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Haha… Ok so… One can dream, one can dream! 😉
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Mouth watering delicious!!!!!
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Thank you Diane! 🙂
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Hi Ronit – I’m also a fan of homemade jams – have you tried adding chia seeds? They really add to the texture 😊
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Thank you Laura for your suggestion. Even though I know they’re highly nutritious, I’m afraid I’m not too fond of chia seeds texture. I sometimes use natural pectin to thicken jams, though in this case there was no need for it, as I was using it for the cake. 🙂
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The perfect summer cake. I love the strawberry jam!!!
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Thank you Ralu, I’m glad you liked the cake. Homemade strawberries jams are my favorite as well. . 🙂
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This is so perfect and delicious treat for summer.
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Thank you Prachi, I’m glad you liked the cake. It is indeed perfect for summer. 🙂
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How delightful! I say yes to this cake! 🙂
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Thank you Koko, for such a lovely compliment. 🙂
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Anytime!
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This cake looks tasty! I made strawberry sauce tonight and put it !on vanilla ice cream! This cake would have been good along with it
A couple weeks ago, I made blueberry sauce that came out like jam.
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Thank you Joanne, I’m glad you liked the cake. I can definitely see it served with vanilla ice cream. Blueberry jam would also work well here. 🙂
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A cup of tea and a piece of your cake would be a delightful way to start my morning.
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked the cake. It is indeed a wonderful way to start the day! 🙂
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Wow what a wonderful share. Cake looks super yummy ..
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Thank you Ruchi, I’m glad you liked the cake. It turned out super tasty! 🙂
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Absolutely heavenly soulful dessert. Keep sharing more yummy recipes for hungry tummy.
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Thank you! 🙂
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