I had about 2 lbs of strawberries at home, and other than eat them all myself with a little sugar and cream, I didn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t feel like making jam or cold creamy desserts, and I had already tried the strawberry bread.

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website… I have mixed feelings about her baking recipes which turn out to be a success only about 2 out of 10 times (and I know I am not alone). They look great, and the ingredients sound alright, but when you pop them in the oven, 30 to 50 minutes later you get… disappointment in a pan.

But, I still love her website and I subscribe to her magazine! It’s a love-hate thing.

I had nothing better to do that afternoon, so… what the heck, I gave it a try. My toddler helped me out so even if the cake turned out to be a flop, we would have fun.

It turned out to be a great coffee cake! I would recommend a slice of this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream on top. Since this cake is meant to be kept at room temperature and it has baked strawberries in it, you should eat it within 2 days before it starts to grow things.

This has given me hope to try more of Martha’s baked recipes.

Strawberry Cake

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.