Strawberry Spoon Cake

 

 

I picked up some fresh local berries at our grocery store the other day and could not wait to get them home and so something with some of them. Of course I enjoyed a few fresh, but what I really wanted to do was to recreate this fabulous recipe I had seen on the New York Times cooking page earlier in the week. 

It looked fabulous, unpretentious and simple, and then there was the name.  Strawberry Spoon Cake.  What doesn't sound delicious about that?  A strawberry spoon cake recipe just needed to be added to my repertoire of seasonal strawberry recipes!

 

 

Strawberry season is something I spend all year waiting for. I refuse to buy and eat fresh berries out of season. Not only are they usually lackluster in flavor, but I abhor the carbon foot print behind them getting to us.

I love strawberries, but nothing on earth tastes better than a locally grown and sourced berry, fresh and in season. When I lived in the UK we grew our own berries in the back garden. They were so delicious!  I do think (sorry Canada) that British strawberries are the best tasting strawberries in the world. (It had to be said!)

 

On a delicious side note I read an article recently which claimed to have a method of keeping your fresh berries fresher for longer!  I just had to try it.  What you see here are berries that I bought on Friday and here today (Wednesday) they are still really fresh!

This method really works and it is very simple. I am going to do this all the time now!  You can read that article here.   My berries are still beautifully fresh and delicious. 

Now back to the delicious strawberry recipe.

 

The original recipe was for four servings. I did not need four servings, and so I cut the recipe in half to make only two.  It worked beautifully.

The cake part was soft, moist and delicious, the berries sweet and jammy. Perfect for spooning into bowls, ready to be served warm with some vanilla ice cream!  It really is delicious!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE

Very simple every day baking ingredients, berries,  and a (1 pint/2 cup) deepish  baking dish.(I used a pie dish.)  That's it!

• 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
• 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
• 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• vanilla ice cream to serve

 

Always wash your berries BEFORE you hull them.  Washing them afterwards an add water to them and wash out their sweet flavor which you don't want.

You can use frozen berries if you wish, but do thaw them first and drain them prior to mashing and mixing with the brown sugar.  

If you are using cup measures, make sure you pack the brown sugar into the cup. It should hold the shape of the cup when dumped out. Much easier to divide in two that way as well, half for the batter and half for the berries.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE

Note: this is a small batch recipe which makes two servings.  To make a full recipe check it out here.

This really is a delicious dessert!  If you enjoy it even half as much as I did, then I will be happy!  Quick and easy to make as well! 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.

Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.

 

Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.

Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!

 

Notes

-If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.

-I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.

-If using frozen berries, defrost first.

 

This really is a delicious dessert cake, soft and spoonable. I do not think you could cut it into squares or slices to serve, but that only adds to the pleasure. It is very much like an upside down cobbler.

I can't see any reason why you couldn't substitute the strawberries with some other berry. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a combination would work nicely. I think you could even use crushed fresh peaches or plums with success.

This is a recipe you can really let your imagination fly on so long as you keep the quantities the same!  I love recipes like this one that you really can  adapt to what you have on hand creating your own unique deliciousness, making it truly your own!

 

Strawberry season is one of my favorite times of the year.  If you enjoy strawberries also and using them to cook/bake with, you might also enjoy these delicious strawberry recipes!

PECAN SWIRL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES - Pecan swirled biscuits split in two and then filled with a layer of crushed berries and whipped cream in between. You owe it to yourself to try this version of shortcake at least once during this strawberry season.  Trust me on this!  Different and delicious!!

STRAWBERRY CAKE PIE - This fabulous dessert is not really a pie because there is no crust and it's not really a cake because it doesn't rise like a cake, but it has a texture very similar to a cake.  What it is is totally delicious! A real family favorite here baked in a pie dish.

 

Strawberry Spoon Cake

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This no fuss, no muss summer cake is topped with a layer of jammy fresh berries. Soft and delicious gooey you will want to eat this one spooned warm into bowls with some cold vanilla ice cream on top.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
• 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
• 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• vanilla ice cream to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.
2. Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
3. Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.
4. Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!

Notes

If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.

I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.

If using frozen berries, defrost first.

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