French Strawberry Cake

We love summer! It’s full of our favorite things like fun with family and friends in the sun and the surf. And now that The Greatest Kid On The Planet is in middle school, summer also means being back on the football field, and it doesn’t get any better than that!

Did you catch the full moon last weekend? It was mesmerizing! June’s full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Native Algonquin tribes of North America gave it that name because it was their sign to start harvesting the wild strawberries. Around here, we can’t get enough strawberries. So, in honor of the Strawberry Moon, we made a wonderful summer treat called French Strawberry Cake. This cake is so simple and so delicious. It’s sure to become one of your favorites.

You’ll find the recipe for this cake on Jill McOwen’s fabulous food blog, Foodtastic Mom. Jill’s website is full of irresistible recipes, and I love browsing her blog when I want to try something new.

French Strawberry Cake is similar to French Apple Cake which is traditionally made in an iron skillet. This cake, however, goes straight into a cake pan and into the oven. And it comes out with a heavenly, moist center and a delightfully delicate crust.

Here is what you’ll need:

2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
1 stick unsalted butter softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Then, in a medium-sized bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt. You can set that aside.

Using a stand mixer on medium/low to medium speed, blend together the butter and 1 cup of sugar. You’ll want to mix this until it’s light and fluffy and a nice, pale yellow color. This should take about 5 minutes. Then, add your eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Finally, add in your vanilla and blend until it’s all combined.

Next, slowly add your flour mixture to your butter mixture. Alternate adding the flour with adding the sour cream and mix until your ingredients are just combined after each addition.

Now it’s time to add in your strawberries. Make sure to dry your strawberries well and then gently fold 2 cups of strawberries into your batter.

Spray a 9-inch, round cake pan with cooking spray and spread your batter evenly into the pan. Take your remaining strawberries and place them on top of the batter.

Finally, spread the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the batter. You can skip this step entirely if you want to avoid the extra sugar, and the cake will still be divine. I sprinkle about 1/8 cup of sugar on top of mine.

Bake your cake for 35-40 minutes. When it’s done, the middle of the cake will move slightly, but it shouldn’t jiggle like it’s still wet. A wooden pick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Don’t forget the whipped cream!

Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make and so worth it. Once you’ve made your own whipped cream, you’ll never want to buy it at the store again.

Just take:

1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

You can use either granulated or confectioners’ sugar. I find it comes out well with either. And you can use as much or as little sugar as you’d like depending on how sweet you’d like it to be.

Combine your ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Then, using your stand or hand-held mixer with the whisk attachment, whip on medium/high to high speed until your cream stands up in fluffy peaks.

Here’s a little tip: chill your bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer beforehand for at least 10 minutes. The longer the better. It will help your cream whip up billowy and smooth.

Top your strawberry cake with a dollop of your fresh whipped cream, and you’ll have an amazing summer treat. Get a slice while it’s still warm, and you will be in heaven! This is one dessert you’ll want to make again and again!

We hope you love it as much as we do!

M.C. Greene

P.S. Fresh Fruit Tart