stolen: strawberry summer cake.

hello friday - and hello to you my friends!

today i had a whole post i was going to write dedicated to my little twinkle toes and her journey through dance which i am sure we have come to the end with blah blah blah. but that's now old news. yesterday while perusing through smitten kitchen i came across her strawberry summer cake and just had to make it!

the temperatures round here were in the low 30's but did that stop me from turning on the oven in the kitchen that was so humid you could cut the air with scissors? no way!! nothing stands between me and a new cake recipe. i could here the strawberries beckoning me from the fridge and the other ingredients literally marched there way to my kitchen counter that i just had to attempt it. and it being spring/summer and the stores & markets bursting with said fruit i may have gotten a little carried away and bought a tad too much. but what a perfect excuse to use up this bounty of strawberries than in this cake? i also made a batch of strawberry slush, of course.

baking with berries and lemon has become my new thing. chocolate is, of course, king but having a dessert in a wonder of colour is something fabulous all in it's self. we all know that a chocolate dessert will be amazing, no matter how ruined it gets - thinking back to the mud slide cake is 2010 - it can always be put back together creatively. but to master a dessert with berries and have them burst in your mouth with a symphony of taste and juiciness, well that's something all together breathtaking.

we were not disappointed. what an awesome cake! perfect for after dinner on a hot summer night (yes i said it, summer. i know most of the country is not experiencing summer but here in the east it's in full force.) not to heavy, no need of icing - just a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. yum. and it's super simple to put together that even the most novice cooks can pull it off and look like a rock star! 

also the great thing about this cake is the noted versatility to it. after making it and tasting it i can see it many other ways - a great way to use the berries or fruit that is about to take a field trip from your fridge. i can see it covered entirely in blueberries, raspberries and black berries. together or on their own. i can see a little lemon zest mixed into the batter. i can see it getting a light sprinkling of icing sugar just before it makes it's way to the table for that wow factor. i can see it covered in any kind of stone fruit. i can see cinnamon mixed into the batter and have it smothered in caramelized apples. i can see it in a mini cupcake form for afternoon tea. okay now i am getting carried away but you get the idea - have fun with it. it's a fun cake and hopefully your go-to cake for the summer.

i did have one hiccup though and it's a new tip worthy enough to mention - when your room temperature butter is on the verge of melted because your kitchen is so darn hot and after you have whipped it together with the sugar and egg do not add ice cold milk all at once - the whole thing curdle and separate and then you have to start from scratch. if possible bring your milk to room temp as well but if you have to use cold milk (like me because you as well have no patience) pour it in in a slow stream beating while pouring and then add some dry right away, this will help it to incorporate. i had to start again.

i didn't change a thing so i am sending you to her for the details. for the recipe go here.

one more note - at the end it states to sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the entire cake. as always with baking most coffee cakes and simple cakes they have you do this and i always cut back thinking this to be a ridiculous amount of sugar. but i thought to myself this time - do it, use the whole amount and see what happens. and now i am saying to you - do it, use the whole 2 tablespoons - you will be amazed.

i hope you all have a happy weekend, a slice of cake or two and come back next week. we are celebrating an important birthday next week and it will be party countdown week here all next week! we will countdown the days with party diy's, tips & links and baking dry runs!