- 1
Preheat your oven to 180 C/350 F. One thing that you can be sure of having done with a recipe of strawberry cake out there is to preheat the oven because this makes sure that the oven gets hot by the time you are ready to place your batter inside. Meanwhile, grease lightly with butter or oil in a 23 cm/9-inch round cake tin. A greased cake helps in the final cake not sticking to the tin; a critical aspect of the strawberry cake recipe since it will then effortlessly come off from it. With the greasing, line up with parchment paper at the bottom and thus possible easy removal after baking without damaging the cake structure.
- 2
Sieve 200 gms of all-purpose flour, 1 Tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Sieving removes the lumps in flour and disperses baking powder and salt evenly. Baking powder is required for raising the cake so also the salt that adds flavour to the cake. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients. Put it aside as you will mix it into the wet ingredients later.
- 3
In another bowl, put 200 gms of softened unsalted butter, and 200 gms of granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, or a whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in colour. This process gets air into the mixture which adds up to the airy texture of the cake. To attain a soft, tender crumb in the cake, it's very important to beat the butter and sugar correctly.
- 4
Then add 4 eggs one after the other to the butter-sugar mixture. Simply make sure you have beaten well every time you do that, so the eggs are added to the mixture. Adding eggs all at once or adding too fast can curdle the mixture and may ruin the texture of your cake. It will take some time to properly mix each egg in the batter, and the batter should look smooth and thickened.
- 5
Using a spatula, or a low-speed mixer, add the flour mixture in step 2. Mix just combined. It's one of the most important stages since you do not want to overwork the dough, which will toughen your cake. Mix just enough for you to see that your flour is well combined and the batter smooth.
- 6
Fold in lightly 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for another layer of flavour. Lastly, 200 gms of fresh chopped strawberries should be added to the batter.
- 7
Mix it up with a spatula and fold in the strawberries into this mixture gently not to mash them out of shape or allow the juice to run into the batter and make it soggy.
- 8
Pour the ready batter into a greased cake tin. Ensure you spread it evenly with a spatula at the top so that you won't get lumps or unevenness in your bake. That's because evenness in the top ensures even baking of the cake and even more importantly, makes for an even more perfect shape.
- 9
Place the tin with the cake in a preheated oven.
- 10
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the centre. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake for a few more minutes.
- 11
Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- 12
Whip 200g heavy cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
- 13
Spread whipped cream on the cake and garnish with fresh strawberries.
- 14
Enjoy the cake.