There’s nothing more perfect on a lazy summer afternoon than the taste of fresh strawberries and cream. This recipe pairs beautifully with a tall glass of lemonade or a dollop of fresh whipped cream, for those rare summer seasons when there seem to be too many strawberries. (As if there could be such a thing!) Put a few of your ripest (or a little overripe) strawberries in this sheet cake, and you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re looking for a more impressive plating option, bake this in muffin tins or use a glass or cookie cutter to cut out circles of sheet cake. Stack them with fresh whipped cream between the layers and a fresh strawberry on top, for a fresh take on strawberry shortcake.
Southern strawberry sheet cake
15
15 minutes
45 minutes
1 hour
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
Heat the oven to 350 F.
Grease a 9-by-13 cake pan with nonstick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electrix mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat until well-combined, and repeat with the egg yolk and vanilla.
Add the milk, and mix until everything is homogenous.
In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients half at a time, mixing after each addition, until the batter is smooth.
Add the strawberries, and fold them into the batter.
Transfer the batter to the baking pan.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes).
Allow the cake to cool slightly before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with confectioners sugar before slicing and serving.