Few things get me out of the house before Noon on a Saturday morning, but fresh ingredients and a fantastic recipe was all I needed to get motivated over the weekend. I packed up my Shih Tzu, Ewok and off we went to the Statesboro Mainstreet Farmers Market for some locally grown strawberries. We returned home to make Ina Garten’s Strawberry Country Cake featured in the cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Parties. Watch the video below to get the highlights from our trip!
The strawberries were a beautiful color and the perfect size for my cake.
I sliced them up and couldn’t help eating a few during the process.
The texture of the cake was moist and dense–a nice balance with the fresh whipped cream.
Yum! I love the rustic, naturalness of this cake. My friend described it as a “souped-up strawberry shortcake,” and I’d say that’s pretty accurate.
Strawberry Country Cake Recipe Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved
Ingredients 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the filling for each cake: 1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream, chilled 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans. Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth. Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze (I always do this!) To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.
Check out my pictures below to see more Farmers Market fun! A great big THANKS to all of our local farmers for growing and producing these fresh, mouth-watering ingredients. Always support local!
We met our friends Tori (left) and Millie (the Dotson) there. Me and Ewok are on the right. Great times!
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