Me again with another cake to take advantage of the summer fruit that's currently on the scene. We planted a few strawberry plants this year that have started to produce a bit; it's very exciting to check every morning to see if the berries are just red enough to eat, sun warmed and vibrant. I just pulled some rhubarb stalks to use in more fruit bars; in the summer garden, we've got squash blossoms going and greens and carrots taking off. I missed the window for planting fruit trees this winter but 2023 is the year I'm going to invest in plum, nectarine and peach trees for the long haul. It's beyond satisfying to cook from your own backyard and I'm all in for it.
This strawberry cake is a tribute to that promise -- next year I want to make this recipe only with fruit pulled from the garden! It is a lovely buttermilk cake that takes advantage of strawberry season by folding fresh diced strawberries into a whole grain cake batter that's lightly sweetened with maple syrup. The result is a wonderfully tender cake bursting with berries and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing. The flours are simple: teff, sorghum, and tapioca, a wholesome trio that is balanced by maple sugar for sweetness. Welcome to summer fruit season.
Til next time – N x
Need substitutions? Swap oat flour for the teff flour, millet flour or almond flour for the sorghum flour, arrowroot for the tapioca. Try organic cane sugar for the maple sugar. To make dairy-free: sub your favorite non-dairy butter and cream cheese and make non-dairy buttermilk by taking ½ cup of your preferred non-dairy milk and adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or vinegar and let rest for 15 minutes before using.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cups/70 g teff flour
- ½ cup/70 g sorghum flour
- ½ cup/70 g tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup maple sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and diced
Icing
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Make cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8x8 inch baking pan and line with a square of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream, the butter and maple sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well to combine. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With mixer on low, add the buttermilk and flour mixture in three additions, beginning with the flour. Mix until combined. Gently fold in the strawberries using a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the surface of the cake springs back lightly when pressed. Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
Make icing
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the maple syrup and taste for sweetness. Add more to reach desired sweetness and consistency. Spread the icing evenly across the cooled cake. Cake will keep, well wrapped in the fridge, for 5 days.
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