This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. It’s soft, tender, and exceedingly moist. There’s a pound of juicy strawberries baked into an 8-inch cake, creating an abundance of berries in every bite. It’s like PB & J, in decadent cake form – with actual berries rather than just jelly. The peanut butter swirls are the perfect slightly salty complement to the lightly sweetened, buttery, juicy cake. The cake is fast and easy to make and comes together with just a whisk. Fresh or frozen strawberries may be used; or substitute with other fruit, fresh or frozen, you have. It’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.
1cupall-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for tossing with strawberries
¾cupgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspooncinnamon
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
1large egg
½cupbuttermilk
⅓cupthickfull-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
3tablespoonscanola or vegetable oil
1teaspoonvanilla extract
16ouncesstrawberrieshalved or quartered (I used one 16-ounce bag frozen strawberries; don’t unthaw and add them to the batter frozen; see below in item 6 about using fresh. Optionally, substitute cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or peaches; fresh or frozen.)
¼cupcreamy peanut buttermelted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, optional salt; set aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the next 5 wet ingredients (through vanilla).
Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Lumps will be present and this is okay. Don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth; set aside.
In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon flour. The flour helps to prevent as much sinking while baking, although given the sheer quantity, some will sink to make room for them all.
Gently and briefly fold the fruit into batter. I used frozen berries and added them frozen; do not thaw because frozen fruit runs and bleeds less than if thawed. I let them warm up for about 5 minutes in order to slice them. If using fresh fruit, baking time will be significantly (possibly drastically) less because the fruit is much warmer and won’t chill down the batter overall, nor will it release any where near the water into the batter that frozen fruit does. Optionally, substitute cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or peaches; fresh or frozen.
Turn batter out into prepared pan; set aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter and heat on high power to melt, about 30 seconds.
Evenly drizzle peanut butter over cake. With a toothpick, gently and lightly swirl the peanut butter, but don’t overdo it. The peanut butter ‘disappears’ a bit while baking, so don’t start out with thin lines because you’ll never see them. Some larger patches and ‘blobs’ are welcome.
Bake until done. I hesitate to give a baking range because you must watch your cake, not the clock. Bake until center is slightly domed and set, golden in color, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. I baked for 60 minutes total. At the 40 minute mark, I tented with foil (lay a sheet of foil over the top of pan) and recommend this so cake doesn’t become too browned on top before the center cooks through fully. Baking times will range dramatically based on if baking with fresh or frozen berries; possibly ranging from 35 to 65 minutes depending on the temperature of the berries going into the batter and how much water they release.