“Loaf” Cake with Strawberries
This is what you might call a cake with a little flair. It looks as though you took a paintbrush and painted little red dots allover an otherwise beige cake. Except that those little dots are delicious strawberries. The combination with the almonds is fantastic, while the strawberries add moisture and a wonderfully distinctive aroma. This is the cake you’ll bake when your mother-in-law comes over for coffee.
Ingredients
- 180 grams unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups Farina “00” flour plus 2 tsp extra
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup blanched and toasted almonds see Note, coarsely chopped in a food processor (don’t grind them into a powder; it’s lovely to actually feel the pieces of almond)
- 1 cup strawberries cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter an 11 × 18 cm loaf pan. Line the base and the long sides with parchment paper, leaving some extra paper extending over the sides. This will help us lift the cake out of the pan.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add about ½ cup of the flour mixture to the mixer bowl with the remaining ingredients. Beat until combined. Add the milk, followed by the remaining flour. Continue beating until all the flour has been incorporated.
- Add the almonds to the batter and mix with a spatula. Toss the strawberries with the two teaspoons of extra flour. Add them to the batter, gently folding them in with the spatula.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spoon or small spatula. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45–50 minutes.
- Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. Let it cool completely. Cut into thick slices and serve.
Notes
To blanch the almonds, first soak them in boiling water and, once the water has cooled slightly, remove the skins with your hands. To toast them, bake them at 160°C (320°F) for 20–25 minutes, stirring 2–3 times, until the almonds are crisp and completely dry inside. If you prefer, you can use almonds with their skins on for this cake. Toast them for only 6–7 minutes in the oven, since they do not contain any moisture. And, to be honest, almonds with their skins on are more flavorful.