Jam swirled into the batter, fresh strawberries piled on top. This lemon-cornmeal snack cake is just as good for breakfast, dessert and everything in between — and it comes together in two bowls.
The moment I saw Bon Appetite post this Strawberry Snacking Cake created by Sarah Jampel I knew I had to make it!
I have a thang for cakes with fresh seasonal fruit on top! I wish there was a word for them! Like my Rhubarb Cake or Fig Cake, there’s simply something so aesthestically pleasing about seeing preciously pretty fruit topping your cake!
Why this Recipe Works
- Double the strawberry flavor! Thanks to a swirl of strawberry jam in the cake and a pretty layer of strawberries on top.
- Minimal clean up! 2 bowls and 1 whisk later our cake batter is made!
- Versatile recipe! Can top with other berries, stone fruit, or anything fruit that looks deliciously ripe at the farmers market.
- Enjoy any time of day! This cake is equally at home with your morning coffee as it is with your afternoon tea or post dinner treat.
It’s like strawberry shortcake and cornbread had a delicious baby! It’s sweet, but not overly so. The lemony batter is both moist a with hints of vanilla… YUM!
What is a snack cake?
There’s actually a lack of consensus about this! And if a snack cake and snacking cake are actually the same thing are not.
I had no idea the can of worms I opened when I started digging into this snack cake term.
What I’ve concluded is that a snack cake is more informal cake, much simpler to both bake and consume that a cake. Traditionally, snacking cakes are sheet cakes with little to no icing. And… obviously as the name implies, they’re ideal as a snack!
Which means that any cake can be a snack but not every cake is a snacking cake. For exaple, you can eat a triple layer buttercream frosting cake as snack but that wouldn’t make it a snacking cake per se.
Anyhow, I am definitely not here to judge you based on what time of day you like to eat your cakes! Or if you're snacking on an official snack cake vs. a non official snack cake!
Cake-away anytime you’d like I say!
How to Make this Recipe
Prep strawberries. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whish wet ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine. Fold in olive oil. Add batter to pan. Swirl in jam. Add prepped strawberries on top. Bake and enjoy!
Cooks Tips
- When possible, buy organic strawberries as local as possible. If you want to make this cake in the winter… simply experiment with a different fruit topping!
- Place strawberries quite close together! Because they’ll shrink and sink a bit during baking
- To de-stem or no to de-stem? Completely optional! I initially left them on for purely atheistic purposes but strawberries stems are indeed edible and I think we shall all get in the habit of eating more stems anyways!
- Cake can be made 4 days ahead. Cover with foil and store at room temperature.
Strawberry Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz strawberries hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 cup sugar plus 4 tablespoons
- kosher salt
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 g)
- 1/2 fine-ground cornmeal (60 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup mascarpone plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 lemons finely grated zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
- Gently toss strawberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt in a mediu, bowl. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until ready to use.
- Great a 13x9 pan with oil. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 long sides. Grease parchment with oil. Generously sprinkle pan and parchment with sugar, tilting to coat pan in an even layer; tap out excess.
- Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, 1 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, mascarpone, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Add dry ingredients to sour cream mixture and whisk gently to combine. Using a spatula, gradually fold in ¾ cup oil until batter is smooth and homogenous with all of the oil incorporated.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Using a small spoon, dollop jam onto surface. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, gently swirl jam into batter. Arrange reserved strawberries on top of batter in even rows, touching at widest points. Sprinkle all over with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Bake cake until risen and deeply bronzed with no damp spots in the middle and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes.
Notes
- When possible, buy organic strawberries as local as possible. If you want to make this cake in the winter… simply experiment with a different fruit topping!
- Place strawberries quite close together! Because they’ll shrink and sink a bit during baking
- To de-stem or no to de-stem? Completely optional! I initially left them on for purely atheistic purposes but strawberries stems are indeed edible and I think we shall all get in the habit of eating more stems anyways!
- Cake can be made 4 days ahead. Cover with foil and store at room temperature.
Want More Strawberry Recipes?
Sweet and savory - here are all the juicy strawberry recipes worth making.
- Strawberry Salsa - Sweet, savory, spicy. Jalapeño, ginger, lime, fresh herbs. You'll be double-dipping.
- Strawberry Burrata Salad - Creamy burrata, croutons, balsamic. A very Cali panzanella. 20 minutes.
- Watermelon Gazpacho with Strawberries - Watermelon, strawberries, tomato, jalapeño. The prettiest cold soup of summer.
- Strawberry Olive Oil Cake - Ricotta, cornmeal, balsamic-glazed strawberries. Good at any hour.
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp - The easiest rhubarb bake. No pie dough required.
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette - All the drama of a pie, none of the stress.
- Roasted Strawberries - Sheet pan, 20 minutes. Jammy, syrupy, deeply themselves.
If ya try this recipe, I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment below and let me know, and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too.
Keep exploring for more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides designed to inspire ya to play in the kitchen.
Let’s make waves in the kitchen.
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