SOMETIMES the best way to show someone how much you care and appreciate them is to put in a little elbow grease in the kitchen to whip up a sweet treat. With juicy, fresh strawberries dusted in sugar, this sunken delight will keep mum beaming for the entire day.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornmeal
- 1tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 punnet small strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 tbsp raw sugar
- Powdered sugar, for serving
- Sliced strawberries, for serving
Method:
Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 23cm pie tin and set it aside. Beat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add half of the flour mixture, the buttermilk, then the remaining flour, beating until combined after each addition.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pie plate; spread in an even layer using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Scatter the berries evenly over the top of the batter; do not press them down. Sprinkle the berries and batter with 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, if using.
Bake until the top is golden brown, and a wooden pick inserted into the cake (not a strawberry!) comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool before dusting with powdered sugar and serving with more sliced strawberries, if you like.
