Strawberry Cornmeal Cake

I am once again expressing my absolute love for cornmeal. This time, instead of putting cornmeal in a scone, a drop biscuit or a toaster corncake, I'm putting it in a delightfully springy snacking cake. 

This cake is inspired by a whole slew of strawberry cakes and biscuits I've seen on Instagram lately. The pops of red and craggy cakes in these photos were just too tempting, so I just had to create my own rendition.

My recipe uses less sugar and more cornmeal than many other strawberry cake recipes. These changes focus the flavor on the cornmeal and let the sweet-tart strawberries shine. 

I love eating this cake as a side at breakfast or as an afternoon dessert. It's so easy to whip together and makes the most of spring's ripe strawberries!

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!


Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour

  • 3/4 cup medium ground cornmeal

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 8 tablespoons butter, divided

  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 1/2 cups hulled and halved strawberries


Methods

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and place a ten-inch cast iron skillet on the middle rack.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

  3. Set aside 1 tablespoon of solid butter and melt the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the melted butter, yogurt and eggs. Pour the liquid mixture into the solid mixture and stir to combine.

  4. Take the cast iron skillet out of the oven and place the solid tablespoon of butter in it. As the butter melts, carefully swirl it around the bottom and up the edges of the pan.

  5. Spoon the batter into the buttered skillet and spread it into a flat layer. Place the strawberries on top of the cake. Gently press some of the strawberries into the batter, while leaving some others on top. This will ensure a more even distribution of berries.

  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream, strawberries, powdered sugar or your toppings of choice!


Sustainability Tips

  • Flour: I like to buy King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp, which means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could seek out a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel.

  • Eggs: Local eggs are really easy to find if you look for them. Buying locally means your eggs won't have to travel as far, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

  • Yogurt and butter: Since cows contribute a lot to climate change, I like to buy my dairy products from B Corps, which are held to really high environmental and social standards. You could also try using vegan yogurt and vegan butter, but keep in mind that I have not tested this recipe with those vegan ingredients.

  • Strawberries: Your best option here is to grow the strawberries yourself. Alternatively, you could buy local or organic strawberries. If you buy local strawberries, that means fewer greenhouse gases were released during transportation compared to non-local strawberries. If you buy organic strawberries, that means the farmers did not use synthetic chemicals to grow the crop.

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