Strawberry Country Cake

The day after my Tangy White Bean Dip success, I brought some to my Grandmother. To put it simply: she loved it. After a quiet lunch of my dip and her Spanish Bean Soup with turnip greens, we settled down in the living room and began looking through her collection of cookbooks. Scanning the colorful pages is one of my favorite lazy day activities. "The Barefoot Contessa" AKA Ina Garten has written some of the most beautiful (not to mention fool proof) cookbooks I have ever read. I almost feel that it is hard to find one that is better written and easier to work from. "Simple food is the best food,"she says. People want to know what they are eating. No, no, they don't have to see every ingredient but it's not a bad idea for guests to have a general idea of what they are about to be indulging in. For example, I make sure to drizzle some fruity EVOO and a few whole black olives on my white bean dip.

Ina also writes in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, "Food is not meant to impress people but to make them feel comfortable." With all of this new knowledge in my head, I just knew I had to being one of her recipes to my 3 year high school reunion. I decided on her Strawberry Country Cake. It is light refreshing and with lemon and orange zest in the batter it screams Spring! I also brought my bean dip to the party. Both items were enjoyed and devoured. My dear friend made the cake for her family that weekend and another friend made the bean dip the next day.

I hope you will make both recipes. You are sure to enjoy them!

*I infused my cakes with a lemon simple syrup made with equal parts lemon juice and sugar. I also make one 4-layer cake instead of 2 double layer cakes*

Strawberry Country Cake

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• Cake:
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
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• For the filling for each cake:
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream, chilled
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
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• Directions:
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• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.
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• Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
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• Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.
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• To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.