Roasted Strawberry & Hazelnut Cake
Well my friends, John and I are officially back in California! We have only been here for a few days, but things are slowly coming together. Our move here was a bit overwhelming at times, but after a 20 hour drive we both made it here safe and sound. It feels so strange to be back, but I am sure we will feel more at home once we find a place live. In the meantime my lovely family is letting me take over their kitchen, which means I finally get to bake again.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like it has been a such a long time since my last post. I have been aching to get back into the kitchen, but gearing up for our move and my pop-up shop kept me very busy. I wanted to thank everyone that came out to support my pop-up shop. I also want to thank those of you who, although you couldn’t attend, still made their support and love known to me, which was really amazing and overwhelming in the best possible way. Having this pop-up shop was stressful, and frustrating at times, but it was such an amazing and fulfilling experience for me. I haven’t pushed myself this hard in a long time, and despite the temporary freak outs, this pop-up shop was truly a dream realized, and that feels INSANELY good. Being able to share my baked goods with others, and actually see them enjoy what I made really brings together everything I love about baking. So again, thank you to everyone, and most importantly, thank you to the owners of The Fat Hen.
I made an assortment of delicious treats for my pop-up shop, all of which are featured on my blog, but I also came up with two new recipes especially for this event. One of which was my roasted strawberry cake, served with fresh whipped cream. I ended up adding hazelnuts once I got to California because I wanted the cake to have a little extra crunch, so if hazelnuts aren’t your thing, feel free to leave them out. This cake is a not heavily sweet, but is topped off with strawberries that have been roasted in coconut oil and maple syrup.
Roasted Strawberry & Hazelnut Cake
Yields 1, 9-inch cake
Roasted Strawberries
8 oz (225g) Strawberries, hulled and halved
1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
Pinch salt
For the Cake
1 1/2 Cup (180 g) All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3/4 Cup (180 g) Plain yougurt
1 large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
1/2 Cup (120 ml) Grapeseed Oil or other neutral oil
1/2 Cup (100g) Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
1/4 -1/3 Cup (43-55g) Chopped Hazelnuts
Equipment: Small bowl, whisk, parchment paper, spatula, baking sheet or other baking dish, 1 9x 2” cake pan, 2 medium bowls, zester.
Method
Equipment: Small bowl, whisk, parchment paper, spatula, baking sheet or other baking dish,
1 9x 2” cake pan, 2 medium bowls, zester,
Pre-heat oven to 375 F°(190 C°)
Hull and slice all strawberries and place in a small bowl; set aside. Whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt, and pour contents over the sliced strawberries. Use your hands or a spatula to evenly coat all of the strawberries.
Pour strawberries onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, and place in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the strawberries are soft and their juices begin to thicken. Once removed from oven, carefully place the strawberries and their juices in a bowl and set aside.
For the cake, turn the oven down to 350Fº (180 Cº). Lightly grease the cake pan and line with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, egg, yolk, oil, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with a spoon or spatula until fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and drizzle the roasted strawberries and their juices, along with a layer of hazelnuts right over the top of the batter.
Place the cake into the oven for 28-33 minutes, or until done. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, the cake will be done when the tester pulls out clean.
Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Serve cake once cooled to room temp either as is, or with a dollop whipped cream.
Storage: Carefully wrap leftover caking in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. The cake will keep for 5-7 days.