Rosy Strawberries with Buttermilk Cake
Charity Burggraf ©2022 by Amy Pennington. Excerpted from Tiny Space Gardening by permission of Sasquatch Books
"Rose geranium is an easy-to-grow flower that is best used in sweet recipes and desserts," writes urban gardener Amy Pennington in Tiny Space Gardening: Growing Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Small Outdoor Spaces. "It imparts a distinctive flavor to a dish, and I love its floral scent with strawberries. In this recipe, ripe berries are simply macerated with some sugar and finely chopped rose geranium leaves. On the side, I like to serve this easy buttermilk cake. The sweet rosy sauce can also be eaten spooned over vanilla ice cream, or on its own, maybe with a splash of cream on top."
How to Make It
1
To make the strawberries: Combine the strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, and rose geranium leaves in a small bowl and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
2
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl and set aside.
3
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until well combined. Add the remainder of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4
Cool the cake on a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with a generous spoonful of macerated berries.
Ingredients
1 pt strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 ¾ cups sugar
5 large rose geranium leaves, finely chopped
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
Powdered sugar (optional)
Directions
1
To make the strawberries: Combine the strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, and rose geranium leaves in a small bowl and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
2
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl and set aside.
3
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until well combined. Add the remainder of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4
Cool the cake on a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with a generous spoonful of macerated berries.
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