Farmhouse strawberry coffee cake

Strawberries, coffee and cake. Now that’s a delicious mouthful. Farmhouses. Not exactly my thing. But I thought it was time to share some of my recent baking adventures. I’ve been enjoying the array of cookbooks and kitchen gadgets we’ve added to our collection since the wedding and have happily delved into my domestic duties.

One of the many thoughtful gifts we received was a cookbook and bottle of vino from my sister. She’d picked up the local goodies at a vineyard on a recent trip out East. “Niagara Cooks: From farm to table” by Lynn Ogryzlo, is a delectable collection of culinary delights using regional ingredients, complete with a wine recommendation and seasonal ingredient info for each recipe.


I began in the Breakfast Table section of the book and recently whipped up Lynn's Farmhouse Strawberry Coffee Cake. It was a hit at home and at my office. So take advantage of summer fruit season, grab some strawberries at the farmers market, tie on your apron and turn on your oven.



Farmhouse strawberry coffee cake

1 ½ cups fresh market strawberries, washed, hulled & quartered
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon white vinegar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I opted for half whole wheat flour)
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350F (I know, it sounds deadly in August, but think of the strawberry goodness you’ll be enjoying soon).
In a small saucepan, cook strawberries over medium-low heat until berries release liquid and are soft, about five minutes. Combine water and cornstarch, mix well and add to strawberries.
Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about two minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add white vinegar to milk and set aside to sour.
In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Remove ½ cup of the crumb mixture and set aside. To remainder, add baking soda and powder.
Add egg to soured milk and mix to combine. Add milk mixture to flour mixture. Stir just to moisten. Spread two thirds of the batter over the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. With the back of the spoon, smooth batter out to edges of pan, making sure the batter touches the edges. Spoon strawberry filling evenly on top. Spoon remaining batter in small mounds on top of strawberry layers. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture on top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from over and allow to sit for ten minutes.

Now enjoy your superb strawberry coffee cake, minus the farmhouse.