This easy-to-make snack cake is filled with sweet strawberries and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s a great way to make the most of in-season berries! It is important to lightly puree the strawberries in a food processor before adding them to the cake batter so you don’t end up with big chunks of soggy berries in your cake. I also like to add a drop or two of pink food colouring to the cream cheese frosting — I love that pale pink colour!

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, pureed

Frosting:

• 1/2 butter, softened
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• one drop or two of pink food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a nine-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the pureed strawberries.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.
6. For the frosting: using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy and almost doubled in volume. This should take about ten minutes.
7. Next, add in the cream cheese and vanilla. Beat for two minutes.
8. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. At this point you can add your food colouring, if using. Mix until fully combined. Spread frosting over completely cooled cake.