Alex and I have been living in Maine for over a month now and it’s pretty easy to see why people stick around regardless of the harsh winters. Although the humidity is something we’re not accustomed to, Maine has so much to offer during the summer months and we’ve been taking full advantage of any free time we have. There are tons of hiking trails to conquer, rivers to swim in and other various activities that I assume would normally be swarmed with tourists but are relatively empty due to Maine’s quarantine rules - anyone who visits Maine from out of state has to self-quarantine for two weeks… aka it’s pointless for people to visit at this time. Although this is bad news for friends and family who wish to visit us, it’s great in terms of allowing us to explore the state without the crowds.
Another activity that is available to us at this time is berry picking and it is why I’m giving you this beautiful strawberry cake recipe today. I discovered Maxwell’s Farm, a strawberry farm located in Cape Elizabeth (a very short drive from Portland) via Instagram and the moment I saw that they were open for self-picking, I knew Alex and I had to go. Before visiting Maxwell’s Farm, I had never gone fruit picking before but always had every intention to; it was just something that was always put off. Back in California, apple picking was pretty popular during autumn months but I always felt discouraged because either the drive was too long, the crowds were insane since everyone in Southern California had the same idea, or there were barely any apples to pick because of a drought. Although it’s crazy that it took 30 years for me to finally pick some fruit, I just think the odds of it actually happening in CA were against me.
We ended up picking 7.5 pounds of strawberries at Maxwell’s Farm, which was nothing compared to those around us, with most people filling their trays so high that they looked like strawberry mountains. The experience was everything I wanted and more and I couldn’t wait to make something for the blog with the fruit that I picked with my own two hands. Although most of the berries were cleaned, hulled and stored in the freezer for future frozen strawberry margaritas and strawberry jam, I set aside 1.5 pounds for today’s recipe: a buttermilk sheet cake that has the berries on full display. I’ve made something similar to this cake before, my Simple Summer Plum Cake, but not only is today’s cake much larger, the batter is made with buttermilk and vegetable oil instead. Those two ingredients always mean that your finished product will be very moist and light.
As for the strawberries, they’re not folded into the batter but actually placed on top very close to one another, so that you get a bit of strawberry with every single bite. And with the berries sitting on top of the batter, they cook much more than if they were mixed in, so the end result will smell and taste like fresh strawberry jam. I can’t think of anything more delicious than that.
With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I definitely think this cake is perfect for the holiday whether you plan on being with only a few family members or friends, or if you’re heading to a bigger party or BBQ (but please don’t do the latter, since we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, ok?). Making a sheet cake for 5 people is still acceptable because the leftovers for this cake are still just as good as the day you pull it out of the oven. And you can trust me on this one… Alex and I are still working on eating it and it’s been 4 days.
When serving the cake, I definitely think fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is the way to go, but if you’re bringing the cake with you to a picnic or outdoor area, confectioners’ sugar will suffice and make it a bit more presentable. At the end of the day, the strawberries are the most important aspect of the cake, so as long as your berries are fresh and perfectly sweet, nothing else needs to be added.
Strawberry Buttermilk Sheet Cake
Yields (1) 9”x13” cake
Recipe adapted from Jessie Sheehan Bakes
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
3 tbsp. turbinado sugar
Whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar or ice cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9”x13” cake pan with either cooking spray or butter. Optional: if you wish to pull the entire cake out of the pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper with enough overhang.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using your hands or a whisk, massage/mix the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant (this helps release the oils in the zest). Add the vegetable oil and whisk well to combine (about 30 seconds). Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Whisk in the vanilla extract and then finally the buttermilk.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three portions, carefully folding in with a spatula after each addition. Stop mixing when no more streaks of flour remains. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Add the strawberries to the top of the batter in a similar fashion as you see in my picture above. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar all over the top.
Bake in then oven for about 55-70 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Depending on what kind of pan you use (glass vs. metal) the bake time will vary. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few crumbs (try not to stick the toothpick through a strawberry),
Allow the cake to cool a bit before slicing in, or allow it to cool completely if you wish to remove the cake from the pan. Serve with fresh whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar or vanilla ice cream.