strawberry cake for mothers day

Desserts

Strawberry Cake for Mother's Day

I used Shirley Corriher's wonderful book Bakewise to make the improvements I wanted--she suggests beating the butter well before adding the sugar and then beating them well together, adding the eggs on low speed, whisking the flour-baking powder-salt mixture well to evenly distribute the leavening, and adding a little oil to increase the cake's moistness.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup plain greek yogurt, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Directions

Butter an 8x12 ceramic dish. Heat oven to 350.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together till thoroughly blended. Whisk milk and yogurt together. Set both aside.
Place butter into bowl of stand mixer, and beat on medium speed till very light, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed another 3 minutes till almost white in color. Scrape down as needed. Add vanilla extract and oil, and continue to beat on medium speed till well blended.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Add eggs one at a time and continue to mix just till well blended.
Reduce mixer speed to lowest setting ("stir" on my mixer). Alternate milk mixture and flour mixture and stir till just well blended.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the strawberries on the top in a pretty pattern, cut side down. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and a tester comes out free of cake batter.