This little ditty was breed, as most inventions are, from necessity! I needed to bring a dessert to a church picnic that was didn’t require a fork/plate and would hold up without refrigeration. Not always an easy task in the summer time, on a day that was as hot as Hades.
Oh and did I also mention that I only had about 2 hours, to pull this off!?!
I let google whisk my imagination away and was intrigued by a recipe I found on Bon Appetit for a Strawberry Snacking Cake. I tweaked it a little bit, to fall in line with the ingredients that I had available and got to baking:
Cut into bite sized little squares, this cake is like a sweet cross between a spongecake and cornbread, with with fruity ribbons of strawberry jam and fresh strawberry slices to make it ever-so appealing to the eyes. I am please to report that not 1 crumb was left behind that day, my friends. Not one single cornmealy crumb!
Strawberry and Jam Olive Oil Cornmeal Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz. strawberries hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar divided
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for pan
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup fine-grind cornmeal
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp plus a pinch Kosher salt divided
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Gently toss strawberries, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until ready to use.
- Grease a 13×9″ pan with oil. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 long sides. Grease parchment with oil.
- Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, 1 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and whisk gently to combine. Using a spatula, gradually fold in ¾ cup oil until batter is smooth and all of the oil is incorporated.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Using a small spoon, dollop jam onto surface. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, gently swirl jam into batter. Arrange reserved strawberries on top of batter in even rows, touching at widest points.
- Bake cake until risen and deeply bronzed with no damp spots in the middle and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe try my Lemon Bars or my Toasty Nutella S’mores Cookie Bars
