What to Do With Oodles of Strawberries

With an abundance of strawberries, baking this cake is a great way to celebrate the fruit.

This cake makes the strawberry stand out. Lynda Balslev for Tastefood

Too many strawberries are never a problem. It’s always easy to simply gorge on these sun-sweetened berries straight out of the basket, au naturel. However, when presented with such an abundance, it helps to have a few recipes to choose from to creatively put your bounty to use.

Put aside a pint or two to make this light cake. It’s a simple recipe that celebrates the strawberry, allowing it to shine in a gently sweetened and uncomplicated cake. It’s a guaranteed people-pleaser, meant to be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, and tea, generously studded with more berries than you know what to do with. Actually, that’s not accurate—we all know what to do with fresh strawberries. Just be sure to save some to make this cake.

The cake is adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Makes one 9-inch cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
• 1 pound strawberries, halved (or quartered if very large)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Combine the butter and the 3/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest and mix on medium speed. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine without overmixing.

Spread the batter in the prepared dish. Arrange the strawberries, cut sides down, on top of the batter, gently pressing to partially submerge. Squeeze in as many strawberries as possible—it’s OK to be greedy. Sprinkle the top of the cake with 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake in the oven until the top of the cake is light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Garnish with lemon zest and serve slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.