Lemon Butter Cake with Strawberries
I love butter. I didn’t used to. Like most kids who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, I didn’t even know what butter was. See, my mom stocked margarine in her fridge because back then we were all taught that margarine was healthier than butter. Of course now we know differently which is why I never, ever stock margarine. I only stock butter.
See, butter comes from churning cream which comes from cows, so it’s all natural. Margarine on the other hand comes from processed vegetable oils. Why the switch? Well, since butter came from cream, it was considered fattening and could increase one’s chances of heart disease. Since no one wanted that, here came the life saving, cholesterol-reducing margarine and we were saved. But then in the 90’s people started to look deeper.
Turns out that while the cream could be fattening, it’s full of things that are good for you, especially if it comes from grass-eating cows. Those cows produce milk that’s high in vitamin K, can lower your body fat and has plenty of Omega 3’s. Unfortunately not one of those things can be found in a stick of margarine. Instead it can be high in trans fats and Omega 6’s, two things that are absolutely not good for you. It’s for all these reasons that I went back to butter big time. That and the fact that, let’s be honest, butter just tastes better. Sooooo much better!
I use butter to make rich frostings, cookies, cakes… pretty much any baked item I create, starts off with a stick or two of the creamy stuff. It just changes the whole flavor for the better. And that’s why it’s the only thing I’ll use when I make a classic butter cake.
A butter cake is an easy cake that can be made any time of year and is always a nice treat when you’re in the mood for something sweet. I make them all the time, but I like them best in the early spring. It’s during those months between March and May that citrus season draws to a close yet you can still find Meyer lemons and blood oranges at various markets. But while the variety of citrus starts to dwindle, strawberry season is just swinging into full gear, and there’s no combination I love more than lemons and strawberries… unless of course it’s lemons and raspberries. Both are great options and bring a little piece of spring and summer to your house, even when it’s grey outside.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 12 large strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the vanilla, and beat for another minute or two.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix together half the flour mixture and the butter mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- While the cake cooks, mix together the remaining sugar, strawberries and amaretto in a small bowl.
- Slice the cake, spoon the strawberry mixture on top of each slice and serve.
