The Delicious Strawberry Cake

One of the enjoyable things about living in the deep South is how well everything grew. We planted some pepper seeds outside of my apartment during my first year there. That plant grew to about 4 feet tall and was loaded with hundreds of tiny, red peppers. We have no idea what the pepper was, but I know that just touching a sliced edge of the pepper to your tongue would make your tongue go numb for at least 10 minutes. But on the other end of the spicy scale, Louisiana is known for its’ strawberries. Thanks to the warm weather, strawberry season starts early down there…and this Fresh Strawberry Cake is one of my favorite uses for fresh strawberries!
Ingredients for the cake:
3 cups cake flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3 eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp vanilla extract, ¾ cup milk.
Preparation:
For the cake:
1. Grease and flour 2 9” round cake pans; set aside. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined; set aside.
3. Using a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add about ½ of the flour mixture to the bowl; mix on low speed until well combined.
5. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and approximately half of the milk to the bowl. Mix on low until well combined.
6. Add the remaining flour mixture; mix on low until well combined.
7. Add the remaining milk; mix on low until well combined.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans. Bake at 325°F for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.