Recipe Swap: Lemon Cake with Strawberries

This is the 1st recipe swap that I've had the honor of participating in. Christianna, the host of The Recipe Swap, picks a random recipe from an old cookbook and fellow swappers take a few weeks to modify it in a few different ways. Today is the day we all unveil our "new" recipes and compare. I took a look at my fellow blogger's sites and they all provide me with great inspiration in the kitchen!

Here is the original recipe that Christianna chose this month - Busy Day Wacky Cake... be prepared for simplicity despite it's name.

This cake is unusual because it does not require milk or eggs - something I didn't know was possible! Apparently the vinegar required interacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise. I wanted nothing more than a chocolate cake but I am Catholic and we are in the middle of Lent. I gave up chocolate soooo the cocoa had to be omitted this time around. I amped up the vanilla and added lemon zest, one of my favorite flavors (and smells). I couldn't stop here - there had to be a topping to this cake. Initially, I made a Strawberry Buttercream which tasted really good and was an awesome shade of pink BUT I thought it would overpower the lemon flavor of the cake. I wanted to stick to using strawberries so I opted for a Strawberry Puree along with some fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. That did the trick! I thought it complimented the moistness of the cake wonderfully.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plus 4 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
5 tbsp butter or oil
1 cup water
Topping: Fresh strawberries and powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all dry ingredients in a square cake pan and sift together. (Use the same pan you bake in - YAY for easy clean-up!) Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add all the remaining cake ingredients. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

To make the strawberry puree, put 1/2 container of strawberries in a food blender and puree until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake and add additional whole strawberries for looks. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

All in all, I am not sure I would make this exact cake again. I love baking and am not afraid of a challenge so I'll be trying many new recipes in coming posts. I am however, VERY glad I joined this Recipe Swap and hope next month we can do a savory recipe. I tend to be more creative in that aspect.

You really should take a few minutes to see what my new friends came up with in the meantime: Lindsay, Chef Dennis, Mari, Boulder Locavore, Joy, Monique, Shari, Jennifer, Cake Duchess, Pola, Mary, Claire, Crissy and Lauren, Nay, Cindy and Sabrina

Tutti Mangia!