Strawberry Olive Oil Cake

4th of July baking inspo!

This recipe is my back pocket, never-fails-even-if-I’m-multi-taking-and-fudge-the-measurements kind of cake. I always seem to be making it when I’m in a rush and despite my best efforts to mess it up, it always turns out exactly how it’s supposed to! It’s magic. The yogurt and olive oil makes this cake moist enough to sit on your counter for days without drying out (not that it will last that long).

I got a lot of questions about these wooden baking containers. They’re so cute! Yes, you can bake in them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find them sold in quantities that makes sense for the average person. But, if you’re interested, this is a similar version from Amazon.

You can tweak it to fit your needs. I’ve subbed buttermilk, kefir, and sour cream for the yogurt and it’s still been tasty. I’ve made this with rhubarb in the spring, berries in the summer, and stone fruit as summer starts to fade into fall. I’ve done an upside down version in the winter with cross sections of citrus at the bottom of the pan. It’s completely customizable!

I used the same base recipe to make a rhubarb version a few weeks ago! Just cut and arrange the rhubarb on the bottom of the pan and then pour the batter right on top.

I’m sharing it this week because I think you should make it for the 4th of July with strawberries and blueberries and top it with a fat dollop of homemade whipped cream. Like I mentioned, it’s a moist batter, which means that you can make it the day before.

Demerara sugar sprinkled on top is totally optional. It gives the cake a slightly crunch crust that serves as a nice contract to the soft, moist interior.

The only thing to be aware of with this cake is that it takes longer than you might think to bake. It will differ depending on the oven you use, but in my experience it takes at least an hour to fully bake. Be patient, stay the course and rotate the cake every so often as it bakes if your oven heats unevenly (most do). Otherwise enjoy! Let me know if you make it!

When making these for Scratch Made, I scattered the berries on top so they would be visible. When I scaled it down at home, I mixed the berries into the batter and was much happier with the distribution so that’s what the recipe calls for here. I used strawberries because they’re SO good right now, but for the 4th I’d add in blueberries or blackberries.

Strawberry Olive Oil Cake