Don't you just love it when a bake comes together as well, if not better, than you hope and envisage?
Being a huge fan of fresh strawberries, Mr E & I regularly have some during the summer months. Even though they're delicious simply served with a little vanilla ice cream, or even on their own, we thought it would be fun to include some in one of our bakes. Regulars to Only Crumbs Remain may have seen our strawberry cupcakes with a dark chocolate drizzle, but as delicious as they were the beautiful red strawberry wasn't actually incorporated IN the bake.
Being reluctant to mix the strawberries into the cake batter, due to their high water content, the strawberry halves were arranged on the base of the cake tin before being topped with the prepared cake batter. If you're old enough to cast your minds back to the 70's and 80's think of pineapple upside-down cake (you may even recall Alvin making one, sadly to the dismay of Mary & Paul, on GBBO a few years ago) and you'll be along the right lines with this strawberry and basil version.
The halved fresh strawberries, baked at the base of this Victoria sponge cake which once turned out becomes the top, provides heaps of flavour, a delicious aroma, a pretty colour and lots of interest. What more can you ask for from a homemade cake? How about even more flavour and interest with freeze dried strawberries and shredded basil leaves peppered throughout the sponge? Surely this negates the need for any frostings and fillings.
And if you're wondering about using basil leaves with strawberries, let alone in a cake, well all I can do is encourage you to try it. Strawberries and basil work incredibly well together, like in my Strawberry & Basil Pavlova and even with these macerated strawberries which accompanied some griddled peaches. But, if you prefer replace the shredded basil leaves for a few drops of vanilla extract instead.
This Strawberry and Basil Upside-Down cake has been a complete winner
with the whole family. Not only is it a doddle to make, but there's no
filling required to sandwich the cake, nor is there any fancy calorific
frosting to apply either. This cake needs no further time spent on it
once it's baked - other than sitting back with a pot of tea to savour
it!
So, here's how to make Strawberry & Basil Upside-Down Cake
is easy to make. The colourful pink strawberries, cooked with the
cake, negates the need for any frostings.
Hand on time: about 25 mins Bake time: 50 mins Yield: 1 x 16cm cake, serving 6 people
Specific Equipment
1 x deep 16cm diameter cake tin
- 115g Butter, unsalted & softened, plus a little extra for greasing
- 115g Golden Caster Sugar
- small Pinch of Salt
- 8 Basil Leaves, fresh, washed & dried (see note c below)
- 2 Egg, lightly beaten
- 6g Freeze Dried Strawberries
- 115g SR Flour
- 1 - 2 tablespoon Milk
- 8 medium sized Strawberries
Notes: a) When making the cupcake batter, consider weighing the cracked eggs first to ensure the batter has equal weight of butter, sugar, flour and eggs. Simply weigh the butter, sugar and flour to the same weight as the eggs. Of course the value may be slightly different to the 115g listed in the ingredients above. b) Consider warming your lightly beaten eggs over a bain marie especially if they feel particularly cold. Warm them until they feel lukewarm. This should help prevent the batter from curdling and produce a better sponge. c) Replace the basil leaves with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if you prefer.
Jenny-Apply to Face blog says
This looks wonderful and so light and moist.What a wonderful idea xx
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou Jenny, it really was delicious - infact it exceeded my expectations! The aroma of it, and not just whilst it baked, was so good!
Angela x
Recipes Made Easy says
What can I say this is on my long list of recipes I want to try (of which I have several of yours) but it is also one very near the top when it comes to I MUST try. I love the idea of basil and strawberry cake and it would go fab with my Basil icecream so I am thinking of trying this out on our local dinner party club next time I need to bring a dessert.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou so much Jacqui 🙂 The basil icecream sounds absolutely gorgeous and I bet it'll be the perfect accomniment to our strawberry cake 🙂 i'd love to hear how you get on with it if you get chance to make it 🙂
Angela x
Julie McPherson says
I love the sound of your cake Angela, it's the perfect summer cake for sharing with friends. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Thankyou Julie, as you say it'd be lovely to enjoy in the nice sunny weather with friends 🙂
Thanks for popping by,
Angela x
Louise Fairweather says
This looks and sounds absolutely delicious #cookblogshare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou Louise, it proved to be very popular here 🙂
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
YUM! What a lovely sounding cake - and so pretty! I am yet to try the strawberry/basil combo, but I can well believe it works! I most certainly do remember the pineapple upside-down cake! Many happy memories of making them with my Dad when I was little and I still make them with my children occasionally...but they've got to have glace cherries in them too! 😀 Eb x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou Eb 🙂 You really should try strawberry & basil together - it's so good! Hahaha, I love thinking back to all of those recipes, which we probably describe as retro now. They definitely have a fond place in my heart....and yes, they definitely had to have glace cherries in them 😉
Angela x
Jenny says
such a clever idea for a pudding! It looks so pretty and i bet it tastes amazing too, especially served with some ice cream on the side! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
....it was seriously amazing with icecream Jenny 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment,
Angela x
Kate Glutenfreealchemist says
Upside down cake was definitely a classic in the 70's.... pineapple style.... I remember it well (sadly I am that old)!
I love to bring updated flavours and colours to the upside-down table too and can see why you have chosen strawberry. Lovely colour! and perfect pairing with Basil. x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
You're not on your own remembering the pineapple version Kate, I was a 70's baby too! I have to admit that it's the first upside-down cake I've made for a V long time! But given how well this has turned out we'll definitely be visiting it again - & soon! 😉
Angela x
Kat BakingExplorer says
It looks gorgeous! I love how the whole top of the cake is that lovely baby pink colour and I can imagine it's enriched in strawberry flavour.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou so much Kat 🙂 The pink of the strawberries actualy remind me a little of, dare I say, tinned strawberries (lordie knows what they actually do to tinned strawberries!). You're right, the strawberry flavour is sooo good 🙂
Angela x
Mandy says
Oh yum Angela - what a gorgeous looking cake. I haven't tried strawberry and basil either but I'm going to have to do something about that asap.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh you definitely should try strawberry & basil together, it's seriously good Mandy,
Angela x
TurksWhoEat says
What a creative idea, I love this!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou, though really it's a throw back to the pineapple upsidedown cake 🙂
Angela x
REBECCA SMITH - Glutarama says
Love the idea of this cake Angela, and oh boy does strawberry and basil sound like the perfect flavour combination. I will definitely be giving that a go too...GF of course but that no biggy! #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou Rebecca 🙂 The strawberry and besil smelt seriously amazing - and not just when it came out of the oven but th following day too when we opened the tin it was being stored in! Yeah, gluten free would be a very straight forward change for you, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have 🙂 You'll have to tag me into any pics you take Rebecca 🙂
Angela x
Anca says
It looks great. I never made an upside down cake with strawberries, but I will try it.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw thankyou Anca, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have if you give it a go 🙂
Angela x
Monika Dabrowski says
What a delicious cake! I've never tried strawberries and basil in the same recipe but I just KNOW they would make a delicious flavour combination:) Fruit tastes amazing with herbs!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
They definitely do don't they Monika, I'd certainly recommend trying strawberries with basil 🙂
Thanks for your kind comments too,
Angela x