Here is the recipe for the seasonal strawberry and walnut cake that Cesare and I made together as one of his school projects. Cesare’s teachers so lovingly prepared this video and recipe for us when we were under strict lockdown here in Italy. I have translated the recipe to English below. Some adjustments have been made to accommodate bakers outside of Italy. Buon Appetito!
Ingredients
250 grams fresh strawberries, washed and dried
10 whole walnuts, roughly chopped
45 ml whole milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
250 grams of all-purpose flour, or type “00”
160 grams of sugar, raw or white
90 ml sunflower seed oil
Pinch of salt
1 TBL baking soda combined with 30 ml of fresh lemon juice or yogurt (If you live in Italy, this is equivalent to one 16-gram packet of Italian baking yeast for desserts; this recipe has been modified for those living outside of Italy who don’t have access to ‘lievito per i dolci’). IF you are following this recipe using the Italian packet of yeast, add one more tablespoon of milk to adjust the liquids. *WAIT on combining adding these final ingredients until the end of this recipe, following the directions below.
Agave syrup (optional, for the garnish)
Directions
First, dice strawberries and roughly chop walnuts and set aside.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (356 degrees F) and prepare a medium-sized cake pan, lining it with parchment paper. Avoid using a large pan so that your cake will have a nice height when baked.
Beat eggs at maximum speed into sugar until slightly airy and then slowly pour in oil while mixing, and then finally the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour with salt. Once ready and while mixing, slowly add one spatula’s worth of the flour mixture at a time to the bowl of eggs and sugar, alternating flour with a spoon of milk in an effort to layer the ingredients together as you mix until everything is combined. As soon as all of the milk and flour/ salt has been added and your batter is smooth and homogenized, quickly mix in your leavening agent (baking soda and yogurt or lemon juice if outside of Italy), which should create a few small air bubbles in the batter. Fold in most of the strawberries, saving a small amount for later in case you want to make a garnish. Pour batter into the cake pan so that it is evenly spread and then cover the top with the chopped walnuts. Add any additional strawberries on the top layer if you wish. The cake should have a nice crunchy top from all the walnuts and be filled with strawberries. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until ready, using a toothpick to test whether or not the batter has been cooked.
*If you still have extra strawberries or just want to use more, consider blending them with a little sugar or agave syrup to create a natural and sweet garnish for decorating your plate when serving the warm cake.
**I have also tried this recipe with seasonal, ripe nectarines (blanched, peeled and sliced) as well as chopped hazelnuts and it turned out lovely as well.
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