Strawberry Plumcake

Strawberry plumcake is a soft and delicious dessert, perfect for breakfast or as a snack. Here I propose a simple recipe with an Italian twist, using for instance extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for a more Mediterranean version.

Ingredients

• 250 g of fresh strawberries
• 200 g of type 00 flour
• 150 g of brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil (or melted butter)
• 1 packet of baking powder (about 16 g)
• 1 pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated)
• Icing sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a plumcake tin by greasing it with a little oil or lining it with parchment paper.
2. Wash the strawberries, cut them into pieces, and set them aside. If you like, you can also macerate them with a spoonful of sugar and a bit of lemon juice to enhance their flavor.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the brown sugar until you obtain a frothy and lightened mixture.
4. Add the extra virgin olive oil (or melted butter) to the mixture of eggs and sugar, continuing to mix.
5. Mix in the grated lemon zest and a pinch of salt.
6. Gently fold in the sifted flour with the baking powder, mixing gently to avoid deflating the batter.
7. Finally, carefully fold the chopped strawberries into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the plumcake tin and bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the plumcake comes out clean.
9. Once baked, let the plumcake cool before unmolding.
10. If desired, you can dust the surface with icing sugar before serving.

Curiosity

The term “plumcake” actually has English origins and originally referred to a dessert with plums. Over time, the name has been adopted in Italy as well to indicate similar baked sweets, even if they do not contain plums.

To accompany this dessert, you might consider an Italian sweet wine, such as Moscato d’Asti, with its fruity sweetness and delicate bubbles it will beautifully complement the fragrance of the strawberries.