This is so simple yet it's extraordinarily delicious. How you can make a cake with a cup or more of butter turn out dry, but then make this coffee cake with a mere 2 T. of butter turn out this incredibly moist is still a mystery to me that perhaps a cook/science guru like Alton Brown could explain. The cake is buttery rich and stick-to-your fork moist. And then there's the decadent strawberry layer and the buttery, slightly crunchy topping! Because it was so simple to throw together and required so few and humble ingredients I never expected something quite this good. I didn't change a thing nor will I next time. I bake...a lot - way more than Hubs and I can or should eat. So I bake and then I generally give it away. Not this time.
Took a risk and this recipe paid off wonderfully ~ thanks to all you reviewers! Made "pastry chef" in a small bistro ~ & the owner & I have differing food philosophies -- he wanting "box and mixes" for ease of prep ~ me a staunch "scratch" chef... Yet he signs the paycheck! So what do I do? I get a flat of strawberries ~ Make this recipe as written in a huge 12 X 18 X 2 1/2 inch deep baking pan ~ I quadrupled it ~ baked it off for closer to an hour I'd guess.....Let it cool overnite and took it to work for our new breakfast grand opening. He dug in as did many of the patrons ~ found it excellent! He took one bite and said, "Now this is what I'm talkin' about when I want a coffee cake! Moist, delicious! So this is a mix right?" Well I just quickly threw it out there that it was a scratch bake....Awhile later he told me I could do all my baking from scratch and he'd buy all the special flour in the world that I would need for me to get in my groove! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH ~ We now have peace at the work place and some patrons sure to come back for more goodies in the future. My details: Took the suggestion to cut the strawberries in slices more on the thick side.....entirely covered the batter about one thick berry slice deep ~ had walnuts on hand so used those ~ baked till the top was no longer pale-pale but rather pale golden and the toothpick came out clean. I wouldn't hesitate to sub out fresh sliced peaches or other berries. Make with cofidence and enjoy :-) !!
I made this recipe with fresh strawberries this morning, and everyone loved it! Only changes I made were substituting apple sauce for the melted butter in the batter and reducing the butter in the topping slightly. I also doubled the recipe and baked 50 minutes in a 9x13 pan. Will definately make again and with other fresh berries! Delish!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Absolutely one of my new favorites. I doubled the recipe for a 13 X 9 pan. The cooking time for me was about 35 minutes. For the topping I used half white sugar and half brown sugar. I also used walnuts (what I had on hand). Very moist and gooey. The strawberries just melt in your mouth and in the cake. I dusted the strawberries in flour before adding them to the top of the batter, and the strawberries did not fall to the bottom of the cake. Tasted good out of the oven but so much better the next day. Thank you for an outstanding recipe!!!!!!!
Mmmmmm yum! I thawed frozen whole unsweetened strawberries, cut them up (they were plenty sweet). I used the "strawberry juice in the bottom of the bag instead of milk (pretty pink batter), and then thought maybe the recipe WANTED milk, so I sprinkled a few (2 -3) tsp. powdered milk into the flour mixture. I did press some of the berries into the batter. Used brown sugar and more pecans maybe 1/3 c. butter in the topping. Even better as it sits.
I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9x13 dish.. I cooked it about 30 minutes and it was just right. Great tasting, and very moist. I didn't double the topping and I still had enough.(I also didn't use the pecans) Great way to use up my strawberries that were about to go bad :)
As is, I think the recipe uses too much butter and sugar. I decreased the sugar by 1/4 cup and substituted the 2 tbsp called for in the batter with 2 tbsp applesauce. I also decreased the amount of butter in the topping to 3 tbsp.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! But I wanted something less "cakey", so I made another one, "pushing" some (about 1/2 or 3/4 cup) of the sliced strawberries into the batter before placing layering the rest of the sliced strawberries on top of the batter. (I used a total of 2 or 2.5 cups of sliced strawberries.) For the topping, I melted the butter first and mixed with the rest of the topping ingredients...then added another 1/2 cup pecans. (I love it nutty!) I placed it in the fridge overnight because I wanted to bake it in the morning. It turned out great! It was very moist...almost "dessert-like". I don't know how many calories are in this but it won't matter to strawberry-lovers!
I followed the recipe and it turned out so good. The strawberries melted in the middle and it was just really good. More strawberries, the better. Thank you for the recipe.
i tried to enjoy this.. the textures were off for me.. the flavors lacking. the only really good thing it had going for it was it was pretty looking. my 6 year old and husband hated it.
