Gâteau Aux Fraises

I wrote down that today I should write about one of the big events that happened this past year. If you know me, you know I am a procrastinator who will avoid dealing with hard situations any way possible. So, instead I'll tell you about this cake I made for my sister's birthday this weekend.

This cake is adapted from my favorite blogger Orangette's Gateau Au Citron cake. It was the first recipe I had ever made from her and became one of my staples. In fact, a lot of my staples come from Molly's recipes. The brownies and brussels sprouts that I make during the holidays are her recipes. They are worth these special occasions, when you want to share something made from the heart with those important to you.

Molly's version has an amazing glaze but we are all cutting down the sugar and white flower so this recipe is a little different. Plus, my sister loves strawberries and they were 98 cents this week at the grocery store so they became the star of this cake. Like Molly says, this recipe is highly adaptable.

Gâteau Aux Fraises 
adapted from Molly's recipe which was adapted from Les Gâteaux de mamie

For the cake:

 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
 3/4 cup granulated sugar
 3 large eggs
 6-8 medium to large strawberries
 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
 3/4 cup almond meal
 2 tsp. baking powder
 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
 1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice the strawberries as thin as possible, less than 1/8 inch thin in the middles until you have about 10-12 pretty slices to cover the top of your cake. Lay them out on a cutting board and take a bit of the sugar and sprinkle over them. Chop the remaining strawberries and toss in a small bowl with a bit of the sugar and then zest a bit of the lemon over them. Stir and let sit.

Combine the Greek yogurt, remaining sugar, and eggs in a large bowl and stir until combined. Then, add the flour, almond meal, and baking powder, and stir until combined. Zest the rest of the lemon over the mixture, add the olive oil, and stir until it comes together.

Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper and butter the paper as well.

Bake on the center rack for 35-40 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on a cake rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan on to the rack to cool completely. store in a sealed container. We cut the slices thin as it is a dense cake, serving about 16 slices.