Strawberry Cornmeal Cake

A rich and tangy buttermilk cake with a tender crumb that incorporates cornmeal for added sweetness and texture. It's strawberry shortcake meets cornbread - with light, sweet whipped cream dolloped on top.

Strawberry cornmeal cake is an easy and non-fussy single layer cake that anyone can make; it's almost fail-proof! You can even bake your cake ahead of time and prep the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.

Mother's Day is this weekend, so I created a light and tender cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for this spring holiday.

I wanted to create a beautiful cake fitting enough for a special occasion but rustic enough to make anytime. This style of cake is fast becoming my favorite kind - you can make it look fancy and elegant, but it can also be served for brunch, with afternoon coffee, or at a picnic.

By adding cornmeal, we create a coarser texture and natural sweetness. Buttermilk tenderizes this summery cake and it's lightly sweetened; I would categorize it somewhere between coffee cake and snacking cake. Almond extract adds a touch of sweet almond flavor, and it's a lovely complement to the strawberries.

Depending on the time of year, use your favorite seasonal fruit. And if you choose, you could toss the strawberries with a bit of brandy or amaretto before serving.

Jump to:

• ⭐️ Why This Cake is the Best
• 🍓 Ingredient Notes
• 📋 Variations and Substitutions
• 🔪 How To Make Strawberry Cornmeal Cake
• ⏲ Expert Tips and Tricks
• 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
• 🍰 Related Recipes
• 📖 Strawberry Cornmeal Cake Recipe

⭐️ Why This Cake is the Best

• It's strawberry shortcake meets cornbread: tender, fluffy, tangy, and lightly sweet
• Rustic and beautiful enough for a special meal or holiday (think Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Memorial Day for a seasonal treat)
• Simple one-layer cake that is easy enough for beginners
• Versatile and lightly sweetened, so works for dessert, brunch, or as an afternoon snacking cake

🍓 Ingredient Notes

• Yellow cornmeal - Adds texture and natural sweetness. There are varying levels of coarseness among cornmeal, so aim for a finer cornmeal.
• Baking powder and baking soda - Always check the expiration date on your leaveners, as they do a lot of the heavy lifting (get it? 😉).
• Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter helps us control the amount of salt in our cake. We want to use room temperature butter so that we can cream it really well.
• Light brown sugar - Adds deeper and richer flavor than if we just used granulated sugar.
• Buttermilk - Tenderizes our cake and adds a slight tanginess.
• Vanilla extract - Even though we're using almond extract, we still need a base flavor of vanilla to add depth.
• Strawberries - Check out the linked article below on how to properly core those fresh strawberries!
• Lemon juice - Tossing our berries in lemon juice keeps them fresh and prevents oxidation.

📋 Variations and Substitutions

• Make almond whipped cream. Add one teaspoon of almond extract to elevate your whipped cream!
• Bake strawberries into cake. Arrange 1 cup of hulled and sliced strawberries on top of batter to bake them directly into your cake.
• Use your favorite seasonal berries. Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries would all be delicious.
• Use plant-based milk. I've made strawberry cornmeal cake with plant-based milk (with one tablespoon of acid added to make plant-based buttermilk) and it works great.

🔪 How To Make Strawberry Cornmeal Cake

Prep pan: Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides, and dust with cornmeal, shaking out the excess.

Mix cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Stop once to scrape down sides of bowl, and continue to beat for an additional minute.

Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition.

Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients: In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with buttermilk mixture. Mix just until incorporated, stopping at least once to scrape down sides of bowl. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake: Bake until top is golden brown and firm to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Use a knife or offset spatula to loosen cake from pan by going around the edge of cake. Invert the cake onto a baking sheet, then re-invert onto a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.

Prep strawberries: Toss hulled and sliced strawberries with lemon juice. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Make whipped cream: Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to bowl. Whip at high speed for several minutes, until soft peaks are formed. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Assemble cake: Once cake is completely cooled, transfer to serving platter. Add whipped cream to cake and spread evenly. Add strawberries in a pretty arrangement.

⏲ Expert Tips and Tricks

• Storage: Place in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature (separate from strawberries and whipped cream, which need to be refrigerated) for up to 4 days. You can also store this cake in the refrigerator, but make sure it's completely covered to avoid drying out.
• How to freeze: Wrap individual slices of strawberry cornmeal cake in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. I don't recommend freezing the fresh whipped cream or strawberries.
• Make ahead: Bake the cake up to 24 hours ahead of time. After cooling completely, wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Make the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.
• To serve: I recommend spooning on the whipped cream and strawberries right before serving. Or, if you prefer, you could place the whipped cream and strawberries on the table in separate bowls, and top each slice of cake as it is served.
• Use room-temperature eggs. This incorporates air into your batter and makes your cake so much lighter and fluffier. To quickly bring your eggs to room-temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Mix just until combined. Overmixing can produce extra gluten, creating a chewier cake, and we want a lighter texture here. Overmixing could also cause your cake to sink in the middle. We want to avoid that!
• Use an electric hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.
• Hull your strawberries. Do you know how to properly hull/core your strawberries? Removing the green stem from the top of the berry is easy, and there are a few ways to do it, as this article demonstrates. It's a great technique to learn, since it preserves more of the fruit!
• Make your own buttermilk. Making homemade buttermilk is super easy and I do it frequently: Pour 1 cup of milk into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Give it a stir and let it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. You just made buttermilk!

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

🍰 Related Recipes

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