Penny calls this ‘cake pie’ for obvious reasons. We first made it a couple of summers ago and now whenever I see a bunch of ripe strawberries I immediately think of this recipe. It’s simple, sweet and packed full of strawberry goodness. Penny was excited to be able to cut the berries all by herself. Yes, Penny and Jack have their very own set of kitchen knives. These nylon knives are safe for little hands and work great on fruit. Of course if you don’t have safe knives or your little one isn’t ready to help with this part I would hull and half the strawberries ahead of time.
We got our recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Here’s how we made it with a 5 and 2 year old in the kitchen.
baking tips by age
2-4 years: This is an easy recipe to prepare all the ingredients ahead of time in small bowls and then let your little one do the combining. At this age I would cut the green top off the strawberries first and let them half the fruit. They’ll love helping arrange the strawberries on top of the cake.
5-7 years: Let your little baker haul and half the strawberries if you have kid-safe knives. Try pulling up the green leaves before cutting as close to the top as possible. As always, they can combine and mix ingredients. Arranging the strawberries on top of the cake makes it their own.
how we baked it
Strawberry Cake Pie
SERVINGS 8-10
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen where it was adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
The Prep
Bring butter to room temperature.
Measure all ingredients into small bowls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 10 inch pie pan.
Hull and half strawberries now or with your little baker.
The Directions
- Prepare strawberries – cut off green tops and then cut in half long ways.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt together in a small bowl and whisk.
- Beat the room temp butter with 1 cup of sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Or, if you need to keep a baby napping you can mix by hand for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in 1 one egg, 1/2 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until combined.
- Gradually add in dry mixture and stir until smooth.
- Pour batter into pie pan. Arrange the strawberries on top, cut side down. You can overlap the strawberries or make one layer.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the berries.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 50-60 minutes.
- You’ll know the cake is done when it’s golden brown and a tester comes out without wet batter.
- Cool before cutting into wedges.
I enjoy mine with fresh whipped cream, Jack likes ice cream and Penny prefers hers with sprinkles because, why not? 🍓
Bugs and kisses,
June Bug Bakers
June Bug Bakers 