In my last post, I may have given the impression I’m anti strawberries. Not the case! I love them. But not in my rhubarb pie. You can add strawberries to your pie — hey, it’s your pie. But why not make this cake instead, where the strawberries shine all alone?

Access to fantastic strawberries is another reason to live in the Hudson Valley. Have you tried the sour, huge ones from the supermarket? Local, sweet, deep-red berries are another story. No they’re not out yet, but the season seems to be right on schedule. To make this cake now, do what I did: choose smaller, redder, sweeter berries, preferably organic ones. I got mine at the Chatham Berry Farm. They’ll have their own pesticide-free strawberries hopefully at the end of June, said owner Joseph Gilbert. He expects they'll last just two to three weeks. "If it gets hot, they'll come all at once," he said.

Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook, New York expects strawberries in mid-June, with the season lasting to the first freeze. A warm February and March gave Jake Samascott hope for an early season. “The recent cold slowed us back to normal,” he said. They plan on having U-Pick berries, “following recommendations from the CDC.”

Rusty Lamb, foreman of Yonder Fruit Farms in Valatie, New York expects ripe berries in mid-June as well, starting with a variety called AC Wendy. “There’s minor damage from the cold but it should be a good crop,” he said. Their season is just six weeks, as they don’t grow the later everbearing strawberries: “They’re too much trouble,” he said.

Sue Chiaro, Yonder Farm owner/manager, says people tell her that their berries are “known as the best in the county.” She’s unsure about doing U-Pick, which had been waning, “People are too much in a hurry,” she said, “But we do get a few diehards each year.” Try calling ahead to see. In any case, their berries will be available at their farm stand.

Are their berries the best in the county? You may have to sample them yourself, along with all the other local berries.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from “Back in the Day Bakery: Made with Love” by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day. (Artisan, 2015)
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into cups and leveled off
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk (or thinned, plain not Greek yogurt or soured milk, see Note)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved (quarter larger berries, you probably won’t use all the berries)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round (1-inch deep) cake pan or a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. With a mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the egg until blended. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute. (The mixture may curdle.)

4. With the mixer at low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just blended.

5. By hand, using a rubber spatula, incorporate any ingredients hiding at the bottom of  the bowl, making sure the batter is completely mixed. Scrape into the prepared pan and gently smooth the top. Arrange the strawberries in concentric rings on the batter, cut sides down.

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the cake shrinks from the pan sides, is browned at edges and golden on top. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Note: To make soured milk, stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar into a scant ½ cup milk (you use a little less because you’re adding a tablespoon of liquid which increases the volume). Let stand about 10 minutes; milk will curdle slightly.

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Written by
Miriam Rubin