Strawberry Summer Cake

This is a delicious cake, perfect for the summer months when all we want to do is eat strawberries. It is light and goes well after a summer dinner. The addition of barley flour makes it even lighter and smoother. Don't worry if you don't have any though; it works just fine without.

If you have a regular pie pan, this will work fine. If you have a larger one or a deep dish one, either double or 1.5 times the recipe. Extra springiness! Enjoy!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Strawberry Summer Cake

Yield: 1 cake
Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1.5 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour (can swap half with barley flour)
• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound strawberries, halved

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a pie pan.
2. Whisk flour or flours, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla until just combined.
4. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
5. Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the strawberries.
6. Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 to 60 minutes.
7. Let cool in pan on a rack.

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Best homemade thin pizza crust yet. Light and crispy on the outside. Soft and airy on the inside. The trick is...well, follow the instructions and you'll see. Really, it's absolutely delicious. And there are a few easy tricks to it. Enjoy!

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Yield: 1 large pizza
Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups (448g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• optional: 1 tablespoon sugar or honey

Cooking Directions

1. Mix yeast with water and sugar or honey, if using. Let sit for a few minutes.
2. Mix in oil and salt.
3. Mix in flour until just mixed together. Do not knead.
4. Right before kneading, let rest for 15 minutes to allow the gluten to form and moisture to spread throughout.
5. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cut into two. Store one in the fridge or freezer for another time.
6. Let rise until doubled (about an hour).
7. Preheat oven to highest temperature and place a pizza stone or upside down baking sheet on the highest rack.
8. Stretch dough into pizza shape by hand.
9. Let dough relax for 5 minutes before placing in the oven.
10. Add toppings and immediately put in the oven.
11. Bake until browned and crispy (about 8-12 minutes).