Strawberry Bundt Cake for it is Spring !

It's officially strawberry picking season . We are fortunate to have couple of farms nearby where we can indulge in this favorable activity . Alas, some health issues are preventing us from doing so . Allergies are not entirely to be blamed but it is just that unfortunate time when every member of the Roy household seems to be afflicted by something. Your sending us some healthy vibes will be truly appreciated. Meanwhile , I am doing the next best thing ..baking a strawberry cake ..make that a strawberry yogurt bundt cake because they are definitely more cuter and prettier . Did I mention that I simply love bundt cakes..good now you know why this cake is getting the special treatment.

I am in love with strawberries too. With my tender loving care , I have baked them in  Crumble  and healthy bread form in the past with excellent results. Imagine my excitement turning it into spring flavored cake. The original recipe comes from here but as is always the case, have taken the liberty to make modifications more suited to my family's taste and preference . The original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar but I used only 1 1/4 cups and it still tasted divine. The sugary glaze on the top was omitted altogether but If you absolutely have to go for a glaze, would suggest a strawberry one to go along with it.

Notes - In this particular bake, we will be preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and then reducing to it 325 degrees once we put the cake pan in the oven. Also, since we can't line the bundt pan with parchment paper, we have to make sure that it is well greased and is sprinkled generously with flour to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan.I have used lime zest and lime juice instead of lemon without any difference in flavor but please remember that in some cases lime juice might be too bitter.

Ingredients -

1 cup butter ( 2 sticks at room temperature)

2 cups sugar ( I used 1 1/4 cups..the taste was still divine)

3 eggs ( room temperature)

Zest of 1 lemon ( I used lime ..Caution : It can be bitter )

1 tbsp lime juice 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( divided)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup yogurt

12 oz  diced fresh strawberries

Method - 

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease and flour a bundt pan .

Sift the flour ( 2 1/4 cups along with the salt and baking soda.) 

To this mixture , add the lemon zest and give it a good stirring with the help of a spatula.

In a separate bowl , cream the butter and sugar with the help of a hand mixer. 

 When  it becomes light and fluffy , add the eggs one at a time followed by the lemon juice.

Now, we will be adding the flour mixture and yogurt in small batches alternately making sure it is well incorporated . Do not overmix .

The remaining 1/4 cup flour will be now sprinkled on the diced strawberries so as to coat them. This ensures that the berries do not sink to the bottom of the cake but are uniformly distributed. Fold these coated strawberries gently into the cake batter.

Take the greased bundt pan and pour the batter carefully in it. Place it in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F . 

Bake for an hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean. ( At around the 50 minutes mark, I increased the temp to 350 degrees F ).
Take out of the oven and let stand on a wire rack for atleast 20 minutes before you attempt to turn it .
Cut into slices and enjoy !