Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Cake

"Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Cake?!" I hear you cry in alarm. Fear not, dear readers! This is a tale of profound success. So much success, in fact, that I this is actually the third time I've made this cake in the space of about 3 weeks.

Perhaps you have already heard of roasting strawberries in balsamic vinegar. It's something I've seen on a couple of my favourite blogs, and eventually decided to give it a go myself. It brings out their flavour dramatically, and there is absolutely no hint of balsamic left over. I decided that the best way to present these strawberries would be in cake form - but of course!

I wanted to top my cake with a streusel topping of sorts, and recalled an amazing cinnamon-sugar-struesel concoction that I have previously made from The Candid Appetite. (The recipe that the streusel comes from is for a "Coffee Cake", but I was incredibly thrown to discover that there was actually no coffee in said cake. I guess this is an American thing, meaning it goes with coffee, rather than containing it. Americans - can you help me understand?) The topping works wonderfully with the strawberries, and turns a perfectly tasty cake into an exceptional one.

If I still haven't persuaded you to make it, this cake is moist, sweet (with just the right amount of acidity from the fruit) and has a slight crunch thanks to the streusel topping. Serve it for breakfast, for afternoon tea, or with coffee. (Does this make it a coffee cake, America?) Try it!

Ingredients

Roasted Strawberries - recipe from Completely Delicious

• 400g Strawberries
• 4 Tbsp Caster Sugar
• 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Cinnamon Sugar Streusel - recipe adapted from The Candid Appetite

• 100g Caster Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 100g Plain Flour
• 1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 100g Butter, melted

Cake

• 200g Caster Sugar
• 200g Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 200g Plain Flour
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 50mL Milk

Recipe

Roasted Strawberries

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
• Hull and halve the strawberries (slice them up a bit more if they are large).
• Place the strawberries in a roasting tin and cover with the sugar and balsamic vinegar.
• Toss the strawberries to ensure they are easily covered, then place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the juices have started to thicken.
• Place to one side and allow to cool.

Cinnamon Sugar Streusel

• Place the sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt in a bowl and mix well.
• Make a well in the mixture and pour in the melted butter.
• Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together well, breaking any chunks up as you go.
• Place to one side.

Cake & Assembly

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan (or leave it on from when you roasted the strawberries), and line a tray bake tin or 2 x 9in square cake tins with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, folding in until well combined.
• Stir in the salt and enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
• Pour the mixture into your cake tin.
• Cover the cake batter with the roasted strawberries, trying to achieve an even distribution.
• Cover with the Cinnamon Sugar Streusel, again trying to achieve an even distribution.
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out without any batter on it.