Reminiscent of pound cake, this juicy strawberry rhubarb cornmeal skillet cake is designed with a moist and tender crumb, utilizing goat cheese and buttermilk to create a simple, yet sophisticated cake-like density. The beautiful golden cake is topped with rosemary and vanilla bean-infused whipped cream, composing a perfectly sweet and savory dessert.
Jump to Recipe
This recipe was adapted from Food & Wine created by Jocelyn Delk Adams
Why you will love this Skillet Cake
The flavor combination of this Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake is traditional and innovative, making a distinguished statement at your dessert table. If you are a fan of both rhubarb and strawberry season, here is your baking answer!
Ingredients: Cool details, Flavor Choices & the Why's for this Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake
The Rosemary Whipped Cream
Prepare ahead to sufficiently infuse the cream
- Heavy Cream with 40% fat content is rich and ideal for making whipped cream or adding creaminess to dishes.
- Pure vanilla extract adds depth and flavor to desserts and baked goods with its concentrated essence from vanilla beans.
- Scraped caviar seeds from a vanilla bean pod offer intense vanilla flavor and visual appeal, enhancing dishes with their aromatic and speckled presence.
- Fresh Rosemary - use 1-2 fresh rosemary sprigs, approximately 5-inches in length, this creates a subtle and beautifully flavored infused cream. The Rosemary with its fragrant, needle-like leaves, imparts a robust, piney flavor to the cream.
- Powdered Sugar - When using confectioners sugar instead of granulated sugar the cornstarch in confectioners helps to stabilize the homemade whipped cream. Brilliant!
The Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake
- AP Unbleached Flour is my standard because it's versatile for baking and cooking, providing a consistent texture and flavor and a more billowing effect to earthy rugged cakes like this one, as well as for cookies.
- Fine yellow cornmeal adds a subtly sweet flavor and hearty texture to this cake.
- Kosher Salt enhances flavor and provides better control over seasoning in both cooking and baking, without a stingy "metallic taste".
- Butter - All praises to butter! Good butter is crucial in cake recipes as it not only provides richness and flavor but also contributes to the texture, structure, and overall quality of the cake.
- Granulated Sugar - whether from sugarcane or sugar beets, both varieties are often referred to simply as "granulated sugar" or "white sugar", either are acceptable.
- Large Eggs - Large eggs are the standard for most recipes, weighing in at 56.8 grams per egg on average. When using small, XL or Jumbo, the texture of any given recipe will surely vary, so I have listed the total grams required for this recipe so you can use whatever egg size you wish.
- Goat Cheese offers a tangy and creamy flavor to this recipe.
- Buttermilk also lends a tangy flavor and moist texture to this baked good. The acidity in buttermilk helps tenderize gluten in baked goods, leavens, aids in a tender crumb and prevents drying out.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - (Not imitation!) Pure vanilla in alcohol is beneficial because the alcohol acts as a solvent, efficiently extracting and preserving the complex flavor compounds from vanilla beans, resulting in a concentrated, versatile, and consistent vanilla extract.
- Scraped caviar seeds from a vanilla bean pod - Yum! I said all the good things in the whipped cream section about vanilla bean seeds.
- Fresh Strawberries bring a juicy sweetness and vibrant color.
- Fresh Rhubarb adds tartness and texture to desserts such as pies, crumbles, and compotes.
- Turbinado Sugar with its large crystals and slight molasses flavor, is ideal for adding crunch and sweetness to the top of this cake.
How to make Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake
The Rosemary Whipped Cream: Infuse ahead of time
- Combine heavy cream and vanilla/s in a small bowl. Rub rosemary sprigs between hands to release their oils and add to the bowl, stir the mixture until combined. Cover in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 2 - 4 hours or overnight.
- (Note: while your cake is cooling, proceed to step 2 and whip up your chilled, infused cream for a fresh presentation)
- Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a desired mixing bowl, and discard solids.
- Beat the cream mixture and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overmix.
- Note: If making ahead, cover the rosemary whipped cream with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Substitutions: if you have reservations about the rosemary whipped cream, simply add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to your cream and powdered sugar for a delightful alternative.
BAKING TIP: (Note: while your cake is cooling, proceed to step 2 and whip up your chilled, infused cream for a fresh presentation)
The Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180C, place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven, and let skillet preheat in the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a small bowl until combined, and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat until the butter and sugar are pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes total.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Next, add in the goat cheese, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla/s, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, adding 1 tablespoon of butter. Swirl the skillet until the butter is melted and evenly distributed across the bottom of the pan. Pour cake batter in the hot skillet, smoothing the batter for an even distribution. Arrange strawberries and rhubarb in an even layer of batter, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling it is time to whip up the chilled rosemary-infused cream.
- Serve the cake warm with a dollop of rosemary whipped cream.
Notes + Substitutions
Substitutions: if you have reservations about the rosemary whipped cream, simply add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to your cream and powdered sugar for a delightful alternative.
Additional Flavor Ideas for your Whipped Cream: Consider enhancing the flavor of your cream with rose water, orange blossom water, or simply maple syrup as both your flavor and sweetener.
If Making The Whipped Cream Ahead - cover the rosemary whipped cream with plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to use, up to 12 hours ahead of time.
Produce in Season
Strawberry Season: California produces the earliest strawberries, with harvest extending from January to May and peaking in April. Traditionally seen as a spring crop, advancements in cultivation techniques now enable strawberry production to continue into summer and fall, even in northern regions. In the eastern and midwestern northern states, strawberries are typically in season from mid-May to early July.
Rhubarb Season: Rhubarb is generally accessible from early spring (March/April), through late spring or early summer, typically around May or June, depending on where you are. Given its consistent availability in April, fresh rhubarb often becomes a popular option for desserts during Passover, Easter, and various other spring festivities.
Looking for more Rhubarb Recipes?
Gluten-Free Rhubarb Breakfast Snacking Cake
How to Store Fresh Strawberries
If you are frustrated at how quickly strawberries fatigue Learn how to keep your strawberries longer to keep them fresh and lovely.
History of Skillet Cakes
The original definition of skillet cake is when the batter is baked atop a layer of sweetened fruit and then turned upside down so the fruit is on top, a.k.a. the upside-down cake.
Historians widely agree that the late 1800s marked the emergence of the term "upside-down cake.". Before this period, cakes of this style were commonly known as skillet cakes. A method necessitated by the limited availability and reliability of ovens at the time, thus skillet cakes were born of practicality. Imagine baking your cake in a skillet over an open fire. Which you can! Try skillet cake at your next campout.
Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake
Ingredients
Rosemary Whipped Cream - Prepare ahead to sufficiently infuse the cream
- 1 cup heavy cream (237ml), 40% fat
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ vanilla bean pod scraped caviar seeds
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary (5-inch)
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar (15g)
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake
- 1 cup AP unbleached flour (125g), sifted
- ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal (80g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup butter (170g), room temperature, +1 tablespoon butter for the hot skillet
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 3 large eggs (170g), at room temperature
- 1 ½ ounce goat cheese (42g), at room temperature
- ⅓ cup buttermilk (75ml), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ vanilla bean pod scraped caviar seeds
- 1 cup fresh strawberries halved and sliced
- ¾ cup fresh rhubarb sliced ½-inch pieces, approx. 2 small stalks
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar 30g
Instructions
The Rosemary Whipped Cream: Infuse ahead of time
- Combine heavy cream and vanilla/s in a small bowl. Rub rosemary sprigs between hands to release their oils and add to bowl, stir mixture until combined. Cover in a sealed container and refrigerate at least 2 - 4 hours or overnight.
- (Note: while your cake is cooling, proceed to step 2 and whip up your chilled, infused cream for a fresh presentation)
- Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into desired mixing bowl, discard solids.
- Beat cream mixture and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overmix.
- Note: If making ahead, cover the rosemary whipped cream with plastic wrap, refrigerate until ready to use, up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Substitutions: if you have reservations about the rosemary whipped cream, simply add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to your cream and powdered sugar for a delightful alternative.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180C, place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven, let skillet preheat in the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a small bowl until combined, set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat until the butter and sugar are pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes total.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Next, add in the goat cheese, beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla/s, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Carefully remove hot skillet from oven, adding 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl skillet until butter is melted and evenly distributed across the bottom of the pan. Pour cake batter in the hot skillet, smoothing the batter for an even distribution. Arrange strawberries and rhubarb in an even layer on batter, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling it is time to whip up the chilled rosemary infused cream.
- Serve cake warm with a dollop of rosemary whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Leave a Reply