Strawberry-Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake
My first attempts at making this delicious cake occurred during the latter part of spring, when strawberries were just beginning to make an appearance at the farmer’s market. The strawberries held up well in the cake – you could easily make out the fresh chunks of strawberry laced throughout the hazelnut batter. But the flavor of strawberries disappeared during the baking process. The cake tasted good, but not what I was after.
My final attempts to make the cake and perfect the recipe took place in July – the latter part of strawberry season. These strawberries were much more fragile and sort of turned into a kind of puree during the baking process, but the flavor was amazing. It was exactly what I was looking for – a strong strawberry essence coupled with the richness and nuttiness of hazelnuts.
This delicious and beautiful cake works with all kinds of summer combinations of fruit. Chopped nectarines combined with chopped blackberries works extremely well…and that is the perfect transition out of one season and into the next.