Simple Strawberry Lemon Cake
Yields: 8 slices
 
This cake looks gorgeous enough to serve to company, but it’s easy enough for a quick weeknight dessert! Even better, it’s healthy enough for breakfast! Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour* (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp lemon zest (about 1 very large)
  • 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ tsp vanilla crème stevia
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 very large)
  • ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
  • 1 ½ cups (210g) whole fresh strawberries, thinly sliced (no more than ⅛” thick)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the vanilla crème stevia. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the lemon juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.)
  3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced strawberries in a circular pattern, beginning with the outer rim before finishing with the interior, and gently press each into the batter. (See the photos in the blog post above.) Bake at 350°F for 39-43 minutes. Place the cake pan onto a wire rack, and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour may all be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. If using regular whole wheat flour, the cake will have a slightly denser texture.

If you prefer to omit the vanilla crème stevia, then substitute ½ cup of agave or honey in its place, and reduce the milk to ¼ cup. I recommend agave since honey’s taste will slightly mask the lemon flavor.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

If you do not have a springform pan, use a 9”-round cake pan instead, and line the inside with foil before coating with cooking spray. After letting the cake cool for 10 minutes, carefully lift the cake out of the pan by holding onto the foil, and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/04/12/simple-strawberry-lemon-cake/