Strawberry Rosewater Sour Cream Skillet Cake in the Persian Manner

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I don’t have time in the mornings to make a proper breakfast for myself, so on most weekdays, I will have a slice of toast, usually pumpernickel or a spelt sourdough (this bakery in Roncesvalles makes the most amazing bread, plus, they slice it for you) with a generous layer of almond or peanut butter and different jams. Gail, a good friend of mine, brought back a jar of cloudberry preserves (have you ever had them?) for me, from her trip to Sweden, which I have almost every morning on my toast. I am scared of the day that jar finishes. (This is the jar, in case any of you want to try to source it.)

On the weekends, I go crazy using my cast iron skillet. I make egg dishes like a frittata with mushrooms and Gruyère or a spiced tomato sauce omelette and even my spicy Pakistani kebabs (here is the recipe) are made in my beloved skillet. I decided to make something sweet, rather than savoury one morning, thanks to a pint of gorgeous, blood-red strawberries a dear friend, Nadia, brought back for me from her trip to Hagerman Farm in Prince Edward County. Trust me, I didn’t play around much with the image editor, this is truly how deep red the strawberries were.

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We ate most of the strawberries with a mix of whipped cream and sour cream as you can see here (Tiny Spoon is in love with strawberries). That’s how you show respect for something as beautiful as these strawberries – eat them in their most natural state, just the way they are. But then I had so many strawberries leftover, that I thought I should bake with them, but in a way that they retain their integrity, somewhat, and really stand out – a batter cake seemed like the best option. I love rosewater with strawberries and I have paired them together before, too. Rosewater is used in so many Persian desserts – it has a lovely, delicate fragrance. On another note, I feel like these days I cannot bake without buttermilk or sour cream, so I hope you can find these ingredients in your part of the world. You can also use a sour yoghurt if you don’t have sour cream. This was a perfect breakfast treat on a very Sunday morning with thimbles of espressi made and downed at home.

Hope you’re having a beautiful summer, lovelies.

Strawberry Skillet Cake (1 of 1)-5

Serves 4-6
You will need a 25cm / 10in cast iron skillet or a cake pan of the same size

Ingredients:
*16-18 large strawberries, hulled and halved
*150g white all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp sea salt
*90g unsalted butter + extra to grease your cast iron skillet / cake pan + 1 tbsp melted butter to brush over strawberries and batter
*175g granulated sugar
*250ml full fat sour cream + more, for serving a few dollops with the cake (substitute with full-fat Greek yoghurt)
*1 egg
*1 tbsp rosewater (substitute with 1 tsp of vanilla essence)
*Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preparation:
*Pre-heat oven to 350F
*Generously butter your cast iron skillet or cake pan (if using a cake pan, line with parchment paper)
*Place flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk together
*Place butter and sugar in a separate bowl (if using a hand mixer) or in a stand-mixer and cream on medium speed, till light and fluffy
*Add sour cream, egg, rosewater and continue to mix till the batter appears creamy
*Turn the mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients – flour, salt and baking powder, in batches. Scrape down the sides. Do not over mix
*The batter will be thick. Transfer into skillet and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, in a circular pattern on top
*Brush strawberries and batter with melted butter
*Place in oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, and the cake starts to pull in from the sides of the skillet or cake pan. (Please note that the cooking time for a cake pan will be longer.)
*When cake (and skillet) has cooled, dust generously with confectioner’s sugar and serve slices directly from the skillet. Enjoy with sour cream on the side.

Comments

  1. Tanya Karima Lundin says:

    Lovely! If you every need any more Cloudberry jam, just let me know:-)

  2. Shayma, how do you eat jams and butters and cake and still look as utterly slender as you do?

    Rose water is used by the bottle in my home and I have never cooked a cake in a skillet so will try your recipe out, it looks so full of relaxed and happy summer love. X

  3. this is just lovely – well done! i’ll take 2! 😉

  4. A very heart warming story and this goes to prove that embracing our strings and stepping into future will keep us grounded. Wish you success and lots more great food to share these stories over with your lil’ boy!

    • Dear Mahnoor, I have heard so many wonderful things about you – thank you for the kind words. I wish you all the best in your entrepreneurial ventures. x s

  5. Looks like the perfect cake for Valentines-Day:-)
    Very nice!
    Greets from Merano in Italy, Lucia.

  6. For a baking noob, would love to know the units in cups/ml instead of grams!

  7. Mahreen says:

    Reading you recipes is so soothing for me. I’m goin to try this recipe over the weekend. What size do you recommend for the cake pan or skillet. And how much more time will it take in the cake pan?

    Lots of love