
This moist and tender strawberry cake is incredibly simple to make, featuring a bright lemon-infused batter and fresh, juicy berries. Perfect for afternoon tea or a quick dessert, it’s a crowd-pleaser that requires no fancy equipment.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F), or 180°C (350°F) if using a fan-forced oven.
Grease a 23 cm (9-inch) cake pan and line it with parchment paper to ensure the cake releases easily after baking.
Prepare the strawberries: Dice about 1/3 of the berries (roughly 1 cup) into 1.5 cm pieces to mix inside the cake. Cut the remaining strawberries in half to use as a decorative topping.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients: sugar, oil, eggs, grated lemon rind, lemon juice, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Whisk well for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) to the wet mixture. Whisk until just combined and the batter is lump-free.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Scatter the diced strawberries evenly over the batter.
Top with the remaining batter and smooth the surface again. Arrange the halved strawberries on top, placing them cut-side down.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the remaining time.
Allow the cake to stand in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire cooling rack.
Let the cake cool for at least another 15 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with ice cream, or at room temperature with whipped cream and extra fresh strawberries.
For the best results, ensure your yogurt and eggs are at room temperature before mixing to create a smoother emulsion. If you find the strawberries on top are releasing too much juice, you can lightly toss them in a teaspoon of flour before placing them on the batter.




