Specially for Canada Day! A red-and-white dessert that also celebrates Strawberry season… And its so fast and easy that you won’t miss a moment of the fun on our National Day. Just set aside 10 minutes to prep, and bake…
All PostsCall it a cake. Call it a ‘square’. Call it a ‘bar’. Whatever you call it, this celebration
of the eternal strawberry is also a natural to celebrate Canada’s birthday!
I fell for this one the moment I saw the glamour shot, reproduced above. Then I discovered this sweet sensation requires only minutes to throw together and an hour to bake – time when you can be doing other things1
Easy, peasey…
This is a really simple, classic cake. The bulk of the ingredients are already in your pantry. You might even have strawberries in the freezer…
What you need…
Like I said… It’s a streamlined classic. All the good stuff you want in a cake and none of the possibly problematic extras: Oil (or melted butter, if you prefer), flour, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder and salt. Bingo!
Any strawberry will do in a pinch – But…
I live within walking distance of the Shouldice Berry Farm Strawberry patch! It’s always open on Canada Day (and other statutory holidays), and that makes for a priceless opportunity to get the family together on an outdoor activity that will result in almost instant grat-ification – When you present them with a Strawberry Sheet Cake masterpiece later in the day…
But the truth is, you can use any strawberries you can find for this dish, fresh or frozen. Because you’re going to quarter them, or chop them smaller, in roughly 1.5 cm / 0.5 in pieces, if the berries are big. And they’re going to ‘melt’ into the cake as it bakes.
Tips and hacks…
Grease the pan well and line it with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the dish, but overlap the sides.You’ll want to lift the cake out of the pan whole before cutting into serving squares, and you don’t want to risk mucking up any edge or corner pieces by trying to scoop them directly out of the dish.
After the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, run a knife along both ends of the pan, where the cake comes in direct contact with the vesse,l to loosen it. Then grab the overlapping parch-ment on both side and lift it out – carefully. This is a really good tip for any square or bar recipe!
Bake for one hour, give or take. It all depends on how thick your batter is in the pan. But start check-ing after about 45 minutes with a wooden toothpick. Remove the cake from the oven as soon as the pick comes out clean, or with crumbs only (no batter) adhering. It’s important that this unfrosted cake be perfectly moist and tender…
Finally… DO take recipe contributor Jesse Sheehan‘s advice on the garnish: Sprinkle crystallized ‘Tur-binado’ sugar over the top generously, while the cake is still hot from the oven, to add just the right amount of sweetness, and a fun crunch your diners won’t be expecting!
My take
This is just the kind of Canada Day dessert I’ve been looking for, for years. It checks all the boxes, both for food and family!
I’ll serve mine with a scoop of really rich, premium Vanilla Ace Cream. Or maybe I’ll get off my duff and make a batch of my own whipped cream (with extra vanilla and a tablespoon of icing sugar!)
~ Maggie J.