Strawberry Lemon Coffee Cake

Strawberries are starting to look good this time of year. I snagged a few cartons at my local store the other day and had to make something special with them. I decided on a coffee cake.  One of my favorite ingredients in any cake is sour cream. Why? because it adds moisture to the cake. It's dense, creamy and moist all at the same time.  The hint of lemon and fresh berries lend themselves well to the overall taste too.  My husband said that this recipe is now his favorite.  I think next time that I may add a hint of cinnamon to the crumb topping and see how that flavors the cake... 
Enjoy ~ Diane 

Strawberry Lemon Coffee Cake Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh strawberries *sprinkled with 1/4 cup sugar, see below

Topping Ingredients:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square pan with butter or spray with non-stick baking spray. 

*Place cut up strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar, let set for at least 45 mins. until the sugar turns into a syrup, stir to coat. (this is an optional step but, preferred if your strawberries are not super sweet to being with) 

Beat the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients (flour & baking powder) to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sour cream, mix again, and add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

Pour the strawberries into batter and sprinkle berries with a bit of flour. Gently fold in the strawberries into batter and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the flour and sugar for the topping in a small bowl and add the melted butter. Stir lightly with a fork to combine. Sprinkle the sugary crumb topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Let cool before slicing. 

Enjoy!

Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

---