Red, White and Lemon Cake

Strawberries have to be my favorite fruit, hands down.  To me, these bright red little jewels represent so much: the beginning of spring and warm weather, and of course, the opportunity to indulge in strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry shortcake, Cheerios covered with strawberries, and the occasional instance of eating them by the pound over the sink.

Browsing Pinterest recently, I came across a recipe that was right up my alley: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake.

The blog it originated from claimed it was a great cake to tote along to bbq’s and picnics all summer long, and with Memorial Day coming up, I thought it sounded like a fantastic and festive dessert to ring in the holiday.  Fresh strawberries go right in the batter which also includes thick Greek yogurt (yum!) and lemon zest.  After it’s baked and cooled, you drizzle a tart lemon-powdered sugar glaze over the cake.  Check out the recipe here and get ready to add this page to your favorites.

To say the cake turned out “good” would be the understatement of the century.  “Out of this world” is more like it. It was incredibly moist and the lemon zest was absolutely delightful with the strawberries scattered throughout.  The lemon glaze was the icing on the cake…literally and figuratively.  It added a super tart spark of flavor, just enough to wake up all the other tastes of the cake.  To drink I poured Isabel, Ponte’s beloved sweet white wine.  Even though it has flavors of peaches and apricots, it really complimented the lemon.  I think Juliet would work just as well, as would sparkling Moscato.

I can see myself following the advice of the author and making this cake all summer long.  I cannot wait to try using raspberries, blackberries, even chunks of fresh peaches in August.  To get exceptionally festive on Memorial Day, add some fresh blueberries to the batter and – boom – you’ve got your red, white and blue fix.

Memorable, indeed.

–What is your go-to summer holiday and picnic dish?