Strawberry Basil Yogurt Cake

I love incorporating fresh herbs into baked goods.

This cake is right up my alley. It's unusual and not too sweet.
I loved it with my candied basil leaves on the side.

Right now I have a lot of strawberries in my garden, and the basil is abundant in my pots....so what a perfect combination.

You could also serve this with basil whipped cream if you are the adventurous kind.

It's a very easy cake to make and everyone loved it.

It's the perfect summer cake.

Strawberry Basil Yogurt Cake: (adapted from Always Order Dessert)

1/3 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon zest
1 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced in half
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar ("sugar in the raw")

In a mini food processor or blender, blend the sugar with basil and lemon zest for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is light green and all the basil is compounded. It will smell really nice and be kind of wet.

Add the green sugar to a bowl w/ the butter and eggs and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Add in the yogurt, lemon juice and heavy cream. Beat another minute.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix to make a nice thick batter.

Grease and flour a 9" springform pan and pour batter into the cake pan.

Place the halved strawberries in the batter, face down and sprinkle w/ turbinado sugar.

Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350F (the original recipe only calls for 35 minutes, but my cake wasn't even close). Let cool compelely in the pan before unmolding.

Basil whipped cream and candied basil leaves are my choice of accompaniments, however, if you are not as fancy as I am, then just dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

xo