I’ve been seeing a lot of strawberries around, a whole month in which I’ve been wanting to use them for a cake, and instead, I’ve just kept eating them one by one, fresh and fragrant, the true seal of spring now in full bloom.

That is, until a few days ago, when – thanks to a free half-hour and the desire to get back into the kitchen for pure pleasure – I decided to make this skillet cake with strawberries and chocolate.

The so-called “skillet cakes”, of American origin, are cakes that are baked in a cast-iron pan. I’ve been wanting to make one for a long time, not least for the pleasure of photographing it in my Ghisanativa pan, which I find perfect for this type of recipe.

Strawberry and chocolate cake is really easy and quick to make. Butter and sugars are not lacking, but I assure you that when you eat it you won’t notice.

The basic recipe comes from the recipe of Sale&Pepe magazine, although in the original there were no strawberries but only chocolate.

If you decide to eliminate it altogether to make a hard and pure strawberry cake, increase the dose, reaching 180-200 grams: it will be delicious and very spring-like.

Portions: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 150 g 00 flour
• 120 g butter
• 100 g brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 120 g strawberries net of scraps
• 50 g of 70% dark chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• two pinches of salt

For the syrup:

• 150 g strawberries
• 40 g sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Turn the oven on to 180°C and put a 20 cm diameter Ghisanativa frying pan inside to heat.

Melt the butter and let it cool.

In the meantime, cut the chocolate with a knife, wash and peel the strawberries, and cut them into small pieces.

In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar, then add the egg, the flour sifted with the bicarbonate, and the salt.

Mix well, then add three-quarters of the chocolate and the strawberries.

Put a knob of butter in the cast iron pan, swirling it around so that it is evenly greased.

Pour the mixture into the pan, spread the chocolate and remaining strawberries over the top, and bake for 30 minutes.

Wash the strawberries for the topping, clean them, and cut them into pieces. Cook over gentle heat for 15-20 minutes with the sugar and lemon juice. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the strawberries well with the back of a spoon to release all the liquid.

Serve the cake warm or cold, with a spoonful of strawberry juice on each slice.

Alice Del Re

“My name is Alice, I love reading, walking in nature and eating healthily but with taste.

My blog Panelibrienuvole was started for fun and soon became a great passion, an enchanted refuge where I can experiment with recipes, tell stories, talk about books and take lots of photos.

In the kitchen of Panelibrienuvole, we make simple but original recipes, with seasonal fruit and vegetables and a special focus on desserts, which have always been my great passion”.

This recipe was prepared using