It's so fun to find new ways to enjoy Kentucky's harvest of fruits and vegetables. Today, Tammi Davis, of the Kentucky-based blog Picture Perfect Cooking, is sharing a lovely-looking cake that displays fresh summer strawberries. You can follow Tammi on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin'. -- HCW

Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze

I come from a long line of gardeners and even though I know I am not the most talented gardener, I love to do it. I will even grow things I don't like to eat just for the joy of growing them. My Nanny (maternal grandmother) and my mom instilled a love of growing things in me that persists to this day. Nanny remembers her aunts using empty coffee cans for flower pots because nobody could afford real pots at that time. I am so lucky and blessed to still have Nanny in my life and she still gardens and raises chickens just like always. I never run out of fresh eggs!

My husband and I have two raised garden beds and a small strawberry patch at our home and we enjoy every bite that comes out of that space, especially the strawberries! The plants produce enough for us to eat, but I usually get some more to freeze from a local grower who also happens to be an acquaintance of ours. Here is a shot of those beautiful berries from a couple of months ago:

When I got the opportunity to guest post at HerKentucky, I really wanted to use local ingredients in the dish. You can’t get much more local than strawberries that grew a couple of miles from your house and eggs fresh from your grandmother’s farm, can you? This cake has a delicious flavor with a moist texture that is highlighted by the sweet tart of lemon glaze. The recipe originated from Tide and Thyme and I found it on Pinterest.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. sliced strawberries (thawed frozen berries or fresh will work)
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees the grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.  Sift together 2 ¼ cups flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest.

Cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and then stir in 1 tbsp. lemon juice.  Alternate adding the flour and yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. ;Add the buttermilk and vanilla.  Mix until combined.

If you are using frozen strawberries, drain as much of the juice off as possible and toss with the remaining ¼ cup flour. Add them to the batter and gently combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.]

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out on to your cake plate to cool completely.  To prepare the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar into the remaining lemon juice.  When the cake has cooled, slice and drizzle with the glaze.