Fresh Strawberry Moelleux Cake

A “moelleux” is a very casual yet scrumptious French cake made with the simplest of ingredients and a generous amount of butter, for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The crumb is rich and a little dense, which makes it the perfect vessel for ripe Summer berries or stone fruits. After last Summer’s success of my Plum Moelleux Cake recipe, I present today my Fresh Strawberry Moelleux Cake – just as easy to make and equally delicious. 

Cooking notes: 

• I love how this Strawberry Moelleux cake can be thrown together in a pinch and it doesn’t need to look perfect. This makes it a great recipe for Summer, when you don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and would rather be outside. 
• The strawberries can be replaced with other Summer fruits such as blueberries, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots. Raspberries and blackberries may however be too delicate and will likely break apart when folded into the thick/dense batter. 
• Make sure the butter is unsalted and at room temperature. It should be soft to be mixed into the batter easily. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this Fresh Strawberry Moelleux Cake as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

You may also like: 

• Classic French Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp 
• Strawberry Flaugnarde
• Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
• Plum Moelleux Cake

Fresh Strawberry Moelleux Cake

Print Recipe

Serves: 8-10 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 55 Minutes 55 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

300g fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
¼ cup (50g) brown sugar + 1 tbsp (for sprinkling)
1 ¾ cup (220g) all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp (8g) baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks/225g) unsalted butter, cubed & at room temp.
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/350°F with a rack in the middle. Line up a 8” (20.3cm) or 9” (22.9cm) circular cake pan with parchment paper at the bottom and grease the sides. 

Step 1 - In a large bowl, whisk together the two sugars, flour, salt and baking powder. Add the cubed butter with a spatula and mix until just incorporated. Add the 4 eggs and mix until just incorporated.

Step 2 - Gently fold ½ of the strawberries into the batter and transfer into the cake pan. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Place the rest of the halved strawberries onto the cake, cut-side down and in a circular pattern. You do not need to press on the strawberries – the batter will expand enough to "grab them". Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over top. 

Step 3 - Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Transfer onto a cooling rack and wait 20-25 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Enjoy warm or cooled.