Summer Strawberry Lemon Spoon Cake
5 colorSTHE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This is my Cooking in Color version of a classic summer picnic cake: soft, fruity, subtly sweet, and totally unfussy! You can serve it warm straight from the pan with a scoop of ice cream… or pack it up for a beach day, a backyard cookout, or a Memorial Day potluck. It’s just as good cold the next morning with coffee or matcha—yes, it’s healthy enough for breakfast (just have some protein in addition to this cake please!!)
Why? It’s:
🌿 Blood sugar-friendly – thanks to a balance of healthy fats, protein from almond flour, yogurt and eggs, and slow carbs from arrowroot and fruit
🍯 Naturally sweetened with honey – which I’ve been leaning into more and more lately, not just for the flavor, but for the benefits: raw honey supports gut health, helps fight inflammation, and doesn’t spike blood sugar the way refined sugars do.
🍓 A celebration of strawberry season! This cake is one of the best ways to use up ripe strawberries that are a little too soft to snack on. Mash ’em up, stir them in, and suddenly your cake has a gorgeous jammy swirl built right in.
One of the reasons this cake is so soft and tender is because of the…YOGURT! The Food Lab (you know, Kenji) talks about how acidic dairy like yogurt helps soften gluten-like structures and adds moisture and tang, which is especially helpful in grain-free baking. It’s doing some behind-the-scenes work here to make the cake soft without needing tons of sugar or oil.
Top this cake with whatever ice cream you like, or skip it, it’s delicious solo. if you do add ice cream I recommend organic brands with minimal ingredients such as:
Straus (minimal ingredients, organic)
Alec’s (regenerative and uses A2 dairy, which many find easier to digest)
Ice Cream for Bears (also regenerative, and sweetened only with raw honey)
This will be my go-to summer cake and I hope you love it too!
Yields: 8 servings
Total time: ~45 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
INGREDIENTS
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (plus more for greasing)
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, hulled
2 eggs, whisked
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp honey, allulose, or coconut sugar (I prefer honey)
⅓ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest and juice from 1 lemon (about 1 ½ tbsp juice)
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup almond flour
½ cup arrowroot starch
1 tsp baking powder
Serve with your choice of vanilla ice cream (Straus, Alecs, or Ice Cream for Bears), whipped creme, yogurt, and a little mint (if you have!)
HOW TO DO IT
Prep the pan and preheat:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 9-inch round baking dish with a small amount of butter. Then melt the remaining butter (½ cup total, minus what you used to grease) and set it aside to cool slightly.
Mash the strawberries:
In a small bowl, mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher until they resemble a chunky jam. Stir in 1 tbsp of honey. Set aside to macerate while you make the batter.
Make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted (but slightly cooled) butter, remaining ⅓ cup honey, 2 eggs, ⅓ cup yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest from 1 lemon, and ½ tsp salt until smooth. Add the 1 cup almond flour, ½ cup arrowroot starch, and 1 tsp baking powder, and stir until no lumps remain.
Top with strawberries and bake:
Pour the batter into your prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Top with strawberries.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs!
Cool and serve:
Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing or scooping. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt!! You can also top with a little mint which I love to do!
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
SWAPS:Dairy Free:
Yogurt Swap: Use a thick, unsweetened coconut or cashew yogurt. Look for one with some acidity to help with tenderness. (Cocojune is my favorite.)
Butter Swap: Replace with melted coconut oil or ghee. (Note: coconut oil makes a slightly denser texture; ghee is better if you still tolerate it.)
Sweetener: Swap honey for maple syrup, coconut sugar, or allulose. Coconut sugar will make the cake darker and slightly more caramel-like.
Flour:
For nut-free: Sub sunflower seed flour (watch for greenish tint from baking soda reaction—totally safe) and add 1 tbsp coconut flour.
Can’t do arrowroot? Try tapioca starch or cassava flour (but cassava is more absorbent—reduce by ~1–2 tbsp).
TIPS:Use room temp eggs and yogurt for a smoother, more even batter.
Don’t overbake - check at 30 minutes with a toothpick—look for moist crumbs, not totally dry!
Let it cool at least 10–15 minutes to set fully before slicing.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutritional Info
Per serving, without ice cream
Calories: 257
Carbohydrates: 19g
Fiber: 2g
Net carbs: 17g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 19g
Sodium: 129mg
Sugar: 16g
