Strawberry Swirl Cake (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Cake Batter

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup sour cream or buttermilk
10 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, pureed

→ Strawberry Glaze

11 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree
13 - 1 teaspoon milk (more as needed for desired consistency)

# Instructions:

01 - Start by heating your oven to 350°F (175°C). While that's warming up, grab a 9-inch round cake pan and either grease and flour it or line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
02 - In a bowl, toss together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk. Just a quick mix to make sure everything's evenly distributed - nothing fancy here!
03 - In a bigger bowl, beat your softened butter and sugar together until it's light, fluffy, and looks almost whipped - about 3 minutes if you're using an electric mixer. This step adds air to the batter, so don't rush it!
04 - Drop in those eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one disappears into the batter. Pour in the vanilla and give it another good mix. The batter should look smooth and creamy by now.
05 - Now comes the delicate part! Add about a third of your flour mixture to the butter mixture, then stir in some of the sour cream. Keep alternating - flour, sour cream, flour, sour cream, ending with flour. Mix just enough to combine after each addition - overmixing now leads to a tough cake later!
06 - Scoop out about 1/4 cup of your cake batter and set it aside in a small bowl. Mix in the strawberry puree until it's a pretty pink color. Now for the fun part - pour most of your plain batter into the cake pan, add dollops of the strawberry batter on top, and use a knife to gently swirl it all together. Think of it like you're making art - no need to mix it completely!
07 - Slide your pan into the preheated oven and let it bake for 30-35 minutes. You'll know it's done when the kitchen smells amazing and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cake rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a cooling rack.
08 - While your cake is cooling down completely, stir together the powdered sugar, fresh strawberry puree, and just enough milk to make a smooth, pourable glaze. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to drizzle.
09 - Once your cake is totally cool (patience!), drizzle that gorgeous pink glaze all over the top. Let it naturally flow down the sides for that effortlessly beautiful look. If you're feeling fancy, add a few fresh strawberry slices on top.

# Notes:

01 - This cake tastes even better the day after baking, once the strawberry flavor has had time to develop throughout the cake.
02 - For the most vibrant strawberry flavor, try to use in-season, ripe strawberries. If using frozen strawberries, thaw and drain them well before pureeing.

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