When life gives you old strawberries…

I’m not a fruit person, generally, but in the summer when so much produce is peaking, I start to crave it more. Which means that when I’m at the store, I sometimes buy random fruit without a plan.

Last Sunday, it was a pint of strawberries. They looked so ripe and ready, so what do I do? Nothing. I let them sit in my fridge for a week until they got beyond ripe, but not yet rotten. They were sort of squishy and starting to shrivel, BUT I found a way to rescue them. And not to brag too much, but they are living their best life now.

Jerrelle Guys’ Strawberry Spoon Cake via NYT Cooking is perfect if you have fresh or frozen strawberries, whether they’re normal (because you’re responsible) or too ripe (like me).

This cake is soft and warm with syrupy and jammy pockets. You literally eat it with a spoon - no slices here - and it doesn’t even require eggs. Also, no modifications from me, I followed the recipe exactly and am really happy with it.

Jerrelle says it best in the intro: “The batter comes together quickly with minimal effort, using basic pantry ingredients and a small handful of berries - frozen or fresh.”