Strawberry-Almond Cornmeal Cake

Ingredients

• ½ cup raw skin-on almonds
• 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup cornmeal
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ounces almond paste
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled, half halved, half quartered
• Powdered sugar (for serving)
• A 9" springform pan

Steps

1. Pulse almonds in a food processor until about the size of grains of rice. Add strawberries and pulse to a coarse powder. Add flour, sugar, and salt and pulse just to blend. Add butter and process until no dry spots remain.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, break up almond paste in a large bowl until crumbly. Add sugar and butter and mix until blended, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well to incorporate after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients.
3. Scrape batter into pan; scatter strawberries over top, followed by clumps of crumble. Bake cake until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 80–90 minutes. Let cool in pan before unmolding. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
4. Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.