Buttermilk Raspberry Cake

So last week was crazy, and I didn't get to do much cooking or baking. I hate those kinds of weeks. So does my husband, because it means he lives on soup and bagels all week.

I didn't have to work on Sunday though, and I figured it was the perfect day to make this recipe I've had my eye on from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen for the past few weeks.

Buttermilk Raspberry Cake.



Doesn't that sound amazing? Well, if you don't like raspberries, it probably doesn't, but I happen to adore raspberries, so it sounded awesome to me. What makes it even better? The fact that raspberries were on sale for 99 cents a carton at Kroger. Seriously, I really wanted to buy like 5 cartons, but I restrained myself and only got two. One for the cake, and one for snacking.



This cake is insanely simple to make, and aside from the raspberries, I had all the ingredients already in my pantry. I love it when something comes together like that.

Ingredients Needed:
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tbsp, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg*
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest(optional)
1/2 cup shaken buttermilk**
1 cup fresh raspberries***

To make:

Preheat oven to 400, and grease and flour a 9 inch round baking dish(and really grease that sucker). In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside.
In a larger bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy(about 2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and vanilla, then beat in egg.
At low speed, mix in the flour in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk but ending and beginning with the flour. Flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Easy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Scatter the raspberries, or make a pattern with them, doesn't really matter. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 tbsp sugar over the cake before baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if you've got it...it's sensational.



* So...the egg. I almost forgot to add the egg to this. I was just about to pour the batter into the pan when I realized that the batter just didn't look right. I turned my head to look at the laptop screen, and saw the egg still sitting on the counter, just chilling. I added the egg at that point, and the cake still turned out great.

**You can make your own buttermilk, instead of having to buy it. This is awesome, since buttermilk only seems to come in large cartons, and you only need 1/2 cup. Just add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let sit for about 10 minutes, and voila! buttermilk.

*** You can use other berries here...blackberries, blueberries, cut up peaches, strawberries, nectarines. Pretty much any fruit you like would be good in this.

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