Make this cake. Seriously. Just make this cake. You will not be sorry.
When I came across this recipe in the June 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine, I bookmarked it. It was under their Quick Every Day section. So I figured it would be a quick and easy dessert to make at some point.
Then I saw the cake posted on Smitten Kitchen's blog. Her photographs looked so tempting, showing much more of the raspberries than the cake in the magazine. Since I had just picked up half a flat of fresh raspberries from the Farmers Market (it was towards the end of the day and they were going for a buck a pint), I decided to make this cake that night.
It's a very light cake, perfect for a summer dessert. Simple. Quick. It looks good. It tastes good. It tastes really good. Trust me, you need to make this cake. And don't be afraid of the buttermilk. I'm not normally a fan of the stuff but in baked goods like this it works really well and you don't taste it.
RASPBERRY BUTTERMILK CAKE
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5-oz)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. Serves 6
Note: Recipe says you can substitute any sweet, juicy berries for the raspberries.
Note: Do check out Smitten Kitchens modified recipe here. She added some grated lemon zest (which I also added), gives some clearer directions on what to do, and shortens the cooking time (I guess some of her readers found the 25-30 minute baking time too long. I cooked mine 25 minutes). She also gives directions on how to make your own buttermilk if you don't want to buy some. She gives a hint of how to "scatter" the raspberries which made sense and is what I followed.
Note: I used more than a cup of raspberries.
This was so delicious. It was very moist. Not too sweet and I loved it. Make me some more!
Posted by: Mom | June 18, 2009 at 01:07 PM
Oh man! This looks SO GOOD. I am seriously adding buttermilk and raspberries to my grocery list, right now. Gotta try it!
Posted by: Shannon | June 18, 2009 at 09:21 PM
As a member of the "I don't make pie crust" society, I find great appeal in this recipe!
Posted by: Louise | June 18, 2009 at 10:19 PM
What a beautiful summer dessert! Berries are my favorite part of summer, and I am always looking for new ways to use them. I wonder if a combo of raspberries and strawberries would be good. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Deseree | June 19, 2009 at 01:36 PM
So we kept thinking that this cake was part of a baking challenge because so many folks have tried it over the last couple of weeks. Yours looks pretty perfecto. Nice berry placement!
Posted by: The Duo Dishes | June 19, 2009 at 02:14 PM
found you through the foodieblogroll and your site and recipes looks great.I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add this foodista widget to this post and it's all set to go, Thanks!
Posted by: Alisa@Foodista | June 21, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I definitely think I need to make this cake! Bookmarking!
Posted by: Barbara | June 22, 2009 at 10:29 AM
i made this yesterday morning for father's day brunch at my house. used blueberries AND raspberries. used 8" pan (it's all i had), so i lowered the temp after 10 minutes and cooked five min longer. came out great, everyone loved it. want to try with strawberries next!
Posted by: NotSoccer Mom | June 22, 2009 at 01:55 PM
Mom - Don't worry, I'll be making this all summer with different fruits.
Shannon - Let me know when you've made it and how it turned out.
Louise - That was part of the beauty of the recipe, not a lot of work for awesome taste.
Deseree - Oh raspberries and strawberries sounds good!
The Duo Dishes - The cake definitely has hit the interwebs, but that's because it's worth it.
Barbara - Trust me (I know I know) but really, it's very good.
NotSoccer Mom - I'm so glad you liked it! And I too, can't wait to try it with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, combos...
Posted by: Mrs. L | June 22, 2009 at 08:44 PM
I've seen this cake all over the blogosphere and have decided to bake it, for sure. Thanks for reminding me! (Also liked the note about using more raspberries... a girl after my own heart :-P)
Posted by: emiglia | June 24, 2009 at 08:05 AM
I made this cake with blueberries (my dad can't eat raspberries because of the seeds). We had the leftovers for a snack the next morning. It wasn't Hobee's coffeecake but darned good.
Posted by: Andrea | July 01, 2009 at 11:53 AM