raspberry buttermilk cake

Since we're still getting to know each other, I'll clue you in now: I love putting fresh fruit in just about everything. Every chocolate cake is topped off with fresh berries and a berry sauce or glaze. Every cake or bread or bar and even some cookies end up full of fruit.

A large part of this is because of my mother's garden. She grows fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, and every summer she brings home bounties of fresh mangoes and nectarines from the markets at Chinatown. My sister and I grew up with plums as desserts rather than popsicles or cakes.

I'm also a huge fan of non-fussy cake recipes. Tiramisu and dobos torte may very well be exciting recipes, especially in the interest of new challenges, but a simple berry cake with a delicious lid of sliced almonds and carmelized brown sugar that can be whipped together and baked with the minimal amount of stress is my favorite thing to bake. Especially when there's no annoying cake layers or frosting to fret over.

(Yes, that's Smiley Fork in the background!)

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
adapted from smitten kitchen, originally adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

I chose to double this recipe, since I knew I was going to be baking in a much larger pan. Technically, my cake is actually a combination of raspberry and cranberries, but since the raspberries were fresh and the cranberries frozen, the fresh berries sang through much better than the red puddles the cranberries turned into. Although two cups were just lovely, it's my very strong opinion that at least 3 cups of fruit would do this recipe a favor.

As is my wont to do, I ended up "fiddling" with the recipe, and I failed to write down any notes or even bothered to measure. I used a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar in the recipe itself, which is why it came out considerably darker and browner than the original. I also had leftover ingredients from whatever thing I made last weekend, and so those items also found their way into my cake. The recipe that follows, therefore, is my best estimation.


2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 stick of butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
2 large eggs

1 cup well shaken buttermilk
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (optional, though recommended!)
2 cups fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x13 baking pan.

Whisk (or sift) together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla and zest. Add eggs and beat very well. Mix in mascarpone cheese.

Mix flour and buttermilk in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour. On the third batch of flour, add the fruit so that they can be covered in the flour mixture (this helps them stay put in the cake, instead of drifting to the bottom). Mix until it is just combined, then pour batter into your prepared pan.

Mix together sliced almonds, sugar and cinnamon, then cover the top of the cake in an even layer.

Bake until the cake is golden or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, roughly 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan, then move to a rack and cool until warm (or, if you're impatient like me, eat immediately after coming out of the oven, served with vanilla ice cream).

Notes:
- This cake is baked slower and at a lower temperature than the original recipe calls for. If you're in a crunch for time, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- I did not use buttermilk, instead opting to make my own using regular milk and a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit until it begins to clot.