Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Ok. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. Discuss. It's a great topic. What's your favorite kind? As much as I love chocolate, I think there's just something amazing about a good citrus cake.
While this isn't a citrus or chocolate cake, it is still good. It's super moist and would be great for breakfast with tea or coffee. I made it the night before. I believe it's even moist enough to be made a day or two earlier than that. Best of all, it's simple to make, which is why they call it an everyday cake. The recipe is from the blog Smitten Kitchen, which is quite good. Their version is made with just raspberries, but suggests that you can use any berry you like. If you want the prettier, more uniform presentation of smitten's blog, a berry like the raspberry or blackberry would be the way to go. I chose to use the rest of the bag of frozen mixed berries, which may not have looked as good, but still tasted great. The one qualm I have with the recipe is that it lists the lemon zest as optional. It is NOT optional. I might say up it from 1/2 tsp to a whole tsp. I left it out and regret it. Don't get me wrong, the cake was still good. It just would have been better.
Here's the recipe:
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three 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 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 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.
Make your own buttermilk: No need to buy buttermilk especially for this or any recipe. Add one teaspoon tablespoon [updated, as an astute reader pointed out that the larger amount is more common] of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit until it clabbers, about 10 minutes. Voila, buttermilk!
This idea of everyday cake intrigues me. I usually relegate it to the weekend or a special occasion, partially because my idea of cake usually involves icing. Making it for just a weeknight just because sounds great to me. Do you guys have your own version of an everyday cake or a great everyday meal? My "everyday" meal is the super fast chicken quesadilla with precooked chicken and canned black beans and pre-diced tomatoes. Special trick: use low fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Seriously. I learned this one from some random website (probably from delish). It works. And it's waaaaaaaay less bad for you.
