This cake isn’t really a blackberry buttermilk cake. It’s true name should be more along the lines of “[Insert Berry Type Here] Buttermilk Cake,” because you can use any and every type of berry, or even fruit, in this recipe.

I made this cake THREE DIFFERENT TIMES during my vacation (which was only 10 days long). First Banana and I made it at her house; we had a blonde moment and forgot to butter and flour the pan… we ended up with more of a “rustic” cake (“rustic” = “broken in half when we tried getting it out the pan”). Then I made it at my parents’ house with blueberries (that’s what we already had), and then I made it AGAIN for company at my parents’ beach house later that week, using blackberries. Pretty impressive, no? You’re viewing the efforts of my last attempt.

This cake is simple, quick, and cheap. Assuming you have some berries or fruit laying around, or you can pick some up quickly on your way home, you could make this cake in less than an hour, cooking time included.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk (see Note Below)
• 1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)

Preparation:

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. 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.