Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

Hip hip hooray! A beautiful, wonderful Nikon D90 is on its way to my house as I write to you. As soon as it arrives, the baking will definitely pick up because I will be able to share each and every creation with you! Luckily, my friend Mary lent me her camera so that I could snap a shot or two of this little cake for you, making sure that you had something to keep you going until the arrival of my new baby.

Spring, edging toward summer, weather has officially arrived here. The air smells earthy and green, and the temperature has leveled off at about 70 degrees. I have been taking every opportunity to enjoy it because soon the sticky, unbearable heat of the Charleston summer will set in, and I won't want to step outside before the sun sets.

What better way to enjoy the lovely weather than a garden party. A friend if mine who lives just down the road hosted the most adorable dinner party last night. I knew that she would have the meal covered, so I, of course, offered to bring dessert. I wanted something fun and springy, so I flipped open my new favorite cookbook Apples for Jam, and stumbled upon this cake. I also chose a lemon curd ice cream to accompany it, but unfortunately it was gobbled up before I could get a shot in.

The cake really had so much promise. Buttermilk gives desserts moistness and tang that is always welcome, and I had succulent, fresh blackberries waiting for me in the fridge. I expected that combining the two would result in something greater than its parts. Unfortunately, the cake was a tad dry. Not so dry that it made you choke for water, but still crumblier than I had hoped- I blame it on my oven. The flavor was nice, understated and mellow; when slathered with that luscious lemon curd ice cream, the cake ended up being pretty tasty. Anyway, don't let my mistake deter you. I think that this would have been wonderful had I baked it a few minutes less.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

Makes one 12 by 8 inch cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Scant 1/2 cup superfine sugar

Freshly ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use butter to grease a 12 by 8-inch cake pan and dust it with flour. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside, adding as much nutmeg as you like. Crack the eggs into another bowl and whisk until they lighten. Beat in the buttermilk, the butter, and the lemon zest. Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix everything together with a wooden spoon, but be careful not to over-beat. Spread the batter into your greased cake pan and scatter the blackberries over top. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the blackberries and put the cake into the oven for 25 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the cake to ensure that it doesn't bake too long. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!

More Berry Cakes

Berry Surprise Cake

Easy Berry Butter Cake

Berry Pound Cake