Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Raspberries

Raspberries are one of the best things about summer. The week they finally show up at the farmers’ market, I find myself handing over four dollars for a single pint, because let’s face it, the fragile beauties are never cheap, whether they’re grown locally or not.


It’s not hard to eat them up, either – straight from a bowl to my mouth by the handful, scattered on top of my cereal in the morning, cooked with a little sugar and water into a lovely syrup for my weekend pancakes or vanilla ice cream. But I also love them baked. They go great with blueberries and blackberries for a cobbler, crisp, or pie.


I’d never tried them in cake until I happened across a recipe for Raspberry Buttermilk Cake on Smitten Kitchen. I was actually looking for a way to use the buttermilk left over from making my own butter, and the photo was too good to pass up. So I riffed my own version. Not having any lemons in the house to zest, I doubled the amount of vanilla instead.


This is what Smitten Kitchen calls an “everyday cake,” meaning you bake it in a single round pan, it contains simple ingredients you probably have on hand, requires no frosting, and comes out perfect every time. It’s light and moist and speckled with delightful bursts of raspberry. It’s fabulous in the morning with a cup of coffee, too, not just as dessert.


If you don’t have raspberries on hand, try blackberries, blueberries, chunks of strawberries or peaches, or a combination of any of the above.


Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Raspberries


Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and place rack in center. Grease a nine-inch round pan with spray oil or butter.


In a medium bowl, whisk together:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Using an electric mixer, cream together:


1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup raw sugar


Add to butter mixture and mix well:
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk)


Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a half cupful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour into the prepared pan. Arrange raspberries on top, pressing each one down slightly into the batter. Sprinkle generously with more raw sugar and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from pan. Cut into wedges and serve. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream are wonderful alongside.