Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

This is a great recipe to use up a small amount of fresh berries that you may have on hand. I had about a cup of blackberries left from the ones that the owner of the ballet studio where I take class gave me. Most fruit desserts require a lot more than a cup so I was on the hunt for a recipe that used a small amount. I came across this cake and it was just perfect. I was in the mood to bake a cake anyway!

This cake’s batter is very easy to make, not much more complex than putting together a cake mix. Don’t skip the fresh lemon zest in the batter as it adds such a great flavor. Berries can be so fragile, too, but for this cake you just put the berries on top of the batter and the cake bakes up around them. I was thankful for that as my berries were on the ripe side and if I would have mixed them in it would have been a big blackberry mess. The cake baked beautifully and came out of the pan perfectly. I took it to work to have a nice morning coffee treat and it was really well received. It’s perfect with coffee or tea, and has just the right amount of sweet for a coffee cake.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.  In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Then beat in the lemon zest and the egg.

With the mixer on low, mix in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter the berries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake is golden. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the cake pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe from Shop. Cook. Make.