Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

So all summer long I've basically just been stealing off Smitten Kitchen, and particularly earlier in the summer I got on a kick of making her raved about snacking cakes-- the rhubarb snacking cake, the blueberry boy bait, and most recently the dimply plum cake-- only to be an ungrateful beggar and go on to say how ho-hum I felt about them. Two more of her standards remained in my box of recipes to try, and I don't know that I would have tried this one except that we had a) raspberries and b) buttermilk and c) the need for an easy dessert for dinner with friends. Even with that alignment of stars, it was still with begrudgement that I made this cake. And then--- then! It was actually really good. All she said it would be. All worthy of starting the snack cake craze. So I guess I am reconciled to Smitten Kitchen and her snack cakes and after all, and who knows, I might go about trying the strawberry snacking cake before this summer is through after all. That is, if I can get away from this one. We still have raspberries and more buttermilk, and the Robber, with his big Robber eyes, has been asking for more.

Originally from Gourmet Magazine 2009, adapted by Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/

Ingredients:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 C. plus 1 1/2 T. sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (or the rind of one smaller lemon)

1 large egg

1/2 C. well-shaken buttermilk

1 C. (about 6 oz.) fresh raspberries 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. 

3. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 C. sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. 

5. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 T. sugar (I used cinnamon sugar.)

6. 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.

Note: All the raspberries are downward will be swallowed by the batter and sink to the bottom. The ones where the o is upward stay empty, like cups, and swim closer to the top. Both are delicious.