Sunday Afternoon Buttermilk Berry Cake

Sunday afternoon. Warm, sunny, happy, quiet, lazy. The anticipation of a good meal and being together. It doesn't matter the weather - for me Sunday afternoons are 'sunny' and just about the best part of the week. 

Saturday evening I made a buttermilk cake with strawberries for dessert. So good. So good in fact that I  had to make it again Sunday afternoon. This time with blueberries and strawberries (not having enough strawberries on account of the cake the night before). A simple cake full of ripe berry goodness and topped with a crisp sugary crunch, it is pretty (in a home-y way) but it is the first bite - oh ya...... the sighs from around the table are very gratifying. Yup - it's very good. And very fast. And easy.

Buttermilk Berry Cake

(adapted from Gourmet Magazine June 2009)

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh berries

Butter and flour a 9" cake pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes - until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

Mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk - beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.

Scrape batter into pan and smooth top. Scatter berries evenly over the top and sprinkle with  2 tbsp sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cake is golden. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Cool 10-15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

It's hard to wait for dinner - and sometimes harder still to wait for dessert. A good book helps :)..... a little bit.....for a minute.