Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

I love an excuse to use blueberries in a recipe, so when I saw this buttermilk cake on Smitten Kitchen, I knew it would be mine.

Plus, it doesn't require icing or tart shells or pastry cream, and I needed something to take to the restaurant fast.

A couple days ago, the bread baker at the restaurant told me that a man who owns a good restaurant downtown had a piece of this cake, and pronouced it perfect in every way.

I doubled the batch and made MUFFINS. They were all gone in about 5 minutes, thanks to the husband. And this man is picky when it comes to baked goods. I am not so picky. If no one else eats it, then I take it upon myself to finish the job. Anyway, I'm glad when Eric takes one for the team and consumes the calories himself.

I used frozen fruit this time. The fruit crazing on the tops of the muffins was just lovely. Like little maps of rivers and lakes.

Recipe

found on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Gourmet Mag, June 2009

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
• At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
• Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar.
• Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 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.