As you may have guessed, I have a serious soft spot for everyday cakes.* I call them Dinner Party Cakes. Or Potluck Cakes. Or I Heard You Were Coming and So I Baked You a Cake, cakes. Or If You Bake a Cake, The People Will Come cakes, as a fresh-from-the-oven cake has a way of drawing friends around your coffee table on an otherwise blah Monday night. Home baked goods are magical like that.
This one was no exception. (Well, except for the part where the preggo in the audience may have fallen asleep before actually telling people when to ring the doorbell. But let’s not talk about that.) I saw it in Gourmet last week and it sounded so deliciously summery, I was “fixin'” (as my friend Molly says) to bake it immediately. Alas, I’m still convinced my new kitchen conspires against me, as this time the oven which had been working a whole 36 hours before had mysteriously stopped (Said “mystery” turned out to be a pilot light that needed re-lighting. What? I’m new here, okay?) and I had to wait a whole four days to actually get to this.
It was totally worth the wait. The cake is ridiculously simple, takes no time at all to assemble or bake (especially if you discover that your newly-lit oven runs ridiculously hot and spits out an almost-toasted cake in just over half the suggested time, not that I recommend this) and is therefore just perfect for your upcoming long weekend (or Tuesday night) as it will not keep you from it. I already told you, it’s magic.
Two years ago: Cellophane Noodle Salad with Roast Pork… promise me you’ll make this on the grill this weekend, m’kay?
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
- 1 cup (135 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (55 grams or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (130 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) sugar, divided
- Finely grated zest of half a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) well-shaken buttermilk
- 1 cup (5 ounces or 140 grams) fresh raspberries
Whisk dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt — together in a small-to-medium bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter, 2/3 cup of the sugar, and zest together with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluff. Add vanilla and egg and beat until well-combined.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see neurotic note, below) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
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 to serve in wedges.
A few notes, refreshed in 2023:
- The baking time was updated and shortened shortly after publication, after so many of you concurred that this cake bakes crazy quickly.
- Directions like “scatter” [for the raspberries] always scare me. Where’s the science? Here’s what my neuroses taught us: the ones that were downward were almost all swallowed by the batter. The “o” ones stayed empty, like cups. Both were delicious.
- Make your own almost-buttermilk: No need to buy buttermilk especially for this or any recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (easily extracted from your zested lemon half) to one cup of milk and let it sit until it clabbers, about 10 minutes. Voila, a perfect buttermilk substitute!
- My raspberries come from the store in 6-ounce packages and I never regret using the whole amount here.
- These days I “one-bowl” almost every cake but haven’t updated this recipe accordingly. Should you be lazy like me, beat the butter, sugar, and zest in a big bowl. Add the vanilla and egg. Sprinkle the surface of the batter with the salt, baking powder, and baking soda and beat it well to thoroughly combine/disperse it. Add half the flour (eyeball it), the buttermilk, and the remaining flour, beating after each edition until just combined. Then continue with the pouring and baking instructions above.
Oh great, I much rather use the grams than the cups! i’m very messy, and it’s way easier to put sugar in a big bowl on a scale than in a tiny cup (in this case, half the sugar goes on my kitchen counter…!). Great idea Deb!!
yummy!
I love your site! it’s my no. 1 food blog
UM – I am definitely making this for my long weekend! I read in one of my America’s Test Kitchen books that the buttermilk you make from the powder is almost as good as real buttermilk, so I won’t even have to go to the store & buy a whole thing of buttermilk!
Why is it that the recipes with veggies here I always think “That looks good” but never make… but the dessert recipes are too tempting to stay away from!!
Kelly — You can make your own buttermilk. Now updated.
Ooh! it looks so good and so so so easy!!
I just made this over the weekend but haven’t had a chance to post about it yet– loved it! It’s so easy, delicious and stayed moist for the three days my husband and I nibbled on it.
A cake loving girl after my own heart! This looks divine and I will be making it very soon!!
Lovely, lovely, lovely. I could use a piece of this right about now.
So yummy! I used dehydrated buttermilk and it turned out lovely, but will definitely use fresh next time! Definitely going to be a new staple for our family of 6!
One question – I live in a *high* humidity climate (30a)…it didn’t turn out quite as fluffy, but I measured correctly and had all fresh soda/powder. Any suggestions on how to combat humidity outside of moving?
Um, yum. This cake is all win. Too bad I can’t make it because it would only be me eating it… and I can’t have a whole cake laying around my house. Definitely the first cake to be made as soon as I have guests!
Many cakes freeze pretty well – at least, pound cakes or others without frosting. So if you want to make it for yourself go ahead, portion it and freeze all of the portions except the one(s) you are going to eat in the next day or so.
I am single, retired and often bake more than I can eat. I take one slice out of a cake and take the rest to one of my hardworking fellow nurses with husbands and children, always telling them I’m coming just before I get there. They never say no and the mothers especially are always so grateful. It’s great fun to help these young families out.
I love this. Thank you for your service!
I am single, retired and often bake more than I can eat. I take one slice out of a cake and take the rest to one of my hardworking fellow nurses with husbands and children, always telling them I’m coming just before I get there. They never say no and the mothers especially are always so grateful. It’s great fun to help these young families out.
This will probably make me sound ridiculous…
But can this cake still be done without an electric mixer, or is that totally necessary? (Full disclosure: newly married and don’t have a mixer… sigh.)
Yes, you can totally make it without a mixer. However, expect to get a workout beating ingredients rogether.
oh my heavens this looks fantastic! And easy is always appreciated, can’t wait to make it!
Sarah — Any cake can be made with just a whisk and no electric mixer. It’s just a lot more elbow grease, and making sure that all of those bits are nicely incorporated.
A — I didn’t convert, I simply measured and then weighed each ingredient. There are plenty of online converters (such as the one here), but if you’re looking for one, agreed-upon answer to the “what does a cup of flour weigh” question, you won’t find it.
Shelly — Absolutely. Berries freeze great, especially blueberries.
So…I want to start weighing my ingredients instead of measuring…but how do you do the converting? Do you keep a handy chart of conversions? Won’t things be different as in 1 cup flour equals 130 grams but 1 cup sugar will equal a different amount of grams? Help!
Looks delicious by the way! So want some cake right now.
Do you think this would work with frozen fruit? My parents have tons of blueberry bushes and I need to use up my frozen blueberries from last year to make room for this year’s berries in my freezer.
I always buy raspberries and freeze them and I’ve used frozen blueberries too. So yes, definitely! I’ve made this cake more times than I can possibly remember. I’ve used fresh fruit frozen fruit, and so many varieties of fruit and berries & mixed them all up. Everyone loves them, even friends who are not huge fans of sweets.
My favorite though will always b.f e this variation!
Everyday cakes! I love the concept, and the cake looks delicious.
I’m definitely making this over the weekend. Thanks so much!!
This looks delicious! And easy! I love raspberries and cake so I will definitely be trying this one! Thank you!
THANK YOU! for the wheighing part – your European readers are all baking this cake at the very moment, can you smell it from your side of the water?
I just made a blueberry cake from donna hay and was in love with the way it tasted one and even two days later.
I must try this one.
Mmmmm my two favorite things – cake and raspberries. Definitely bookmarking this one.
This looks so amazing! I can’t wait to try it… as soon as I buy a house and have a kitchen! Yum!
I’m strawberry picking tomorrow! I have half of a quart of fresh buttermilk in the fridge!
We are a family of five, and to avoid fighting amongst my bunch, I need a bigger cake. Can I double the recipe? How much baking time would I add?
ooooo, looks delicious and is on my list for the local strawberry haul we have.
Although, having such a strong sweet tooth means any cake is an everyday cake.
This looks delicious and so easy. I’m getting cherries in my CSA box this week…maybe I’ll try it with them (pitted of course).
Yum!! This looks heavenly! I just bought some buttermilk over the weekend so I’m going to have to try this!
This is too funny. I googled buttermilk recipes because of the leftover of the half gallon I bought for the ice cream and found two people who blogged one like this. Then I come back to you again and wow. Only have a few bites of ice cream left though. Hmm. Your cake looks wonderful fresh. I am thinking I need an ode to buttermilk file. Is pie next?
I love to bake with buttermilk but often throw away half of it. Wish it was available in smaller sizes (1 litre is smallest)
You can actually freeze extra buttermilk. And also, this is a bit contentious, but I ignore buttermilk expiration dates. Unless it’s (sorry for the imagery) chunky, it’s not bad and will work fine. I keep mine for sometimes two months in the fridge. Finally, you can also use yogurt or sour cream here. I’d thin it with a little milk.
I too ignore buttermilk dates. I just keep itvdtashed in thecplrest corner of the fridge.
Hi! Excited to try this. Can I use nut milk to make the buttermilk?
I made the “buttermilk” with oat milk (Oatly brand) and it worked great! I’m guessing that means nut milks would work too
One bowl, one pan, one beautiful little manageable-quantity cake. Love it. Cannot wait to try this.
this sounds amazing
This sounds wonderful! When ever I see a new recipe on your site my whole day improves. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks so much.
This looks so comforting and delicious. I often have buttermlik on hand and we always have frozen berries…thank you!
This looks delightful. I always have tons of fresh buttermilk on hand and I’m always looking for ways to use it. When blackberries are ripe this summer I’ll have to give this recipe a go. MMMMMM.
This looks so lovely – and perfect for using up smaller amounts of buttermilk that always seem to have lurking in the fridge. And yes, the weights are very handy – especially for those ‘sticks’ of butter which are much smaller than the blocks we have here. Thank you!
I don’t have raspberries but I trust in the power of blueberries! And I really love that you post the recipes in grams too <3
Love the idea of every day cakes — no need to hassle with frosting and most of the ingredients already in the pantry. Perfect for those after-work weeknight cake cravings! Thanks for this
I used 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 cake flower and it tasted lovely
I know you said that either way, the berries taste delicious, but which way makes them look prettier? Point facing down or up?
I’ll try it with blueberries, looks so delicious! and one more with raspberries… and one more with… Stop! All the family is comming back home tomorow evening (long weekend here in France), they will LOVE it (and me too!)
this is in the oven as we speak — i made it with chunks of strawberries. can’t wait!
Mmmmm! I will be making this, probably with blackberries. My boyfriend is concerned that it looks a lot like a scone – he can’t stand scones because of how dry they are, but loooves cakes. Where does this fall on the dry/scone to moist/cake scale? I need to reassure him! (Truth is…I’ll be making it anyway)
How pretty! We are not huge fans of raspberrys at my house … we are more blueberry people. This cake seems like it could be made with a variety of berries and be delish! Or, a mixture of berries. And maybe a drizzle of lemony flat icing! Yum!
Looks lovely! I think a slice with a dab of lemon curd paired with a hot cup of tea would be heavenly.
Thanks for sharing this! I just wanted to say I usually delete blogs when they switch to partial feeds but I think you do it well. You give me enough to read and see in the feed. If I like the looks of it (like today), I can click through for the recipe! So well done! You continue to rock. :)
I think that would make a perfect cake for my Mother’s 81st birthday.
I made the Big Crumb Coffee cake this past weekend (it was sublime) but went overboard with my rhubarb purchase. I have a large stick and a half left. Do you think I could top this cake with the rhubar/sugar/ginger mixture from the coffee cake recipe, instead of berries?
Thanks!
Oh wow. And I was juuuust wondering what to do with the leftover buttermilk in the fridge!!! :D
This sounds so perfect; I use a similar recipe for apple cake but with more batter and thin slices of apples stuck straight in. Oh, I am making it (the raspberry one) tomorrow!
Oooh, thank you so much for the homemade buttermilk instructions! I always end up shying away from buttermilk recipes…thinking “I’ll have to get some and make all of these recipes” and never actually buying any. But I always have tons of regular milk. Hooray!
hmmm…wonder how cherries would turn out? It’s the only fruit in the house right now, and I have all the other ingredients. Pregnant + need for cake now now now. haha
ohhooo.. whee. sounds like we’re having cake tomorrow for breakfast! what a great way to start a wed morning in the office!
Along the lines of the electric mixer question (also trying not to sound ridiculous)…
Is it possible to use one of those handheld, stick-style mixers for these types of cakes?
Not married and haven’t reaped the benefits of a gift registry yet. Thanks!
Re: mixers — I haven’t tried to use the mixer in an immersion blender, it’s worth trying, I suppose. Or just mixing everything by hand. Like our grandmothers did.
Anita — I don’t see why not but let us know how it goes if you try it. You might chop it into smaller pieces so it bakes faster, since this cake bakes in less time than the crumb cake.
Heather — I mentioned in the recipe notes that this cake is both moist and light. It’s nothing like a scone.
Emily — Like I said in the note, the downward facing raspberries were largely buried, so it’s hard to say which is “prettier”. Just toss them on there and I’m sure it will be lovely, however they land.
Thanks for the buttermilk tip – I never normally see it in the shops over here in the UK, now I can go back through your buttermilk-centric recipes with glee! I’ve got into the habit of using cups now with your recipes so it’ll be weird to do this with weighing – though my scales aren’t snazzy enough to measure 2 grams!
I am SO bookmarking this one.
I am a buttermilk lover and must weigh in on the substitute method. Adding acid to milk will make the recipe work, but I think the end product rarely tastes as good as using a cultured buttermilk. If you can manage to wait(and this recipe makes me not want to wait) buy it and then use the rest to make buttermilk biscuits, bran muffins, pancakes,waffles, cornbread. You won’t regret it. The bran muffin recipe I use isn’t even worth baking unless you use cultured buttermilk. We go thorugh half a gallon of buttermilk per month in my house we think it is just that good.
Yay for everyday cakes!!!
What a beautiful golden color! It looks so good with the fresh raspberries! Can’t wait to buy some at the local stand:)
Deb, thanks for giving the weights. I’d love it if you could do that with other dessert recipes. Can’t wait to try this.
okay first, I’m jealous that your June “Gourmet” has already arrived. it always takes longer to get down here!
second, there’s a recipe a lot like this in Gourmet’s “Everyday Recipes” (the first one), but it’s an upside-down cake with blackberries–SO GOOD. so I feel like I can vouch for how yummy this one is without even having tried it!
half a stick of butter!!!
i am making it tonight!!!!
it looks so delicious!
Seriously..this has to be my favourite post of your so far…It looks incredibly delicious!
Do you think it could be made in a springform pan so that you don’t have to invert it? I would rather not invert it because I’d like the top to stay on top – seems it would be much prettier and would taste better too.
Hi Deb, this cake looks wonderful! Have you ever tried making perpetual buttermilk?
You start with a couple tablespoons of cultured buttermilk in a clean glass jar and fill it with milk(low fat milk works great!) and leave it out on your counter overnight or unitl it gets thick like buttermilk! So Easy! When you start to get low add more milk and leave out again. I haven’t bought buttermilk in a year and it tastes great
I make a cake like this one, but with cream cheese and no buttermilk (and a few other minor changes)—it’s so simple and sophisticated and elegant and everyday-ish. The perfect cake (which I’ve forgotten about until I saw this recipe).
And now you’ve given us another cake, mmm. I’m loaded with last year’s red raspberries, so the inspiration is appreciated.
(I bought goat cheese when I was at the store last night so I could make the asparagus pasta dish—can’t wait.)
Ok… stupid question alert. I don’t have a cake pan. So can I use a springform pan? Or will the batter leak ?
oops, someone already asked this question before me. :) any answers out there? hello world? Thanks in advance! :D
nubie to your blog here…I am a dad who likes to cook…not sure how if found your blog, but I like it…what do you think of using whole wheat flour instead of the white flour…you, health and all…
This looks fantastic, thank you. I love buttermilk – so creamy and yet pretty low in fat – and this recipe looks quick and easy. I’ll be throwing strawberries into mine – raspberries are wonderful but extortionately expensive here.
Kim: I’d wrap the base of your pan (from the outside) tightly in alfoil to prevent leaks if you must use a springform.
I haven’t had my coffee yet this morning so I apologise for any nonsensicalness. Is that even a word?
Is there such a thing as a non-dairy buttermilk substitute? Blasphemous, I know, but I have a lactose-intolerant fiance, so it can’t be helped. Would the vinegar/lemon juice trick work with soymilk?
Looking at this recipie ages later, from the land of 2016, I have to say, my lactose-intolerant husband eats buttermilk (cultured) just fine. The bacteria eat up the lactose. But, different people have different levels of sensitivity of course.
It just has such a great look to it once it’s cut. A big glass of milk on the side, and we’re set.
Just wanted to say thanks for keeping your RSS feed posts looking reasonable – you’ve struck a good balance between keeping the lousy content thieves off your site and still making folks who use feed readers happy. Merci beaucoup.
(And also: this looks delish and I will be making it soon!)
Holly, The vinegar trick absolutely works with soymilk, though I prefer the milder flavors of rice, almond or oat milk (closest to being milky,in my opinion) for baking. I’ve never used lemon juice, but I’m sure it would work too. I too am lactose intolerant, but I love to bake, so I have figured out a bunch of ways to avoid milk in baking… and I can pretty much never tell the difference. So far, I’ve only been stumped by creme brulee, vanilla pudding,cheesecake, or other desserts that showcase milk, but I will keep trying. :-)
Thanks Rachel!
Man, that looks SO good. I see a blueberry version in my very near future…
What type of weight scale would you suggest as being the best for baking?
I was thinking of buying one that has a container to put the ingredients in.
Last week, I was fantasizing over this recipe for Salt-kissed Buttermilk Cake
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/saltkissed-buttermilk-cake-recipe.html
I think its time to try one. I have all the ingredients for yours on hand. I can’t wait to try it.
Delicious! Raspberries aren’t in season in Washington yet, but I can be patient :)
I have a similar recipe with cherries and it’s one of favorites around the house. It’s definitely one of those I Heard You Were Coming So I Baked You a Cake cake.
I baked it!
Yum, that was good. Just had my first slice. Baking time in my convection oven at 390 was 20 minutes. My raspberries sank out of view entirely. I am even more scared of impreciseness, so I made a pattern and gave them each a little tap into the batter. Next time I’ll just scatter and be done with it.
Totally agree on everyday cakes. I’m not skilled or patient enough to make layer cakes, and it’s waaay too much dessert to have around the house most of the time anyway. One of my faves is the gingerbread in the original Silver Palate cookbook. Great as is or even better with a little whipped cream.
I got a new issue of Better Homes and Gardens today, and lo and behold there was your pretty face! I recently discovered your site through the Pioneer Woman, and boy, am I ever glad! I love your recipes! So happy to have found your site!
I randomly had all the ingredients (still had buttermilk from the broccoli recipe) and so i made this! except i made it w/blueberries. and i figured since i included the lemon zest in the cake, I’d go ahead and make some lemon icing. still waiting for the cake to cool down, but after that i’m going to pour the icing on it. i love blueberry/lemon combinations.
Deb!!
I’m a week behind in my magazine reading — but congratulations on getting such a great review in Entertainment Weekly! I’ve loved you since “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” on the single girl blog. I’m so thrilled that you and the wonderful husband are expecting your bundle of joy. Please keep writing!!
It has been made, and sampled! Cherries worked beautifully. :)
Deb, this is glorious. Raspberries are my favourite fruit….so sad they’re soooooo expensive! But using frozen berries would help with that, for sure.
Those raspberries look soo delicious! I want a slice!
Anna-
You should buy them when they’re in season and then freeze them! If you have a local farmers market to buy them at during season, even better! I just made this recipe with blueberries I froze months ago, and it turned out amazing.
Mmm, this cake looks fantastic! I love simple cakes that come together in no time and taste delicious! This cake looks fabulous; I can’t wait to try out the recipe.
Just baked this tonight, and it’s fabulous! The lemon flavor is so nice, and the cake is moist and light. I baked mine for 23 min, but probably could have taken it out a minute or two sooner. Thanks so much! Back to more cake…
This reminds me of this really simple cobbler-like cakey thing from a Mennonite cookbook I have. It’s just flour, sugar, milk, and baking powder (I think–it’s been a while since I made it) with fruit on top. I usually add a little almond or lemon extract to the batter to make it more interesting. It is the easiest thing to make. I just wish it wasn’t based completely on white refined flour and sugar!
Buttermilk + baking soda is pretty much like milk + baking powder, right?
And you’ve been in BH&G and EW recently? How cool!
This looks yummy! Would rhubarb work for this?
I have rhubarb a-plenty growing behind our garage, and I’ve already made your Big Crumb Coffeecake w/Rhubard last weekend. It lasted 2 days. That one is a keeper!
Great photos! The raspberries look like little jewels, and the batter – well, me thinks I could make the cake slightly thinner and down a spoonful or two.
I am in love with raspberries, and this cake is going to be my oven by tomorrow afternoon. The raspberry tips that aren’t covered by batter don’t dry out in the oven, right?
Note to Sarah — While any cake can be made by hand, i.e. no electric mix-master, some are easier than others. Like an oil based cake (olive oil or canola). With butter the trick is to be sure your butter is at room temp. before creaming with the sugar. I made Deb’s Pineapple Upside Down cake last week and did it easily by hand. I use a big, deep bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon. In my opinion it’s easier by hand, quick, and you never over-beat. I have a hand-held mixer and a Kitchen-Aid and rarely use either. Well, unless I have to whip egg whites.
Oh, this *is* the season for baking isn’t it? With all that yummy fruit in season? I’m looking forward to trying this one too.
This looks awesome!!!! So simple and refreshing.
Looks really good. Too good. Is there such a thing?
Hi-longtime lurker here-I love your blog ever since I found out about it in December! Just got invited to a BBQ on Sunday and I think I’ll have to make this and bring it as dessert, so thanks! :)
This looks incredible! Love it!
This looks so very yummy.. and amazingly enough both blueberries and blackberries were on sale buy one get one today! (I might have to buy some strictly for this cake)
I also wanted to commiserate on a hot oven.. I can set mine to 300ish and it runs at 350.. If I move it anywhere beyond 325ish.. It doesn’t stop heating till about 450-500. Weeee fun! ;)
Good luck to you w/ that.
This looks so comforting and delicious! It reminds me of the mildly sweet afternoon cakes my mom used to make for me and my sister when we came home from school. A slice of this cake and a warm cup of tea does wonders on a rainy spring day!
I have a mountain of strawberries, so as lovely as it looks and sounds with raspberries, I made this with chopped up strawberries tonight. It was very good. My carb-hating (freakshow) 3 year old devoured 2 pieces in one sitting.
I doubled the recipe to use up more berries and just cooked it in 2 pans. 25 minutes was perfect in my oven. The second cake is going to work with my husband in the morning. I imagine the last few slices of ours will be breakfast. Yum.
This is my kind of cake! Im going to try this one, maybe even for breakfast!
Regarding partial RSS feed content: Just wanted to say that you and your recipes are definitely worth that extra click!
I also bookmarked this in Gourmet magazine as well. This just reinforces that I must make this cake. Now!
Wow, what a gorgeous, comforting, who-needs- company-to-bake-this-cake, lol. I think I’ll make this and it’ll be all mine!
IMHO it’s worth the $2.00 to purchase a quart of buttermilk, the substitute doesn’t provide anything close to the flavor and texture buttermilk imparts. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Was thinking “too bad I’m baking for a kid’s party this weekend” but then I reasoned there will be adults too and they might like this over the PB filled double chocolate Dora and Diego cupcakes! Everyone wins!
Looks delicious!
I like the idea that I can substitute other berries.
Oh thank you so much for the weights! I often see great recipes on American sites but don’t have ‘measuring cups’ (or what it is you use for these things) which leaves me googling weights for half an hour. This looks delicious and now I’ll definitely be baking this weekend!
Glad you have put the conversations for the weights I am from England and don’t get confused by cups. Cake looks great
Hi Deb,
I’ve been addicted to your site since I discovered it a few months back..
This looks so good – I’m baking for a picnic this weekend, do you think rhubarb could be substituted for rasperry? Maybe a combo of strawberry and rhubarb, tossed with some sugar.. What do you think?
Looks delicious! And thank you so so much for posting the recipe in metric units as well for all your non-American readers! I really appreciate it!
Yesterday, I was thinking about making your mega-popular Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake but was put off by the “have a glass of milk to hand” so I altered the recipe to make a chocolate genoese sponge with raspberries baked in and used this as the layers of the cake with peanut butter frosting and raspberry jam between the layers- everything else was the same.
So imagine my surprise when I saw this picture which looks more than a little similar to my sponge- have you been stealing my thoughts Deb? The buttermilk would probably still be too heavy for use in the other cake but it would be an interesting combo for gluttons!
The raspberry combo was a big hit btw, I could send you the full details if you were interested in making it…
Wow that looks lovely. I’m just the biggest addict when it comes to making cakes. At the moment one of my favourites is a raspberry cheesecake, so I will definitely give the buttermilk cake a bash and see how it turns out. Thanks!
Wow looks delicious would be great if there was a vegan alternative.
This one looks great and really “light”. Thank you sooo much (seriously!) for adding the gram quantities for us European cup-less bakers here, that simplifies things a lot. Yay!
Hi,
there is a really good online conversion tool out there that factors in that a cup of flour is something else than a cup of sugar weight-wise… It has all kinds of conversions, like butter amounts, flour amounts, sugar amounts, honey amounts, volume units, weight units etc. I’ve used it a lot since I am from Germany and love all these food blogs but am WAY too lazy to use all kinds of measuring cups and spoons. Weighing everything out seems to be much easier, but I guess, that’s just because I’m used to doing it this way. So, this is the helpful link: http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/cooking_ingredients.html
Oh, totally forgot to mention that I definitely will make this cake! It sounds and looks soooooooooo delicious!!!!!
Sounds delicious!
What’s with @kevinrose tweeting that this is (NSFW) lol Is this cake truly that orgasmic? That it’s not safe for work? LMAO!
(My two cents on the mixer issue:) I would like to be able to state “I’ve never used a mixer to make a cake”, but I’ve made a few cakes with the KitchenAid Mixer that I got a few years ago (although it was in storage for about 15 months). My preferred method to make cakes is STILL by hand, as I get a real feeling about how the cake is going, but I am (and have been made aware through my own experimentation) aware of the fact that using a mixer does aerate the cake mixture better, and hence it makes a cake fluffier. (I didn’t grow up in a house with a mixer, my Mum still doesn’t have a mixer, although she doesn’t make a lot of cakes anyway, and I’ve only had access to my mixer for about 12 months now. It’s in its box under a table at the moment, since I have absolutely no where to put it.)
(On your oven issues:) I, too, have just moved house, and am now in a much tinier space with a virtually unusable kitchen. Oh, I’ve structured it so I can cook in there, but there’s NO SPACE for ANYTHING. There is actually not a bench in the kitchen. I have a collapsable outdoor table (half it’s side is up), a set of drawers, and a dresser with a pull-down door to use as a bench. It’s quite horrifying as a food blogger, and in general as a person who likes to be in her kitchen. The bigger news is that I have had a little-working stove. I have two burners (at stretch three) out of four that work, (which isn’t too bad in my history), no working grill, and my over was “fixed” yesterday so it would actually turn on, but the hinges are broken, so the door doesn’t close. I am very fortunate because I am going to get a new stove! YAY MY LANDLORDS!
The reason I said all that is that I would love to make your cake! But will have to wait for my new oven! :D
i had to read your comment about ‘scattering’ the rasberries about 10 times before i realized what you meant by the ‘downward’ ones and the ‘o’ ones. ha
This is it! A cake I’m not afraid of. I think I could make this one!
This looks delish! Can’t wait to try it:)
Just made this tonight, and it was lovely. I modified by using strawberries and replacing the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter, and it was outstanding.
This reminds me of a cake my host family used to make in France sometimes. Definitely an everyday cake and not too sweet, unlike most american “cakes”. I’ll have to check out your everyday cake list because these are my favorite kinds.
This looks delicious. I will have to try this out one of these days for that dinner get-together I’m always promising I’ll throw. I do have a bag of blueberries sitting in the freezer…. hmmm… :)
I have decided that this would be a great breakfast. I mean, who defines what is “coffee cake” and acceptable for breakfast, and what kind of cake is a “non-breakfast” cake? This has no frosting, plust fruit = breakfast! Will have to make this, looks so yummy!
I made this last night as we had raspberries on hand, and even a fresh lemon for zest! Loved the cake. My berries sank completely out of view.
My oven runs slightly hot (gas, but I don’t have a thermometer as I should!), used a silicone cake pan, and it took only 15 minutes at 400 for the toothpick to be completely clean.
DELISH!
Helen — Good to know it’s not just my oven. (The one other thing I’ve baked in it, last week’s cobbler, was spot-on in it’s baking time so indeed it may just be this recipe. If a couple others chime in with the same, I will update it.)
Springform pan questions — Yes, you can use a springform pan. If you’ve ever had issues with yours being leaky, just wrap it tightly in foil.
Lisa — There’s no need to invert this cake because the raspberries largely sink into the batter. Plus, you’d lose the cute dimpling on top.
Jessica — Clabber means curdle. That’s all there is to it.
Shirl — I have a basic Salter digital scale (um, except I paid $30 for the same model so I am not sure what Amazon is smoking with that price). They’re available almost everywhere. Or — gasp! just found this when looking for the model I have — you can buy one of these and use it for, er, whatever/whomever you have to weigh.
What does “Clabbers” mean? And can I possibly do anything wrong when making buttermilk? It seems like its three steps… get milk, add vinegar, wait….
is that truly all there is to it?
THat scale is too cool and you are so funny. Thank you for the laugh and if I had room I’d want that scale too. And my great-grandmother always called buttermilk clabbered milk. Miss the old folks and their ways.
You’re right, these little unfrosted cakes are just right for dessert any time. There are any number of sauces and add-ons that can be used to dress them up if you want to make them richer.
ap269 (comment 115) That’s a great conversion site for baking. I’ve bookmarked it! Thanks!
Oooh, I can’t wait to have the aroma from this floating through my house! :D
This looks delicious. I’m most definitely making this for the long weekend ahead!
Quick question – have you ever used that instant buttermilk powder? Yay? Nay?
Thanks for all that you do and the delicious recipes! I’ve cooked many of them and never ever been steered wrong!
Tali — I have not, but I know a lot of others readers have without complaint. As I noted, you don’t even need that to make buttermilk, can just use vinegar or lemon juice in regular milk.
Yay! I have all this extra buttermilk lying around that I need to use up. I was going to use it for the north fork scones recipe but then i just made the dreamy cream scones and i can’t go back to buttermilk, the cream is infintely better! will be whipping up a batch of this before the weekend is out :)
It’s a shame I don’t have a good excuse to try this cake, as it looks delicious.
What I am here to suggest is a page with your list of “ten basic cakes every baker should know,” such as the lemon pound cake and the 1-2-3-4 cake and this one and some form of chocolate cake and so on. The things that will come up again and again, that are basic jumping-points for fancier things.
Deb, I baked something similar almost three years ago, when I started blogging – I had a simply yogurt cake recipe and decided to add some raspberries to it (I used frozen, which are much more affordable here). It was really good – yours looks divine!
I always just add a little milk to yoghurt to thin it out and use that instead of buttermilk
I definitely need to pick up some raspberries (and replenish my butter since I have very little left, which is just unconscionable) and make this asap – I’m with you on the everyday cakes. They’re also often so versatile that you can change up a lot of things (like a basic yoghurt cake, which is awesome plain but which you can do some fantastic variations with).
“No reason to buy buttermilk”??? I use cakes like this as an EXCUSE to buy buttermilk! I love a cold glass of buttermilk with almost anything, sweet or savory, and there are few recipes calling for milk that aren’t made yummier by substituting buttermilk! Maybe it’s a southern thing, or just me, but yum! Just YUM! My husband, a yankee, thinks it’s yuck. Go figure.
hej. when i saw this recipe on here today i immediately went out to buy fresh raspberries and buttermilk! the cake is finished now and it is sooooo yummy!i had to eat a piece while it was still warm. my batter turned out to be too liquid, so i can’t see any of the berries on top. but the sugar made a nice crust and the cake is heavenly soft, fluffy and moist. mmmhhhh…
Thanks so much for including the metric conversions in this great looking recipe, you’ve just made my life a little easier :D
I adore your first paragraph! ;) I’m also in awe of the way the berries sink into the cake—an effortless reward.
Can’t wait to try this cake. We’re entering my favorite time of the year for baking with all of the wonderful, fresh local berries starting to show up.
Wow…buttermilk can be made at home? Now I feel super dumb.
I made this too – we loved it! But I have to disagree with you – there is NO WAY this can serve 8…I’m sure it could serve 4…maybe 6…but it only served TWO on Saturday! Which is why we’re drinking Slim-Fast this morning! Okay…on to more pressing matters…your baby quilt…tick-tock…truly, I want to do this for you, as a thank you! So give me an idea as to colors…I’ll keep it a secret! I Promsie!
your site is awesome. comments like “Directions like “scatter” always scare me. Where’s the science?” make me feel like you’re speaking to my soul.
Printed. Going to give this a try this weekend.
Your cake looks delicious and beautiful. Mine came out very wet and the raspberries all sank. I reread your recipe to see if I missed something. Sure enough, I made the buttermilk recipe you listed but didn’t notice you use 1 cup of milk to make it but then only need 1/2 cup of buttermilk for the recipe! I probably shouldn’t start baking after 9 pm. I’ll try making it again tomorrow. My husband liked it anyway. We love your recipes.
I did THE SAME THING!
Ugh, we’re so used to ring spoon fed everything, I missed the step where you read the original recipe and only use 1/2.
The batter looked wet, I should have known!
Or, you could adapt the general instructions for making buttermilk replacement by adding 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to 1/2 cup milk.
Oh this look devine!! I may just make it, even if I don’t have anyone to share it with.
I saw a similar recipe posted on thekitchn.com from Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks. That version has WW pastry flour and salt on top, which makes a different texture, but none of the comments were that great. Your version looks really good – I’ll have to give it a try when I get my first CSA fruit delivery.
I made this last night with frozen blueberries (I had some buttermilk in the fridge that was just screaming to be used) and it was DEEEEEElicious… light, and moist. In fact, it’s so good, that the piece I brought in to share with a workmate is now s-l-w-l-y making its way into my own mouth piece by piece. (*sigh* the deliciousness of this cake has clearly caused me to become a bad person.) In a word – YUM!
The photo of the unbaked cake with the berries and sugar on top is so pretty, one might be tempted to sneak a taste before it even goes in the oven. Not that I would ever do anything like that.
I made this last night- SO GOOD! My raspberries were fuzzy so I sprinkled chocolate chips and a few butterscotch chips on the top. It was perfect!
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! I so need to go to the store, but I have everything, but the fresh berries on hand. A call to my mom and she is going to give me some blueberries today! I am so excited to give this a try! Just what this 8 1/2 month pregnant lady needs today! Thank you for always posting such great recipes!
Looks great! Do you think I could use apricots on top? and is it possible to sub brown sugar instead of White??
Christina — You’ll have to try it and let us know how it goes. I’ve only made it as you see above.
That looks super delicious! I’m running out of dessert, so I’ll have to add it to the list of Make Me Now!
Looks lovely. I’m thinking raspberries and apricots, both, would make such gorgeous colours. Thanks for the reminder about your trusty list of cakes — I hope some kind of apricot-y cake features soon on SK.
That looks phenomenal. I’m copying that recipe right now.
Thanks so much for the tip about making your own buttermilk. This looks so yummy, and I have all the rest of the ingredients on hand and thought, “Oh man, i don’t want to go out just to buy buttermilk… and I won’t even use it for anything else…” You’re the best!! This looks GREAT…and so easy!
Fascinated most by your photography. Are you using a Macro lens?
Baked it this morning using the last of the blackberries with the lemon zest. There is simply no room for improvement with this cake and the variability with fruits makes it an indispensable recipe. Might add almonds with the sugar sprinkle next time although the sugar crunch is so appealing. Wonderful!
The cake is a lie!!!
made it. ate it.
springform pan worked fine without foil.
it took about 20 min to cook for me.
Yum yum, this cake was really good. It was moist and light and fluffy and the perfect balance between sweetish cake and tart raspberries. Super simple and delicious and I’ll definitely be making this cake again.
Oh yeah, and it only took about 20 minutes to bake.
I made this cake as soon as I saw the picture…it was so delicious! It was very moist and light, and not too sweet. It was perfect. Except for the fact that all of my raspberries sunk to the bottom – even the ones I put “o” up. Regardless, I will definitely be making it again.
My parents are arriving for a visit today. I think I’ll make this for our dessert tonight or tomorrow night. Beautiful!
i will def make this recipe. lol about the preggo.
Thank you , that is what I am making this weekend for my Dad! ((Thank you!))
Wow that looks fantastic! Simply delicious!
Wow, this looks mouthwatering good. I might have to try it with blueberries instead of raspberries though because I can’t get my husband to eat raspberries.
I couldn’t resist and made it for the kids…half raspberries and half blueberries. My 3 daughters loved it and polished off 1/2 of it at snack time! :)
i’m not a big fan of raspberries in deserts…but i’d just bought some yesterday, as i like them fresh, and you always makes things look sooo good that i thought i’d try. just took the first bite, and YUM that is a delicious cake! even using the milk+acid buttermilk that a few people are saying won’t taste as good.
(took 20 minutes to bake in my gas oven for anyone who is wondering)
I love raspberries…and this cake looks just heaven for me. Nice pictures as always.
Hey. I’m new to Smitten Kitchen. I’ve been following your blog for several weeks. Ever recipe you post looks incredible! I made the buttermilk cake with strawberries. (It’s just what I had in the fridge.) It was good and easy. I love those recipes.
I made this cake this evening and my husband and I proceeded to eat the whole thing. Yep, that’s right – the whole thing.
Made it tonight. So so delicious. (I also love having the weight measurements. Much easier.)
I must have every cooking gadget in the world, yet I lack a cake pan. Can I use a round souffle dish (it’s like a large ramekin)?
Btw, congrats on the latest news….simply awesome…..
Made this tonight and it was great, perfect for summer. I served with a small dollop of whipped cream and my dinner guests thought it tasted like a much lighter version of shortcake!
Hi Deb,
I’m from Puerto Rico. Therefore, berries are not to available. Well they’re but quite expensive. There are available frozen. Here is my question. Can I use any other fruit like mango, or bananas?
I am sure it would work. Just chop it small, as the cake only bakes for 20 minutes. And let us know how it goes. I am sure others would like to try it with different fruits.
Those that chimed in on the baking times — Thank you. I’ve updated the recipe accordingly.
I usually use yogurt and milk together (Greek yogurt, to be exact). Has anyone ever tried this? It makes the sub quite well and I can never tell the difference!
Made this today with powdered buttermilk. Just blend it with the dry ingredients, and use water for you liquid. I dropped chopped strawberries on the top. It was really good. Perfect snack for a warm afternoon. It’s a keeper!
Me again, so realizing it is thin, could I use a fluted ceramic tart pan? Not the kind with a removable bottom. Or is that too shallow?
i made this cake this evening and it was delicious, thanks! however, *all* my raspberries, regardless of orientation, sank to the bottom. hmmm, any idea why? maybe i overmixed or undermixed? still tasty but not as pretty.
Made this tonight for my weekly dinner party and it was a huge success! Perfect with our Kebabs. Nice, light and informal!
This looks just perfect! It would qualify for a special occasion dessert with cream/icecream/raspberry coulis.
Thank you so much for the weight specifications, this makes it so much easier to adapt your recipes in Germany, where ingredients are usually weighed. (I failed miserably to make your rhubarb crumble coffeecake because of a wrong conversion, german cups are aparently much smaller than american.)
I brought my measuring implements with me to Germany, but I am slowly converting my favorite recipes to allow weighing: so much easier.
Perhaps a strange question: in my effort to get rid of butter, and because this is so much like a French yogurt cake, can I always sub butter with yogurt and oil, or perhaps applesauce? is there a standard substitution that I can use to lower calories of fat?
I’ll be baking this tonight, but with rhubarb mixed with a bit of sugar.
it looks amazing!! waw!!!
Hello! I love the idea of making a cake where the ingredients include buttermilk. I’m surely going to make this cake but today I’m baking those lovely raspberry-topped lemon muffins from aprevious post.
I just tried this as my first cake and everyone in my household loved it! I don’t have raspberries so I just put chocolate chip cookies instead. This tastes great! Thank you so much for the recipe =)
Made this last night, wow it is really delicious! I think I’ll whip up some cream as a nice topping.
Hmmm…I’ve never bake a cake at 400 degrees before, but I’m off to try this. Too bad I ate all the raspberries the other day; guess I’ll have to try another fruit.
My friend and I made two of these last night, one for us/friends, and one for me to take to work today. We let it sit for a bit after baking to cool while I ate dinner, but immediately after got it out of the pan and tried it. I think both of our eyes opened wider than ever before! The buttermilk cake was delicious and the raspberries just melted in your mouth. We left out the lemon zest, but before cutting the cake sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar over it. It was more just for appearance, and definitely not needed. I was also considering buying some whipped cream before work today, but after trying it decided that the cake was perfect without. My friend took some pieces home for some friends, and his roommate said, “it’s un-f***ing-real” because she loved it.
I had an idea for a possible experiment at a later date… mixing some creme de cacao in the batter to give it a bit of a chocolate taste. Maybe even add a bit of cinnamon to the mix and use chopped apples? I’m not entirely sure, I’m kinda new at experimenting with baking right now.
I made two of these last night for our last community group meal. Everyone loved it! I served it with cinnamon ice cream and it was perfectly light. You could almost serve a tiny piece of it with a raspberry salad!
I made this last night with blackberries. Delish! It took 24 minutes in my oven and came out perfectly. Thanks for the great recipe!
oh my god, i forgot the eggs.
still pretty edible though!
The crumb on this looks amazing! And I love the springform pan idea b/c it will always come out. I have trouble getting tender cakes out in one piece! Any ideas on that?
I made this last night for my husband and he loved it! I used blueberries since that is what we had on hand and it turned out great. It only took about 19 minutes to bake, and i was careful to watch it. I can’t wait to try this with other fruits. Thanks!
I also love cakes! They are the most comforting of all baked goods, by far. Byt the way, I’ve made your buttermilk chocolate cake for 4 birthday parties and, every single time, people have named it “the best cake ever”! Thanks!
I’m allergic to raspberries, do you think blueberries or strawberries would be a fair substitution?
Thanks Deb!
Yup, this is why I’m a fan of powdered buttermilk! Yum, can’t wait to try it.
yeah, i have guests for dinner tonight and this will be made with some beauty fresh blueberries… looks awesome!
Looks fantastic now I want to bake it!
I made a cake sort of like this- with plums and nectarines cut in half on top like your raspberries. It was so good. I never thought to make it with little berries. I’ll have to try it.
Oh rats. Something came out wrong with mine, as after almost 30 minutes in the oven and a very brown ring of cake on the outside, my center was still uncooked – ?! I don’t get it as everyone else said theirs took LESS time to bake than Deb’s suggested times :( Oh well, at least the outer part of the cake is really really yummy. I mean, *really really* yummy. I am def. going to attempt this one again!
I made this last night with strawberries, and used buttermilk powder. Delicious! Mine took about 25 minutes to bake, and I made it in my 9 inch cast iron skillet as this cake had an old-fashioned vibe for me :) I just served slices straight from the skillet.
I saw beautiful berries at Whole Foods over the weekend. Yumm…I’ll pick some up and try this great recipe.
pamela:
the same thing happened to my cake too… the outside of the cake baked to dark brown while the center was still very liquidy. i covered it and baked it for another 10 minuntes (totally 45 minutes). although that did help the cake set, the chopped strawberries i used sunk to the bottom of the cake and made a gooey base. :(
the cake itself was quite good…
I made this last night with strawberries and it was wonderful! And super easy. Thank you!
I used the lemon zest and would definitely do that in the future, and possibly even add a little more (but I love lemon-y flavors). I clabbered the milk with lemon juice too. I bet lime zest and juice would be great too. I’m looking forward to trying it with blueberries when they’re in season. It took about 30 minutes in a glass pan, but the edges were perfect at 20 minutes while the middle wasn’t done. At 30 the edges were brown and the middle was perfect. I may have had too many strawberries in the middle?
Looks delicious – and I have buttermilk in my fridge that needs using up. (I have a bunch of berries, too – I don’t know if raspberries are among them but I’m sure that a substitution wouldn’t hurt).
I guess I should have made this instead of experimenting with a blueberry crumb cake I attempted yesterday.
Pamela, Neha, I too had the same problem, which is strange as I know my oven – I bake too much! – so I thought my timing would be spot on.
But yes, we’re just eating around it as it’s so delicious. I’ll definitely be attempting this again soon to get it spot on.
I converted this to gluten free and it was a hit! We had a playdate over today and I whipped this up in no time with blueberries. It was entirely eaten (ok, one piece is left over for hubby) in no time. I used a cup of gluten free ap flour and one teaspoon xanthum gum to the dry ingredients. Thank you, I am a huge fan!
Made this today – so easy and tasted greatl! I used frozen raspberries. Loved the lemon and raspberry together. This is definitely a keeper.
Mmm. Luv the look of your cake. Wish I’m your housemate so you can bake a cake for me too. BTW, Can I put mangoes instead of any kind of berries?
this cake was soooo easy. i made it with a baby on my hip and help from my 10 year old son. it was a hit.
Oh goodness gracious. It’s in the oven right now (blackberries and blueberries…YUM), and I’m dying. It smells INCREDIBLE and looks adorable. I’m betting that chunks of any persuasion (mangoes…miscellaneous fruit…nuts, perhaps? I’m thinking pecans) would be just lovely. Thanks for another smash hit, Deb!
Oh, and by the way, I finally got around to making the One-Bowl Brownies I keep hearing so much about, and my husband ate the entire batch last night and this morning. Definitely a keeper. (And we didn’t even have “real” chocolate on hand–I ended up using a Hershey’s dark chocolate bar.) We love SK! :)
Just made this! Awesome recipe. I used Blackberries and all I can say is yum. I think the lemon zest is needed, you can really taste it and it compliments the fruit. I would say this serves 2!
I just made this – I doubled the recipe and substituted 3/4 white whole wheat flour for the same amount AP flour, baked it in a 9×13 pan with big blackberries I found at Trader Joe’s…. it’s heavenly! Love the blog!
Made it. Ate it.
Love your blog! I have been a lurker for months. Yesterday was the final straw…I saw this cake, and immediately went to my cupboard to see what few ingredients I would need…not many! I made this cake this afternoon, even though it was near 90 out and I don’t have a/c. That’s how badly I wanted it. It did not disappoint. Delicious, and I took it to a party. Everyone loved it! Now I need to work my way through your entire archive! And make this cake again tomorrow afternoon…
Would you be able to make this with cream rather then buttermilk? Or would it not thicken right? Or be too sweet?
Didn’t have enough blackberies left either, so I made it with cranberries (frozen). Great!
My raspberries all sank, too, but it was so delicious. And clearly very easy to change up with other berries or just some cinnamon and nuts for a breakfast cake. Yum!
I made this cake for a work party yesterday and was a big hit! I used strawberries and not as much sugar on top of the fruit and it came out great. Love your site, it’s my favorite place to get recipes and inspiration.
Do you think this cake will freeze well? I’m thinking I want to make two and put one in the freezer….
I posted about this on my blog :) thanks for the recipe!
O.M.G. Amazingly easy, light, fluffy, delicious cake. After I licking the batter bowl, I am now enjoying my first slice (I couldn’t wait for our company this evening). I used orange zest (all I had) and a mix of blueberries and blackberries. Thanks for the super easy yummy awesome cake recipe!!
This looks beautiful…thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try it.
i’ve recently come across your blog from a friend who follows it, and it’s a new inspiration for me…my husband is soon going to culinary school and i have hopes of being able to photograph his process and share with our friends and family.
just made the cake last night with blackberries…they were swallowed by the dough, but it tastes just as delicious as the pictures made it look! thanks.
I just made this today. YUMMY! Is it bad if I eat it all, by myself, in one day? It’s not THAT much fat and sugar right? Right?
By the way, I made mine with blackberries and it took 33 minutes to bake. Next time I think I’ll make it without fruit – the cake is just that good.
I wonder how badly I can screw this up adjusting for high altitude. Definitely going to try it this weekend though.
Hey Deb,
I love, love, love this site. Every time I visit, I am astonished at the way everything you makes turns out. I am especially grateful for the measurements you added with this recipe. I think measuring flour by the cup is my nemesis. Is there a site where I can find all the coversions for liquid and dry measurements. I googled it once and didn’t find exactly what I was hoping for.
Keep them coming, I am so inspired here.
I made this recipe but it came out really thin, the raspberries were swallowed by the batter and the cake took forever to cook. What can I do to prevent this next time?
Rachel — I believe that is the way the cake is supposed to be, cooking time issues aside. If your cake is taking forever to bake, you should get an oven thermometer — the temperature is probably off.
Deb- This was the most FABULOUS cake. I didn’t have any lemon zest but it turned out delicious anyhow. It took 22 minutes in my oven and less than that to whip it up! My parents demanded I make them one of their own after I let them try the one I made for my boyfriend and I. :) Thanks so much for this great recipe, it’s a keeper!
Instead of berries, I scattered toasted slivered almonds and added 1/4 tsp. almond extract. It’s very pretty with the almonds since they didn’t sink. I took it out at 19 minutes when the top was getting dark. I love how this takes only 1/2 stick butter and only one pan. Great cake!!!
I made this cake twice in the last 2 days (with the zest)- one for my girlfriends and one for my family. Everyone loved it and it was so easy to make! I think I will make another one for the long weekend:) I think I will take Laurie’s (#237) tip and try it with almonds and the almond extract. Thanks again, I love your site.
I too love the idea of everyday cakes. it’s such a nice way to make friends and family feel welcome and valued.
I loved this cake! Made it tonight with blueberries and raspberries then gave it to my neighbour. I’m her friend for life now! Tasted great! Thank you!
Will definitely be trying this out!
I just made this in a 9″ square pan with blueberries. I maybe cooked it 2 minutes too long but it’s still wonderful. Couldn’t wait for it to cool, I’m just eating it hot!
All your recipes look so tasty and the pictures are wonderful. I finally have time to try one and this is the one I picked. The cake is in the oven and it’s so beautiful, I can’t stop looking at it!
This is a beautiful cake.
I am going to make this tomorrow for a few friends coming over to play Wii. (Yes, I’m a college student, and Wii means I can have sweet goodies!) My boyfriend loves cakes a little too mcuh, and tries to keep us both away from the sweets for our health.
I never thought of everyday cakes! That’s an awesome idea!
Has anyone replaced the raspberries with Strawberries, I’m afraid to try it.
so good!! thank you.
i used a whole stick of butter :/ oops! so mine took a while to cook, but came out delicious anyhow. I used whole wheat flour with ground flax and some rolled oats.
I’m going back for seconds
just read the above comment
i did replace the raspberries with chopped strawberries and it totally worked. a lil moist, but wonderful all the same :)
This looks absolutely awesome, have mailed the link to my girlfriend and dropped a hint that I’m pretty hungry :P
Working on this recipe now! I think you may have your buttermilk recipe wrong. I have tried it twice once with a teaspoon of lemon juice and once with a teaspoon of vinegar.
I gooogled to see other methods and found you should actually use one TABLESPOON of either vinegar or lemon juice…It seems to work much easier with this method.
The cake turned out great! I chopped strawberries in two or three pieces, scattered them around the cake and here’s the end result. Not only looks, but also tastes delicious! Great recipe :)
http://i40.tinypic.com/6oorxx.jpg
note to self, drink coffee before attempting to bake cakes!
I made this with whole wheat flour and cranberries. Also used a powdered buttermilk as it keeps much longer than the traditional liquid.
While on that first cup, I doubled the salt and forgot the egg. I cooked in a cast iron skillet as well and it came out of the oven beautiful! My toothpick came out clean, but when I went to turn it, the still-gooey batter plopped through my cooling rack! I stuck it back in the oven and cooked 5 more mins.
Its not pretty but it is really TASTY!
Raspberries are my absolute favorite thing to eat, so you better believe I am making this ASAP.
I made this cake twice in 2 days. The 2nd time I used mixed frozen berries because I didn’t feel like picking out the raspberries and be stuck with only blueberries at the end. Didn’t thaw them either. The cake yesterday didn’t last but a few hours. Delish!! Also, white whole wheat flour works like a charm and totally duped my anti-healthy stuff husband. ;)
hey deb, just made this for my husband’s family, went down a treat. My rasps sank too, but it looks gorgeous from the side when cut. Such a lovely delicate texture. Took 21 min in a 195 C fan oven. I did half greek yogurt and half milk for my buttermilk. When I was in the states this year I had a good look at buttermilk and decided that the vinegar/milk method was a little thin. I think the yog/milk combo matches the consistency of proper buttermilk.
LOVED the final pic of the slice of cake. Can you let me know how to buy a copy??
Wow, what a yummy cake. Thanks for posting!
I made this today for lunch for 4 friends + my husband. Served it with the Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet from The Perfect Scoop. The two paired perfectly — delicious and light.
I love seeing that, like me, so many people have tried this recipe almost immediately after you posted it! Definitely a winner.
Excellent recipe! I have already been asked to make more. Found your site from digg.com. I believe I might be in love!
you know, i always knew that weighing was more accurate, but i’ve never heard it put so convincingly as you have here: it’s about mitigating the mess! brilliant. i need to get myself a scale.
oh, and your site and photos are beautiful, too.
this cake was incredibly easy, and incredibly tasty too! I made it with strawberries and it was delicious, unfortunately the batter swallowed most of them so it didn’t look as good as the picture. Definitely making this again with other berries!!
just made this with 1lb fresh rhubarb (1/2 cooked down for ten min, the other half just cubed), 1/2 pack frozen cherries, and 1/2 cup additional brown sugar. very VERY delicious.
Great cake. Needed a quick dessert for a BBQ and whipped this up in no time glat. It was tasty. It cooked in 17mins and I did try to invert it and that was a mistake.
This is what I want for dessert tonight. :)
Sounds yum — will be trying this in the morning. If making buttermilk at home what fat content of milk should I use? We generally have 1% on hand, but do I need to buy 2% or homo? Thanks to Stumbeupon for recommending this site to me.
Deb, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I tried it yesterday and it has to be one of my favorite desserts of all time! You’re right, this cake will realistically only serve two people–it’s so good that they won’t want to share. :)
Love this recipe…saw it last night in the new Gourmet mag and NOW I definitely have to make it…thanks for the inspiration…but I was wondering about replacing the flour with oat flour or rice flour? Anyone have any thoughts on this??
Deb,
I just made this to bring to a party and I had a couple of questions. A couple of people mentioned that the center took too long or didn’t fully cook. Mine as well, and I made 4 cakes and all 4 of them after cooling a bit sunk in the center, may be b/c it isn’t fully cooked? Am I doing something wrong?
Also, if you are using frozen berries, can you use them frozen or should you defrost first?
Thanks!
Looks like a lovely recipe. Quick question – has anyone tried baking this in an 8-inch cake pan?
This cake is amazing! I went ahead and picked up some raspberries & made it on Wednesday night to serve with ice cream for my husband. We hoovered up the rest of it & I tried it again today with chopped up strawberries & some left over raspberries & it was equally delicious. I’m not a big cake person (this comment aside), so I dropped in some extra berries to increase the berry:cake ratio, and it was delicious! My oven was just shy of 25 minutes & it’s gas… As for the previous commenter, maybe you didn’t let it sit & settle right-side-up & upside-down for long enough?
My journal entry on the cake: http://ellenburchett.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/i-am-in-love/
Love it! Thank you!
Great recipe. For the record, presuming you have a stand mixer, it is totally possible to make this with a two year-old on your hip. Have a distraction or two handy for when you need to open the oven.
How often does the dish come out looking like it did on the original recipe?
http://www.jayandjennifer.com/scratch/RaspberrySM.jpg
Delicious – thanks (found your recipe via Stumbleupon).
Yum! I just made this cake with strawberries. I have another one in the oven as I still have a ton of buttermilk left over from the broccoli slaw. I didn’t put as many berries in the middle of the cake because of the comments about the middle not cooking. It’s delicious and I will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
Oh, my! This was delectable. Easy to make, delicious to eat, and beautiful to behold on the plate with some whipped cream (just beacuse it’s a holiday weekend). The texture is perfect and I love the bit of lemon zest with the fresh raspberries. Yum! Mine baked to a gorgeous, dark brown in 20 minutes but was not dry at all. I used a 9-inch square glass pan and it looked lovely. We savored it slowly and think 4 or 6 servings to be about right (although I’m sure that I could eat it all in one evening if left unsupervised). Now we look forward to enjoying a slice for breakfast tomorrow with a cup of hot tea. Thanks for such a treat!
Wow – this sure brings back memories – both recipes – sound delectable!
Will make them both.
Anne
I doubled it, baked it in a 9×13 pan, with blueberries and raspberries. I sprinkled the blueberries and then placed the raspberries with the “o”s up and they baked up just as pretty as your picture. A total hit for dessert tonight with another family!
Thanks for the recipe Deb, my dad just gave it two thumbs up! I used some so-so strawberries, added vinegar to Lactaid , and used a pie dish rather than a cake pan (this is what happens when I bake at my parents’ house) and it came out wonderfully. A beautiful cake that is light, moist, and delicious. And I didn’t have an issue with my strawberries sinking, go figure…
Just made this with strawberries last night and it was a total hit! I painstakingly arranged my bits of strawberry in a kaleidoscope design and of course they all sunk, but no matter – deeelicious. I did lemon juice in 2% milk to make the buttermilk and the cake came out with a perfect, moist consistency. And as one of the previous posters mentioned, mine took barely 20 minutes in a 180ºC oven. Can’t wait to try this again with other berries. You said it – such a great, easy, ‘everyday’ cake!
Just made this cake but added meyer lemon whipped cream has a “frosting” on the top. It looked like twist of either a raspberry short cake or a free-from rasperry trifle. I stabilized the whipped cream with 1/2 tsp of unflavored gelatin, so it wouldn’t weep into the cake. I added some sparkly yellow sanding sugar on top, and it was a perfect summery dessert.
Hi, I only have frozen raspberries, do you think they will work?
Great recipes, have begun trying them already, thanks!
Baking this cake for the second time! I took it to a party where I only got to have one slice…it would have been rude to take back the remaining two pieces…though I really wanted to! Now I have a whole cake to myself:) Thanks again for this jewel of a recipe…
This is a brilliant and easy recipe. We’ve made one on Saturday and one on Sunday and got the thumbs up both times.
This worked very well for me with frozen Trader Joe’s wild blueberries (already had several bags on hand, and had everything else, so didn’t want to shop). FYI, I also used my evil double walled air circulating cake pan (hate it but it still works so I keep it) – it added 5 minutes to the baking time, as it does for most things, for a total of 30 minutes. The frozen berries might have added a few extra minutes but not more than 3-5.
This recipe is identical to the one my mom made for us almost weekly as kids. It’s called Sockerkaka – it’s a Swedish Bundt Style Cake – but instead of buttermilk – you use sour cream. We always put cranberries in it during Xmas holidays. Delicious.
Frozen berries work just fine!
Cake smells divine. Only mine came out really THIN, because my pan has a bit of a leaking problem…lined it with tin foil, and between pan and foil I discovered the most delicious biscuit…nothing wasted after all…
I’ve baked this cake twice using strawberries (on sale this season!) with fantastic results. Hooray for easy cakes- lots of praise & admiration- not much effort!
Deb:
This was so easy to make.
I made it for a Memorial barbecue at my home.
I made half raspberry and half blueberry.
Sprinkled a little confectioners sugar on top and
everyone commented on the red, white and blue cake.
Thanks for a quick and easy recipe.
A definite keeper.
Denise
I cook frequently and try to do everything homemade, but somehow, I never bake. I have a friend coming in to town this evening and wanted to have some “breakfast” cake for the morning and figured I would give this a try. Aside from not having buttermilk in the house I had everything else and made it. Easy as…well…cake! And the house smells wonderful. Can’t wait til morning to dig in!
Thank you very much! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Soyon & others-
I made this twice. First time I had the problem of the middle not fully cooking/the cake taking much longer than everyone else’s and on try #2, everything was perfect, I think this is because there was too much buttermilk in the first one (i wasnt too sure where half a cup was, since the top was mostly foamy) and that basically solved it, so I wouldn’t hesitate to add just slightly less buttermilk next time..
I made this cake and I love it! You were right, it is so moist, I had to stop myself from eating more than 1 piece, actually I had 2. I am going to try more recipes, I love your comments!
I made it last weekend and I loved it but I think I didn’t greasy the pan enough… mine was the Ugly All Over The Place Buttermilk Cake, but it tasted GREAT. I shall try again soon.
Hello! Long time reader – first time commenter. Oh my goodness! I’ve made this cake at least twice now. It’s so delicious and easy to make. I love how it takes less than hour for everything all up – an excellent cake to whip up when pressed for time! Thanks for the recipe.
This looks so good and so easy! I’m definitely going to try it.
just made this sunday night for a cookout on monday, it was delish! i accidentally used 1 TBPS of lemon zest but it was still wonderful. I used an 8in round pan and baked it for 25min and it cameout perfectly. Oh and I used blueberries, and they were melt in your mouth good! Thanks for the great recipes!
I just discovered your wonderful site, and like you, I was itching to make this cake as soon as my Gourmet came. I’ve made it three times with great results, and the only change I made after the first time was to increase the raspberries to about one and one-third cups (in response to comments by my DH among other tasters). I also am averse to directions to “scatter” and individually placed the berries evenly around the top of the cake.
To those looking for buttermilk sub, I never have vinegar I can use (usually only balsamic or red wine vinegar), so I’ve gotten good results using half Greek yogurt and half milk. For instance, in a recipe calling for half cup of buttermilk, I combined a quarter cup Greek yogurt with a quarter cup whole milk. It worked well.
I have cooked this twice within 3 days between each cooking. Absolutely loved it, BUT there weren’t enough raspberries to suit me the first time. So, I was went back to the store and purchased more. Then I literally started lining the outside of the cake and lined up all the raspberries touching one another until you couldn’t see any of the batter. I guess it was almost two 6 oz containers. Well, I saved a few ounces to munch on while the second cake was cooking in the oven. The raspberries sank to the middle when it cooked,so you had cake on the bottom and cake on the top with a layer of raspberries in between. If you love these berries as much as I do, I would definitely recommend trying it this way!!!! Beyond Yummy!!!!
I made the cake in a springform and served it with a light lemon custard. It was absolutely wonderful! The only disappointment was that all the raspberries completely sunk to the bottom. I didn’t invert it but don’t think that was the issue. Do you have any idea why? I set the berries on the top of the cake just as you pictured… Thank you for sharing the recipe tho!
Very tasty/moist/sweet with simple ingredients. I made this yesterday with sweet cherries in an 8″ round cake pan. Also mixed it up with a hand held mixer which worked fine, though is annoying to use… I would definitely recommend the 8″ pan, since the cake is on the flatter side. Also highly recommend the lemon zest (really everything is better with some lemon zest to bring out flavors). One question for anyone that might know… If you happen to have leftovers, what is the best way to store the cake so that it does not turn into a soggy mess??Whenever I store something like this in an air tight container, the top gets soft…(which is true for anything like a muffin as well)… that is always the disappointing part.
I made two yesterday–one raspberry and one blueberry. Used much more zest–a whole lemon’s worth for the double recipe. Baked in 9 inch pans with convection (at 375) and they rose beautifully. Not flat at all. All my raspberries were ‘hole up’ and they looked gorgeous (didn’t sink). Both cakes got rave reviews and disappeared.
I made this over the weekend but with strawberries. My daughter told me next time I had to make at least two so she could have one for herself. We also made the Buttermilk Ice Cream and are loving that as well.
Mmm….so wonderful. Just like I like my cake, not too sweet and able to be served in a small triangle. Perhaps not the prettiest of all cakes, my raspberries drowned in what I hopes was a quick death.
I found it to be the perfect breakfast food with a warm mug of cappuccino. Hubs found it nice after dinner with whipped cream. We don’t match in wine neither….
Hmmmm…..
so easy, so delightful, such a crowd pleaser.. thank you!
Thanks for the handy tip about the homemade buttermilk. I’m preparing this right now and appreciate all the notes you gave! I always get nervous with cakes. If this hopefully comes out right, I’d love to reference you on my blog, if that is alright!
I saw this in Gourmet and ripped it out, too! I put it in my very-scientific “Try This” recipe inbox, where it might have otherwise lingered, aging and yellowing, buried by too many other ambitious tearsheets. But thanks to your rec, I pulled it back from the edge of obscurity, and will be making it tonight. I can’t wait to taste it — I anticipate a burnt tongue. Thanks!
I made this recipe as a simple birthday cake for myself [I’m studying for a pretty hardcore test, so not much time to make something elaborate]. And it’s SOOOO GOOD! So easy, and amazingly delicious! I made it with blackberries, and it came out lovely!
I made this cake last Wednesday, and my family ate it up within the afternoon. Then I made it again on Sunday for a small get together and once again it was gone that night. It’s so amazing and a huge hit. I’ve already had multiple requests to make it again! This is a nice easy recipe for a great tasting cake!
I just wanted to say that I made this cake for a small BBQ get together over the weekend at it was a huge hit. Absolutely perfect in every way. I served it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a little sprig of mint. I plan on trying it out with several different berry combination. I loved it so much that I am making it again tonight for a family dinner.
Miss Deb,
Found you on Martha’s blog. I’m a terrible fan of hers, have been for many years. I have a feeling I just found another gifted person to really enjoy.
We share the same opinion of cakes. :)
I subscribed to your twitter too.
i just made this for my friend’s birthday – doubled and in a 9×13 – and everyone loved it. thank you so much~
I have my daughter’s highschool grad in two weeks and found this website just in time to prepare some lovely simple cakes for the family party. I doubled the raspberry buttermilk cake recipe, changed the lemon zest to orange and used rhubarb (fresh from my garden) instead of raspberries. Rave reviews from the whole family…which means I have to make another one for the party. Thanks for the great site!
Hi Deb,
I LOVE your website – I’ve told all my friends about it
I often make non-dairy desserts and was wondering if I could use soymilk instead of real milk in making the buttermilk.
For non-dairy desserts, I typically use Earth Balance…any other ideas or suggestions in transforming dairy desserts to non-dairy?
Thanks!!!
I haven’t made dairy desserts non-dairy, but I think it would be best to figure things out on a recipe-by-recipe basis. If you try this one without dairy, let us know how it goes. I am sure others will appreciate your input!
I made this cake (with fresh raspberries) over the holiday weekend and it was super delicious. The recipe was easy to follow and I love how quick it is to prepare and to bake. I only needed to cook my cake for 20 minutes and it was done.
I can’t wait to experiment with other berries, both fresh and frozen. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe!
Just made this as i was craving a baking moment! Used blueberries as that’s what i had and scattered big sugar crystals across the top, smelt fabulous while baking and tastes even better!
Also, i recently made a trip to the states and bought powdered buttermilk as it’s not always possible to get buttermilk in hong kong and we drink skim which doesn’t ‘clabber’ properly with vinegar/lemon juice (think you need at least 2% fat). It was great!
This cake was so simple and delicious. I made it with raspberries, but next time I’m going to try chocolate chips just to give it an extra kick of sweetness (plus I don’t really like my fruit warm).
Plus, I love finding simple recipes as someone who has a very limited pantry!
Oh my gosh, this cake was SO good. I made it last night for some girlfriends that were coming over, one of whom is not a dessert person. The non-desserter LOVED it and even had seconds. I also sprinkled powdered sugar on top after it cooled a bit and it was delicious.
…loved this cake, made a couple of changes due to my limited pantry, and gave you a shout out on my blog…
I’ve just recently started following your site and decided to whip up this cake! Just….wow. Beautiful flavor and just perfect for summer! I cannot wait to make some more of your recipes!! Keep ’em coming!!
I made this Memorial Day and it was gone in just a few minutes! It was perfect in a springform pan – I can’t wait to make it with peaches or blueberries or fresh cranberries.
Just wanted to say thanks!! My 5 year old and I have made this cake with blueberries 3 times since you’ve posted it – he loves it and could easily eat the whole thing by himself! Is it wrong that I let him have some for breakfast? :-)
This is delicious and so easy – a perfect summer cake!
oh my gosh. this cake is so delicious! just the right amount of sweetness and the sugar on top gives it a crispy texture…too good. i used a round 9″ glass pan and baked it at 375F for 25 minutes (because i read somewhere that you should decrease the temp by 25 degrees if you use glass),and then 3-4 extra minutes at 400F. came out perfect!! thanks so much for sharing :)
i made this cake. it’s tasty. i made it the night before i needed it. i would suggest eating it asap, before the sugar dissolvves on top. next time, i think i’ll eat it the day i make it. yeah yeah
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I just wanted to say it’s really great! I also wanted to thank you sooooo much for this recipe, because it’s perfect! Absolutely delicious, and very moist. The berries were still juicy and bursting with flavour.
I made a slight mistake by accidentally adding twice the amount of milk, and only realised it before the last addition of flour – I repaired it by mixing up another batch of the butter-egg-vanilla-sugar mixture and stirring it into the batter before dumping the rest of the flour + another quantity of the flour mixture. I didn’t have enough raspberries, so I used chopped strawberries instead. It turned out quite good, actually! The strawberry one was crazy sweet, but it’s exactly how I like it :D Oh, and since I had two cakes in the oven, my cooking time increased to 30-35mins :)
My friend was with me when I baked them, and she just about demolished half of the cake within an hour! Once again, thanks for the recipe and I can’t wait to make it for my brother!
I’ve made this cake twice now. Once with the original raspberries and once with blueberries. I got lots of compliments. It’s very yummy. I even forgot to put the sugar on top the second time I made it, but it was still good without it.
I made this today using fresh apricots instead of the raspberries and it came out great. I love the sour taste that the buttermilk gives to the uncooked batter! My only regret is not using more apricots (I used about 300g, but could easily have shot up to 400g or 500g) because the bits of the sponge with the cooked apricot in them are gorgeous. I deliberately used underripe, slightly sour apricots to simulate the tartness of the raspberries and used brown sugar for the sprinkled sugar at the end.
Next stop: apricot upside down cake with buttermilk and ground almonds!
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/Apricot_buttermilk_cake__3665
Thank you! It’s super delicious, I just made it ;D
Seriously, this was fantastic! (I used blackberries since they were on wicked sale.) I made my husband wrap up the leftover half before we dug into it, too.
Looks beautiful! I couldn’t resist….. cake is in the oven right now!
I just tried it, and it is DELICIOUS! And so easy to make! I would recommend to anyone even to people who don’t know how to cook.
This cake is absolutely beautiful! I love raspberries and cake. The two together, could be heaven! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll add it on my list of desserts to make. :-)
Found it, made it, eating it!
This is my new favourite website – so please to have come across it.
Gorgeous photos accompany gorgeous recipes.
Well done!
:) I just made this today, incredible, and it baked finished in 15mins in my oven! thanks deb!
Yum! This is the first recip I have made from your site and it was a huge hit! So easy…so delicious! I can’t wait to try some of your other recips. Thank you!
i just made this for the second time today (strawberries both times cause they’re in season and just begging to be eaten!), and all my strawberries sunk to the bottom the first time (causing problems with sticking to the pan), but this time I think i beat it better or more, and it is perfection. the berries sunk the perfect amount, it came out of the pan smoothly, and I just can’t wait to eat it. So i’m off to have a piece. THANKS A MILLION!
oh. i topped mine with some greek yogurt. perfection. it complimented the cake quite nicely.
It’s not fair – your recipe got my juices going and as I scroll down, what appears – – a Weight Watchers ad! They must have put a bug in my computer to let them know when I was going astray.
None the less, I am saving this recipe for when I can enjoy it to it’s fullest.
Sadly, trolling the internet is replacing perusing my cookbooks, and this is why! Came across your site while looking for something (can’t remember what), saw the raspberry buttermilk cake, and had to make it today. Yum! I used Demerara sugar for the top, so it’s slightly crunchy. The cake won’t last the night!
Soooo good! I have to stop myself from eating the entire thing right now! I think raspberries just may be the perfect berry for this cake <3
I SO love this site! Because I’ve been on a weight loss program for a year, I haven’t allowed myself to bake many cakes just for my husband and I. I saw this cake as I was “stumbling” and I was on a mission to make it immediately. Since I am working on my site “Seriously Organic”, my ingredients were all…organic. The sugar is a little coarser than ordinary so, as you know, the texture might be somewhat dense. I also used frozen raspberries. Even though I changed up some things (I know the original recipe is great!) it was SO delicious! Oh btw, I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 glass pan @ 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Perfect. It does bake faster than I thought it would. My husband loved it and it was a delight to finally bake something so pretty and SO yummy! ( I will ride my bike further tomorrow:P
Diana
scrumptious :) … has sort of a cornbread texture to it. i’ll definitely try this with strawberries next time. Thanks again for another great recipe ;)
I forgot to mention that I used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk. It’s easy to eat more of this cake than I should! Somthing about raspberries and cake….so good!
nothing beats a dessert made with fresh, sweet raspberries.
-Jack
So this cake’s been made 4 times already since Friday night, and just so you know, we’re Monday! I’ve tried different variations, almond vs vanilla extract, orange vs lemon zest. My last one was a mixture of both essences, lemon zest, apples, strawberries, blue berries and raspberries. They just got out of the oven and I can’t wait until tomorrow evening to dig into them! It’ll be the perfect way to welcome all of my family back home from their trips around the world! (The brother and his wife went to Peru while the sister and the dad went to India leaving me and mom working crazy hours for the entire month of May!) Once more, thank you Deb for refreshing this dreary Montreal spring with a very summery light cake!
Just wanted to add that I’ve now made this cake with raspberries, strawberries, and, cherries. Oh My. Each time, too, I made the cake lactose free by subbing Earth Balance buttery stick for the butter and clabbered soymilk (using white vinegar) for the buttermilk. The butter substitute doesn’t quite cream with the sugar, so I just mix the two together with my hand mixer until it’s like coarse cornmeal and then add the egg and vanilla. It’s worked great everytime. I really liked it with strawberries- so light and fresh- and making it with cherries totally turns it into a dark, sexy version. YUM! THANK YOU DEB!!
Oh, to clarify, I’ve made the cake three separate times (it doesn’t last very long), once with raspberries (yum!), once with strawberries (yum!!), and once with cherries (oh la la!).
I made this cake with blackberries, it was terrific! With only 6 of us, there were no leftovers.
This was the perfect little cake. My husband suggested cherries next time and I’m thinking blueberries and strawberries. The possibilities are endless! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! This was great. I made it with blueberries. It rose great, and was really delicious. I made a quick cream cheese glaze to put over the top of it, for no other reason than I’m a rebel. Posted it on my blog! Thanks so much.
http://courtzillacooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/blueberry-buttermilk-cake.html
Two cakes in two days… my daughter, who is not fond of icing, absolutely loves this cake and it is so simple to make. Did make my own buttermilk using lemon juice. Thanks!
Hello, I found this website quite by chance and stumbled upon this recipe. I made it this weekend using the first batch of local hand-picked strawberries from the farmer’s market and it was YUMMMMMM! It has a wonderfully, light, refreshing summery flavour – the cake is moist and so very tasty. I am smitten! :-) I am going to make this all summer long with all the berries the farmer brings. Thank you for the recipe.
Just made this on Sunday: It was great, all yummy & fluffy & light. Fantastic! I didn’t use raspberries though (couldn’t found any at the store): I used a combination of diced strawberries and halved blackberrys with sliced peach. I also covered the cake (after baking) with powdered sugar.
I’m going to make this all summer long too! :)
I wish we had plentiful raspberries in this part of Australia, I’ll just have to wait ’til summer and go to where the berries are at. Thanks for the recipe in advance!
I really want to make this cake when I have some friends over this weekend, only we’ll be a bit of a crowd, 6 adults, 2 kids, 2 18-months old, and so judging from all the comments how fast only 2 people can eat it, I was going to double it. My question is should I just present two cakes, or can I stack them and frost it with a light whip cream frosting? I was thinking something like pioneer woman’s frosting from her strawberry shortcake cake http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/strawberry-shortcakecake/ or maybe something lighter that’s mostly whip cream. Would that be good or would it be too much? From what I can tell almost everyone is eating this cake plain, so maybe a frosting would be way too sweet or something. I’m really excited to make this!
Here’s a terrific variation to load this cake with berries (any mix of strawberry, raspberry, blueberry or blackberry will do – I’ve tried them mixed in groups of 3 and it’s DEELISH no matter what the variation).
Make cake exactly as shown but load up the berries so the ENTIRE top of the cake is covered (and you can’t see any batter). Do not change the amount of any other ingrediant. Put cake pan on a baking sheet because some pans (like the store bought pie pans) are slightly too small and some batter may rise and go over the side. Cook as directed BUT when you get to 27 minutes, take the cake out, tent a piece of foil over the top (don’t let it touch cake), and cook for an EXTRA 10 minutes. ALL the berries will sink to the bottom during cooking and the batter will caramelize on the top. What you end up with is a wonderfully moist berry upside-down cake. I’ve made this 4 times since Smitten posted this original cake and it’s been a delicious way to celebrate the bounty of berries we’ve got here in Maryland… enjoy!!
I weighed out the sugar and the cake seemed overly sweet to me. So sweet that I am second guessing whether I put too much in. I guess I will have to try and make it again this weekend! I made mine with blackberries and strawberry slices. Although it stuck to the pan (will try parchment paper next time) it was incredibly delicious. So delicious that I offered to bring it to brunch this coming weekend. I love excuses to try a great recipe a second time.
I made it for kicks last night and it is very nice and simple for dinner. I actually saw i in the mag and clipped it, then remembered i saw it on your blog!
my berries sank to the bottom. but.. who cares! it’s almost gone! I used sanding sugar on the top for crunch. forgot to use zest.
This looks really good. A great way to use up the buttermilk that is sitting in my fridge.
I made this cake the day the recipe was posted since i had some left over buttermilk that i didn’t want to go to waste. I didn’t have raspberries or lemon so I used a can of sour cherries in water (drained) and some orange zest and it turned out amazing! It was so easy to swap ingredients and it is so tasty!
I just made this cake intending to save it until after dinner, but it was so good that my husband and I just gorged ourselves on it almost straight from the oven! What a wonderful, and easy, recipe. Thank you.
Through another blog I just found this site, and this fabulous cake which I served to company tonight. It was a huge hit, and I’ll be taking it to a dinner party next weekend. This is going to be a go-to recipe. Just delicious!
This cake is amazing! It truly shines… fast, easy, light.. delicious! I have already tried it with strawberries (little bit too wet, but I don’t think anyone would manage NOT to eat it the very first day, so no problem with getting too moist!), blueberries and raspberries. I usually substitue the sugar with half a cup of honey and when there is so many fres -berries around it’s our favourite everyday cake! Thank you.
Just pulled this out of the oven and it took 20 minutes on the dot. I think my oven runs a little fast though. Made it sans mixer and it seems just fine, just a wooden spoon and a bowl.
In regards to vegan cake, I would try using a non-dairy yogurt, what you usually get from buttermilk is moisture and tang and plain yogurt is a little heavier, but works well as a substitute. I’ve also heard of people using silken tofu with a little lemon juice, not sure about the proportions though.
I have an entire carton of raspberries and buttermilk that are both about to expire. If it weren’t for you Deb, I might have had myself a bowl of raspberries in buttermilk for breakfast. This is the PERFECT recipe for today and I plan on making it after I post here! Thank you!
I made this and it was absolutely amazing. Light, tasty…a keeper in my book!
So yummy, made it tonight! The only problem I had is that rasberries all sunk to th bottom like an upside down cake and it was impossible to get out of the pan. I ended up serving it with a spoon in chunks. Any idea how to fix that? It didn’t come out looking like the picture where the berries stay in the middle! Delicious either way but would be nice to get out of the pan for company or for a gift! :)
i just made this cake last night using raspberries and homemade buttermilk. it’s perfect — light enough to enjoy during the summertime and moist. will definitely make again!
actually, i used a little bit more lemon zest than suggested and my cake turned out to be a “raspberry-lemon buttermilk cake.” soo good.
Hey :)
I live in the UK and cant get buttermilk anywhere?! :(
Looks fab tho! x
Mmm, delicious. I have a question about buttermilk: why is it impossible to buy anything but low-fat buttermilk in stores? When I bake I generally don’t want to use low-fat anything :) I can buy buttermilk at the Union Square greenmarket sometimes, and it’s delicious; I can’t fathom why nobody’s selling really awesome buttermilk at, say, whole foods.
Amusingly enough, it’s a Yankee thing. I have heard that in the South, full fat buttermilk is everywhere. It’s us damned Yankees that seem to not appreciate it.
I made this with blueberries and it was totally fantastic! Thanks for the recipe :)
No buttermilk? Use yogurt and thin it out a tiny bit with milk.
Oh – and I used Demerara sugar and it made the topping especially good!
just stumbled upon your recipe, had about a pound of fresh rasperries, so….
read it, made it and ate it…. well, not all of it, but uhm right now I am happily eating away while watching Jonathan Ross ;-)))
Wonderful recipe – thank you so much!
Hi Deb,
I finally made the cake. Twice! First, I made it by using frozen berries. The taste was absolutely delicious, but it was a little soggy. Yes, I did thawed the fruit and removed all the excess of liquid but still, the fruits have too much liquid. Anyway, the cake was VERY good.
Today, I made the cake with mangoes. Let me tell you that the cake is DELICIOSO! And I prepared the buttermilk by using lemon juice and I used lemon zest. The flavors “married” and the final product is extremely good.
Now, I’m staring my blog and I want to post the recipe by using mangoes. So, will you authorized me to use this recipe? I will include that the recipe has been adapted from your site.
I found this recipe by accident, but it has turned out to be divine intervention! The first was made with raspberries; second, blueberries. Had a spur-of-the-moment potluck invite and had only a few blueberries left, so combined them with canned peaches. Heaven! I was a bit puzzled, however, as to why my cake seemed so much higher than yours…almost double the volume. Then, as I prepared to make my fourth cake, I realized I have been using a WHOLE stick of butter, not half! Mea culpa… Still, quite delish. Might try adding mini chocolate chips with the raspberries next!
I think my husband loves me more because of this cake ;) He also thinks it cannot be improved by the addition of chocolate, and that’s sayin’ somethin’!
I just took the cake out of the oven and i made lemon glaze for the cake. Fruity dessert that doesnt take long in the oven is wonderful during warm weather! I suddenly loved the scent of the mixture after I mixed it. I knew I would love this. I am just disappointed my cake did not create cute dimples!!!! ;o(
oh yea..by the way my fruits sort of sunk to the bottom of the pan?? If i overmix a mixture, does that happen??
Mmmmm. I had to make a double batch of the batter due to a measuring mistake with the milk. But it worked out well because one cake used strawberries, as planned, but for the second cake I had to look around the kitchen for some other fruit I had on hand. I cut up both a bosc pear and an apple and put them together in the second cake. I topped the apple/pear cake with cinnamon and sugar and it tasted so good.
I am in love with this cake! I made it for the third time this weekend and decided to add some blackberries into the mix as well as…get this…about 2 teaspoons of rose water. Wow!
I also converted this to gluten free, made a few tweaks, and WOW… was it good. I used blackberries but set them on their sides and they all sank below the surface.
I think I have just left the most boring comment ever.
I just wanted to use up some buttermilk that was going to go bad in the refrigerator and found this recipe. I made a triple recipe and used two 9 inch round cakes and one smaller about 4 inch cake. I filled them really full over 2/3 and they came out perfect. I wanted them thicker than the picture showed. I didn’t have raspberries and didn’t want to use the strawberries I had in the freezer so I made it plain to use for shortcake later. I had to try the small cake it looked so good and it was. The cake was so moist, I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting. I wrapped the two 9 inch cakes and put in the freezer for company later this month and will serve with fresh strawberries and whip cream.
I will be making this again when I can get some fresh peaches, it will be wonderful with any fruit. Maybe some strusel and use as a coffee cake, the possibilities are endless with this basic cake.
this cake is so perfect for summer! i think i’ve honestly made this at least 6 times since you posted the recipe.
THANK YOU for constantly exciting and inspiring me!
(also the goat cheese & asparagus pasta has been made alot lately too)
but riddle me this: the first time i made this cake…i forgot the egg.
i turned out fantastic, looked just like your photos and tasted amazing. i made it again WITH an egg and it really wasnt as good! :( the batter was quite runny, and it rose so much the raspberrys dissapeared, and it was a bit spongey.
anyway if you have a solution to my wondering i’d love to hear it, but ever since i’ve gone eggless and been lovin’ it!
I have made this cake several times, each time with home made buttermilk made with whole milk. My berries sink to the bottom. I tried tossing them with flower to try to prevent them from fully sinking and just placing them on top, but most of them still sank to the bottom. Any ideas? Yours definitely looks more appetizing when you can see the raspberries. I baked it at 400 for 20 minutes.
Also, I have a question on rhubarb (I have made the big crumb cake several times too). How do you prepare it? Do you peel it or just wash it? I read online the it should be peeled, but that took away the nice reddish/pink coloring. Just wondering how you do it.
I made this for a dinner party (the same party at which I served your broccoli slaw – I had a lot riding on you at that dinner), and I was a little worried that it would be too small for 8 people since it’s pretty thin. I served it with some extra raspberries strewn around, and it turned out to be just right – not too much, and delicious. My raspberries sank into the cake also, and I forgot to sprikle the sugar on top until the cake had been in the oven a few minutes, but then it made a delightful sparkly crust so all was not lost. I will definitely make this again.
I finally got around to making this- amazingly delicious! We had a lemon but unfortunately, nothing to zest it with, so we had to leave that out. It was still amazing. This could be a good fall cake with cranberries and orange zest too…
So, I made this for a dinner party, and it was raves across the board. I used traditional buttermilk and instead of baking in a round pan, I used a square. My berries were done 9×9 in perfect little rows. I then cut the 9×9 pan into 1 inch squares and arranged on a chip/dip platter that I converted into a dessert tray. The 1 inch squares are around the edges, and where the dip goes I put hand made whipped cream (cool whip would do the trick, and probably a lot less calories, ha!)
So easy, and everyone LOVED it!
I made **4** of these this weekend. 2 with raspberries, 1 with strawberries and 1 half and half. Fantastic! I’ve still got some buttermilk left and some apricots that are looking beautiful… might just have to find *something* do to with a fifth cake! Thanks!
This cake was easy and delicious! I’m sitting next to a very happy boyfriend, and an empty glass of milk. :)
I like the name “I heard you were coming so I baked a cake” cake:D
I made this for my sister’s boyfriend’s graduation party using cut-up strawberries instead of raspberries because that’s what I had on hand. It was so good. Not too sweet, and great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My sister loved it because as she put it, “I don’t really like cakey cakes.”
tonight is the 3rd time I’m making this since you posted it :o)
Just made it with blueberries b/c the Winn Dixie didn’t have any raspberries that looked good. It smells so good! Now I’m waiting for my bf and his parents to get here so we can eat it! I think I’ll call it Boo-Boo Buttermilk Cake after my friend’s baby, “Boo-Boos” are her favorite fruit :)
I’ve made this cake twice now, and both times it was delicious and did not last in the house for more than a few hours. But I’ve noticed that the raspberries are stainng the dough a blue and unappetizing color. Is it the type of baking powder I used? Please advise!!!
Does anyone think this will work well with figs?
Jamie — I don’t see why not. Maybe soak them in something first to make sure that they’re extra plump, and don’t draw moisture away from the cake.
nastalasta — Very likely. The berries could definitely react with a baking powder with aluminum in it. I use Rumford, which is aluminum-free, and didn’t have that problem. However, I made raspberry scones a while back before I’d switched to Rumford and they were a heinous bruise color!
hey this looks fantastic – my son saw the photo and wants it for his birthday! so how would you convert it to cupcakes? More baking soda or powder?
that looks so delicious, and so great
I made this last night — mmmm so simple and delicious! Thanks for another winner.
This is so good, I’ve made it a couple times with all types of berries and they’ve turned out delicious. But I noticed that it gets a little soft sitting out on the counter after a couple days. Should it be specially stored or just stuck in the fridge?
Mmmmmmm, that looks absolutely fabulous – thanks for sharing!
after running past this recipe, i immediately started throwing ingredients together because it sounded delicious. one thing led to another, and before i knew it – i realized i was missing a few core ingredients (raspberries and buttermilk). no worries – blueberries were a great substitute. i couldn’t find my vanilla so i replaced with almond extract – also tasty. didn’t have buttermilk so i did the 1 tablespoon vinegar trick. oh yeah, and my mixer went out.
i also added chocolate chips. so basically i KIND OF did the recipe. and it was great.
I’ve made this twice now, and my family and I LOVE it. We like eating it right out of the oven, nice and warm, but it’s also really good cold. Tonight we’re making it a third time, only we’re going to do peaches instead. I can’t wait to try it!
I made an eggless version of this cake for my mother. I replaced the egg with 1/2 a mashed banana + 2 tbsp buttermilk. I also added about a cup of chopped walnuts because…bananas go well with walnuts. The end result was fantastic! It was just as moist and soft as the original version (I make both) and the added flavor of walnuts was just awesome :)
Hey! First time poster, long time fan! I just made this today and it’s gone down very well! Half gone already just 3 hours later!
Hi Deb,
I made this three times already, tweaking it to meet our tastes. The main change that I made is to add a lot more lemon. I posted about it this evening. Thanks!
Made this last night, but subbed blueberries for raspberries and whole wheat flour for all purpose. Turned out SO good! It reminds me of a coffee cake and yes, I will be enjoying a piece with my morning coffee. : )
(I made buttermilk for the first time: how was I not doing this already?)
The cake is amazing, though. I made it using the zest from a whole lemon, which ended up being more than called for, and I squirted some lemon juice on the berries once put into the dough. I used a 6-ounceish, evenish mixture of blackberries (not placed any particular way, mostly sinking) and raspberries (placed hole-side up, mostly staying afloat).
Before baking I sprinkled the top with cinnamon and allspice, and I whipped some cream with a hit of amaretto to plop on top.
It lasted 7 minutes and we were just two people and a half-litre of milk to wash it down. :)
I need help. I cannot stop making this cake!!! Oh the lemony flavour! Oh the raspberries! Oh the light, fluffy, eggy goodness! The new recipe for Blueberry Boy Bait might just cure me though. Thanks for another hit!
my raseberries sank too and made a sort of jammy mess also the top of my cake was much darker than your photo – what did i wrong?
we have so many raspberries in our garden! what a great way to use them!
<3 Amy
I made this cake last night with fresh blueberries (for some reason, I couldn’t find any raspberries that weren’t shockingly overpriced) and it came out amazingly well! The cake was super moist and the blueberries did not sink to the bottom as I had feared.
Deb
Wonderful! I tried it and it came out Perrrrrfecto!!!
Take a look http://fotojurny.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/blueberry-cake/
Fun fact: if you make this cake and the fruit sinks (as it did when I topped it with blueberries), everyone at the family reunion will think you brought a plain, unfrosted cake and no one will touch it. Thus, you will bring two of these delectable cakes home and lament the fact that your weight loss will be at a standstill for a few days. But good golly, this cake is tasty and can be made when you are sleep deprived and exhausted at midnight in a matter of minutes. Thanks, Deb!
This cake is awesome! I made it with cherries, it’s cooling as I type this. My cherries are close to being lost, I though about clafoutis but I prefere a cake texture than a flan texture, so I remembered I saw this recipe a while back. The batter is incredibly fluffy and it looks like it’s going to be really moist. I like that the batter taste like butter even though there is not all that much in there.
Thanks for the great recipe!
mmh, this cake is awesome, i threw in 1/4 cup of finely grated coconut and it tasted great. love your website! aloha from maui and thnaks a lot for the recipe! WILL BE BACK SOON !
hi! the cake looks great. I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow but I don’t have any baking soda and shops will all be closed tomorrow as it is the 14th of July in France. is is ok if I replace it by another 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder? I’m worried it’s going to taste funny.
thanks!
So easy and delicious… I made 2 for a family gathering. Thanks for the recipe! (I used frozen strawberries we had recently picked, and it turned out great!)
made this twice with great success! even with the shorter cooking time, however, it cooks up quickly! one more minute and i would have been toast! loved it with blueberries. ate it for breakfast and will take to brunches as a coffee cake. sort of like a really special blueberry muffin :)
LOVE this recipe….I’ve made it several times with great success and have referred so many people to your excellent recipes and blog…with fresh berries takes me about 18 min in the oven for golden perfection…Question on using frozen berries though– I used frozen blueberries the other night and it took 26 minutes for the toothpick to come out clean but the outside was overly browned. Should I adjust the temperature?
Absolutely delicious. The perfect cake to make with any berries.. the buttermilk flavor is divine!
Mine didn’t look like the pictures, but it was mighty delicious! Mine came out a lot fluffier and moist than this one appears. All the berries sank, no matter which direction they were facing. I baked it for 20 minutes and it came out a little too brown, so I’ll try 18-19 next time! It was wonderful though, despite the fact it wasn’t the most beautiful cake I’ve ever made.
Hi Deb,
I have a question. I’ve made this cake twice now. I was so excited to make it because really,yours looks fantastic. The first time I made it with strawberries and it tasted lovely but my strawberries all sank to the bottom of the cake, making it rather soggy. I thought perhaps it was due to the size of the strawberries versus the raspberries. So today I thought I’d make it with blueberries which are small and shouldn’t be so heavy they sink right? No. They sunk too! So now I have a nice layer of blue on the bottom of the cake although it’s not as soggy as last time. Tastes great though. But do you have any idea why my fruit are sinking and how I can get them to stay up like yours? I don’t know what I’m doing wrong! Thanks.
just made this with blueberries and I can only say it’s simple and delightful…
I just made this tonight and it was fantastic. Love it! Thanks Deb!
Oh Deb, I made this a few weeks ago (I’m pretty sure I credited to you, but I know I also credited Gourmet… must check this) in 4-inch springforms, and I’m making it again today in the full 9-inch pan to take to my grandparents. This is such a wonderful recipe, you rock!
Just made it, is in the oven, can’t wait to taste it!
Just found your website tonight and you convinced me with this one!
Wonderful recipes, thank you very much!
Wow! Another SmittenKitchen winner, for sure. This was SO easy and delicious! I used sour cherries instead of raspberries because I had the cherries on hand. They were perfect–just the right amount of tart to balance the buttery, moist and light cake. I agree with the commenter who said this tastes so buttery, even though there’s really not that much butter in it!
Absolutely awesome, Deb–thanks! I’ll be making this one again and again with all kinds of different fruits. I’m having trouble thinking of something that *wouldn’t* work!
I just made this cake for the second time in two days, my roommates have been clamoring for more. I’m spending the summer in the countryside, and we have no electric mixer, but tons of berries. Mixing the cake by hand works fine! Just be sure to be thorough.
I used 1/4 cup of banana and a few small slices of butter instead of half a stick of butter, and it came out well! I also scattered strawberries and blueberries across the mixture.
Delicious. Made this with wineberries picked from the side of our country road. I did a double recipe in a 9×13 and baked it a little longer (20 minutes at 400, and then 15 more minutes at 350 to avoid burning). I added a pinch of nutmeg and ginger, and used more than the called-for amount of berries. No doubt about it, I’ll make this again.
I swapped the raspberries with blueberries. This cake was sooooo delicious and I’ll be making it again! Thanks a lot!
Deb thanks for this recipe. First time I made it with raspberries and it was dee lish. This time I bought 4 quarts of farm fresh raspberries with a plan to make it again, but they all rolled around in the car — we’re having jam tarts instead. Oh well, blackberries to the rescue. You are teaching me what I thought not possible — how to bake simply and deliciously — and more and more, fearlessly. Thanks again.
Just put my third one (in 2.5 weeks) in the oven. First two were strawberry and this one is sweet cherries. maybe someday i’ll try raspberries! thank you for such an easy and DELICIOUS cake! it’s going to become my go-to!
This is in the oven right now (except with blueberries). The batter itself tasted so good I thought about just eating it. :) Yummy!!
I made this cake twice this week. The first time for myself and my husband, in the attempt to use at least some of the 2 kilos of wineberries we picked in a nearby park. I loved the simplicity of the recipe and the fresh, tangy flavor, thanks to the combination of the tart berries and lemon zest. Next time I made it, was precisely for the reason this cake is intended for: unexpected visitors on a very short notice. This time I made it with raspberries. Again, the result was great: light and bright taste. The berries did not sink. The cake took 30 to bake through. I use the zest of a whole lemon for this cake. Thank you for the recipe. It is now one of my go-to recipes.
Simply stunning. So simple and easy to make but tastes anything but. I found it cooked a little too quickly too, even 20 minutes left it very brown and almost burnt on the edge, but not so that it affected the taste.
Incidentally I couldn’t get buttermilk at my local store so I mixed 1 half natural yoghurt with 1 half milk, worked a treat!
Yum…
I made this twice, both times using the faux buttermilk. Actually, it was milk that I had previously frozen, so not only was it yucky looking milk that had separated, but it didn’t even clabber the slightest bit when I added in the lemon juice. But apparently, none of that matters because this cake still turned out fantastic!
The first time I made it using fresh raspberries and a hand mixer. The berries sank, completely out of view.
The second time was made with fresh blueberries. This time, I hand mixed it as well as tossed the berries with a bit of flour before sprinkling them on top. To my delight, some sank, some didn’t, and every bite was delicious. I also baked this one at 375 for about 35-40 minutes.
So good….
Thank you! Thank you! As a first time dinner host for my family and in-laws, I was very nervous about how I’m going to pull it off. Once this cake came out of the oven, I knew I’ll be ok. I used blueberries and they all sunk but that didn’t take away from the taste and almost looked intentional. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thank you for posting the recipe! I tried with blueberries, and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.
I used full-fat greek yogurt instead of buttermilk. I dislike using only 1/2 cup of a quart of buttermilk, whereas the yogurt is a regular staple. It has a similar tangy-ness, and give the batter a richer texture.
I didn’t have lemons on hand, so I grated in some orange zest and added a splash of grand mariner. It seemed to have worked well with the blueberries.
I just made this as a gift for my neighbors. What a beautiful and fragrant cake! So tender! Thank you for sharing!
I am baking this cake right now! I replaced the raspberries with blueberries tho….I’m excited to see how it turns out! Thanks!
Hi, I have been following your blog for at least a year. Your delicious-looking food photos always left me wanting to go right to the kitchen and get my hands on. Anyway, I just baked this cake for my workplace outing tomorrow. I’ve tried it. And I’m sure it will be a hit tomorrow. It’s moist, tender with a slight ting of tang! Yummylicious!!
i am coming out of lurkdom for this cake.
i’ve made a lot of things from smitten kitchen, but i just made this cake this morning, and i absolutely had to tell you it is The Best Cake I’ve Ever Made In My Life. true story.
thankyousomuch for posting cake bliss.
Something went terribly wrong when I made this the other day. It did not look anything like your cake, and it all fell apart when I took it out of the pan. (I suspect either a scaling error or a creaming issue, but I really am not motivated to investigate further.) Fortunately, it was not destined for anything except breakfast snacking, and it stil goes perfectly well with yogurt even if it is ugly and broken!
Thank you for the recipe.
Your website, as I’m sure you’ve heard hundreds of times, is really great–beautiful photos, easy to follow recipes, and well-organized. What really pushes me to name your site as my top favorite is that everything I make from your website always turns out the way it does in your photos. (At least so far, which is about two months.)
Instead of raspberries, I used peaches and blueberries. Also, I reduced the baking time in half to 10 minutes because I made them into 8 very large cupcakes (I don’t own any cake pans). Turned out beautiful. And tasted really ridiculously soft and moist, too.
Thanks again.
PS. Some of the peaches and blueberries sunk, while others did not. Either way, it still tasted good.
I finally got around to making this and it was a hit! I made a blueberry one and a raspberry one and they were super easy. Next time I plan to add more lemon juice and zest. Thanks!
I want to thank you for such a lovely recipe. I made a few ingredient changes so I could avoid a trip to the store and it was still fantastic. I subbed 1/2 tsp lemon extract for the lemon zest, plain whole milk yogurt for the buttermilk and frozen raspberries for fresh.
It turned out great. It was light, tender and such a tangy, sweet mingling of flavors. I can’t wait to have it with tea in the morning. Thanks so much!
This cake was awesome! We made it with the only berries we had on hand (a mixture of blueberries and blackberries). My husband had seconds… the first time I’ve ever seen him have seconds on a dessert. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
None was coming… but I was at home! ;o) Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
This cake is fantastic. Light, buttery, love the crisp sugar on top.
I just made this and it turned out perfectly! It only took minutes to make and it tasted soo good! I used freshly picked raspberries and had no problem with them sinking. Actually, my cake looked exactly like the picture. The lemon zest and the sugar on top are the perfect finishing touches. I will definitely make this again- maybe even with blueberries…
It’s in the oven now. . . I guess it doesn’t matter that I didn’t take the time to read how to make buttermilk until after I used half-and-half. We’ll soon find out!
I must have made this cake at least ten times since finding your blog a few months ago. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes, in part because it is so simple and unassumingly delicious. My husband loves it just as much as I do, and now he understands why we have a zester!
I made this three time during our vacation last month, with rave reviews each time. It’s so simple and delicious … sure to be my go-to everyday cake from now on. And just as a tip, doubling the recipe for a crowd worked perfectly in a 9×13″ pan!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I just finished baking this with freshly picked blackberries, and am a bit sheepish to say that I’ve already eaten… well… most of the cake by myself!
Wow, this looks so delicious and easy. I love raspberries and cake so I know I’ll love this recipe. Can’t wait to make it, thanks.
I am making this today. I will turn this recipe into muffins. Can’t wait to taste. Looks yummy. Would be great is you do a list of your 10-20 favs desserts.
I made this cake this summer and it was so light and moist, I just had to share some with my friend Molly. I also thought it was so good I decided to share it with others so I linked this page onto my site of the week page on my site. I believe it is week 3’s site of the week. I hope you get more hits on it as I still have it as an active link on my site. Thanks for great recipes!
I made this for the mom’s at my daughter’s tea party (her 4th bday, thank you!) and ALL the raspberries sank! LOL! But, that didn’t stop us from gobbling the whole thing down! Delicious! I decorated the top with flowers from the party and some raspberries I had leftover in the fridge. I’ll definitely make it again and it will be interesting to see if any berries stay afloat!
Laura – my raspberries sunk too.
This cake was a HUGE hit with my coworkers. Disappeared in roughly 20 minutes (and it’s not a big office!). I threw in some cardamom just for giggles (three shakes – maybe 1/2 t at most?) and it was FABULOUS. I also sprinkles a little demeura sugar on top after baling, mostly for decoration, but it added a really pleasant crunch to the texture.
(ETA: Also, I left out the lemon zest, but since I added cardamom, I didn’t miss it. I also neglected to sprinkle sugar on top before baking but again, didn’t miss it)
Seems good, baking very nicely, I reduced the sugar and butter. Gonna bring it to a party with homemade basil ice cream…
Baking in the oven right now, used frozen raspberries lovingly picked by my now 81 year old Dad this summer. Can’t wait to try it.
wow…woke up at 4 am and have this cake in the oven…I added some chopped up chocolate (stole some candy from the kids Helloween left overs) plus the raspberries… it looks great so far… I actually am going to whip up a second one… and willl take it to a friend today!
This looks excellent. It’s not summer but I’m not sure I can wait…Yum.
This was so good! I made it with blackberries and some whipped cream with a touch of brandy. My guests loved it! It’s going in the regular circulation for company — yummy, make ahead and the perfect size (I hate having leftover dessert).
I also made this with blackberries and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
this sounds simply uh-mazing… i’m trying it today, first with raspberries and then again with cranberries.
just made this cake with blackberries. Totally delicious even enjoyed by a slightly whiny 11-yr-old (“uhhhh, you forgot the frosting) and 3 yr-old (“I don’t eat berries).
Just baked this and its my new favortie easy cake recipe. Dee-lish!!
My 2.5 year old son asked for raspberry cake and strawberry ice cream from Santa. So here I am on Christmas Eve cooking him raspberry cake. Thanks for the recipe!
It is summer in New Zealand. We got plenty of fresh raspberries from our local farmer market. I baked this cake yesterday. It was wonderful. I sprinkled the top generously with castor sugar before baking. The top came out slightly crusty. Thank you Deb for the recipe.
I made this last weekend and it was great! I used blueberries and forgot to put the sugar on top until the cake had been cooking for 15-20 minutes. I added it when I remembered, and everything turned out fine. My blueberries didn’t even sink to the bottom. It did take longer than 20 minutes for the middle of the cake to set – probably around 30 minutes.
lol…I knew you’d have what I was looking for :) Thanks!
This is one of my new favorite recipes! Thank you! I made it the first time with raspberries and the recipe just as you posted here and it was divine. What an easy and yet delicious summer dessert. I’ve also started playing around with it, most recently I made it into an apple cinnamon buttermilk cake and it was just as divine (http://www.completelydelicious.com/2009/11/apple-buttermilk-cake.html). I love recipes I can play around with.
Your blog is extremely inspiring to me. Keep up the great work!
DANGER…DANGER… I made this cake and ate all of it in one day! Yum.
Turned out handsome AND delicious topped with lots of cranberries and vanilla sugar. lovely use of old half-and-half!
Oh, a tip for those folks whose fruit is sinking: try tossing your fruit with a few tablespoons of flour before you toss it on top of the batter. This trick also works in recipes that call for stirring the fruit into the batter, too.
Just made this with frozen blueberries. Like other people have been saying, it tastes incredibly buttery, even though there is only 1/2 a stick of butter and I used reduced-fat buttermilk! Everyone at work is devouring it while giving me evil glares for (they think) ruining their New Year’s resolutions.
I made this over the weekend. It was awesome! Seriously! I made it with strawberries and we put whipped cream on top. I was like strawberry shortcake, only better. The problem is that one 9 inch pan is too small! Everyone wanted more – including my 5 year old who was still asking for more after 3 pieces. Can you double it and bake it in a 9 x 13? Also, I took it out after 25 minutes when the top was browned and crisping up but the bottom was still really soft and sticking to the pan when I inverted it. I did cool it for 10 minutes as instructed, and the toothpick was clean. So, is that how it’s supposed to turn out? Maybe, I needed to cook it longer? Anyway, great cake!
Deb, this has become my all-time favorite every-day cakes recipe. I have made it at least ten times now, and it’s still one of my faves of all your posts!! Every time we have a couple over for dinner – or go to a friends house for dinner- I make this cake. I’ve done raspberries, blackberries, and right now a fresh blueberry version is in the oven.. Sometimes when i use frozen berries, they sink into the batter (even after rolling in flour) in which case I just sprinkle powdered sugar on top and it still looks pretty. Any other suggestions to help keep the berries from sinking? Thanks so much- this cake is truly a winner!
I’ve made this cake countless times. I keep returning to it because it is absolutely delicious. I often add more raspberries than suggested, but you can never have too many of those fruity little treasures. Despite the wintry weather, I’m thinking that one of these little cakes is in my future. They’re too good to only have when raspberries are in season.
Thank you SO much for sharing this with us. :)
This cake was instrumental in wooing my boyfriend, a man with quite refined tastes in baked goods.
I believe that is sufficient reason to recommend that everyone make it, now, and feed it to a person that you like.
Such an easy cake to make, and such a hard cake to stay away from! Buttermilk texture is just lovely. Thanks so much.
Adjustments: I didn’t have enough raspberries so mixed in blueberries and threw in some mini chocolate chips, just for fun. Forgot to dust them with flour but they didn’t sink..hmm wonder what I did right? (I also failed, however, to dry them off completely after washing them and that created unnecessary ring of moisture around the berries) I decreased everything by 1/6 because I only had a 8 inch springform, but it worked out beautifully. I don’t know if others felt the same but I found it tiny bit too sugary, so will cut back some next time. Has anyone tried mixing in chopped nuts?
…and made an orange version of this today: Orange zest (1 spoonful? I only had a single orange), 1 tbs of juice from the orange, cut back some on the buttermilk in consideration of the acidity in the juice, swapped almond extract for vanilla, threw in some semi-sweet chocolate chips, cut back on sugar, and voila!
I love this recipe so much, thanks again, Deb!
I want to thank you a thousand time for this recipe. I’ve made it as a coffee cake and as a dessert cake, with different flavorings and fruit and even added mini chocolate chips for a richer treat. It’s so versatile and always a pretty presentation.
I just put the most recent one in the oven for my sweetie’s valentine’s day breakfast in bed. (He sleeps late!) I upped the lemon zest and added a 1/2 tsp lemon extract. I’ll serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche and a few reserved fresh raspberries. Thanks again!
thanks and god bless i used fresh pinapple and topped it with spme brwon sugar and put some fresh strawberries in the centre.
sorry some brown sugar
I made this cake for my Oscar Potluck Party-and it was great! I used frozen blueberries that I tossed with flour before sprinkling them on the cake. It turned out wonderful-I love that this is a cake I will always have ingredients on hand for. Can’t wait to try with rasberries! Thanks!!
Just made your Guinness and Bailey’s cupcakes yesterday (ALL gone before noon today in the office), and am now just hitting “Surprise Me!” on the left navigation. LOVE your blog so much! Also, good to know that my apartment’s oven circa 1965 isn’t the only one that seems to be turbo charged in the heat department!
I just made this cake for the second time. I love it! I used the last of the season’s raspberries (I’m in the southern hemisphere) and I’m just about to walk out the door with it for a barbecue. What a perfect, simple, lovely, summery cake to bring to a friend’s house for a lazy late summer afternoon!
I’ve been following you for about a year now and last year I bookmarked this recipe. For the past year, I’ve looked at this recipe longingly. I’ve never really cooked at all, let alone bake something from scratch and at age 43 – I figured it was about time. Well I made it and I have to say it has changed me. Who knew that some flour,a whisk and a tiny carton of buttermilk could for once get me out of my head? In a world so incredibly stressful, thank you for introducing me to a quiet place where true magic can really happen…
Hi Deb, Ive just discovered your fantastic recpies. Ive tried loads of them in the last week!
I like when you have grams as well as cups….makes it easier for those of us in the UK
Cheers from Glasgow
You are simply amazing!!! I love all your yummy recipes and love that you post pictures of every step. Thank you!
Crossing my fingers that you soon create that Everyday Cake section. Although with two little ones of my own, I wonder how you find time to still cook a couple times a week. I love your site and have recommended to other foodies.
Debra — Thanks for the reminder! I’m just getting started on it now...
You know the best thing about this blog is actually eating what I see in the picture….this cake is delightful.
This cake was perfect when made as written! I also tried it using a thawed frozen berry mix and it was still perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
Deb, this cake was incredible. It was so fast to whip up, and my husband commented, “This is the best cake I have EVER had.” Thank you so much!
I made this cake tonight with frozen raspberries and it was amazing–so tender! I used 3/4 cup of buttermilk because that’s what I had left, and an 8″ round pan because I wanted a thicker cake. It took 40 minutes to bake, and the berries turned a bit blue and sank to the bottom, but I ate 3 pieces while it was still warm! Next time I’ll reduce the baking soda/powder a bit, as it’s the basic mixture that makes the berries turn blue. Delicious–I’ll be using it with many different types of fruit.
I’ve prepared this cake yesterday from a Spanish website and finally my conclusion was: “it needs more rapsberries”. Now I see yours and asked me why I didn’t take the time to look into your website first!! Next time!
Well, how nice of you to have a cake for my birthday! I was flipping through and sure enough-May !9th got a cake! Thanks!
It tasted fine, but sure didn’t look like the very appetizing picture! The berries all sank and were invisible, and it fell in the middle. I think our oven is possessed – my husband is an accomplished baker and every now and then has an inexplicable result like this. So, I covered it with chocolate ganache, and filled the sunken spot with a mound of raspberries, then dusted it with a little powdered sugar! It looked lovely and what doesn’t taste even better with chocolate ganache!
Thanks so much for this recipe. This will be the THIRD and FOURTH time I’ve made this in a week, at deafening request of my family. Thanks for putting up such a wonderful and flexible cake!
I made this cake (strawberry version) one day early for my boyfriend’s birthday. However, it smelled and looked so good, we had to try a piece as soon as it came out of the oven! It was AMAZING! The next day, we celebrated his real birthday with 3/4 of a cake… not as pretty, but just as delicious! Thank you for this fabulous recipe I will definitely be making over and over again!
I made this cake for a coworker’s birthday. I used quartered strawberries as they’re in season, doubled the recipe to fit a 9×13 pan and frosted with cream cheese frosting to make it more of an occasion cake. It was absolutely fantastic and I got raves from everyone at work! This recipe is definitely a keeper and I’ll be adding it to my repertoire (especially for spring and summer)!
I made this today and had great results!!
I made this with strawberries from the farmer’s market. I used heavy cream that I had because I mistakenly bought milk instead of buttermilk. It was wonderful! Even my daughter who doesn’t like fruit “in things” gobbled it right up! I can’t wait to try this recipe again.
Ok wow. This is a seriously awesome cake. I made it with blackberries, because they were on sale. I think my husband might finish the entire cake before tomorrow morning. He can’t stop talking about how good it is. I will definitely be making this one again.
Hi
I made this cake soon after it was posted but failed to post it myself til now. I loved it and have lived to blog about it. http://livesandliving.blogspot.com/2010/05/smitten-buttermilk-blueberry.html
hi there! i am totally inspired by all those beautiful pictures in your blog (i tend to read your entries in AM and they always make me soo hungry!!!! ( Thank you for all the delicious recipes!) As i was navigating through old entries i came upon this cake… we tried it last week and LOVED IT!!! super moist, not too sweet and i love that you can substitute any berry in there. We made ours with strawberries since they are now in season! delicious!! and i made your carrot ginger dressing as well ! mmmmm! http://happybirdycake.blogspot.com/2010/05/today-i-am-smitten-kitchen-inspired.html
Apologies if someone has already posted this, but buttermilk can be frozen quite successfully, so what doesn’t get used can be packed up for another time. I’m planning to make this recipe this weekend, and perhaps also a raspberry version of the lemon cream cheese braided bread…
I made this once and it was great! I’m planning to make it again, but I’d like to make the cake part a bit thicker this time. Is there anything I should watch out for in doubling the recipe (aside from cooking time) to make a thicker cake?
Thanks!
Hi Deb. I have a question about how long it will keep once baked. (Not long based on what I’m reading!) The weekends are the only time I have for cooking and I want to make two tomorrow (Sunday) – one for Monday night which I imagine won’t be an issue and one for Wednesday night. Do you think that will be ok?
Thanks!
Juliana — One day in advance should be fine. I confess ours didn’t make it beyond then so I am not sure how they hold up — I am sure they won’t taste terrible, however, just maybe less moist.
I see that this recipe was posted over a year ago, but that wasn’t going to stop me from thanking you SO very much for posting this delicious, amazingly simple cake. I have baked one a week for the past 3 wks (!!) with variations based on what I had at home- strawberries (good but a bit dry), blackberries + strawberries (delicious), and the original all raspberries (my fave) Thank you for your wonderful recipes, can’t wait to try more…
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. I was looking for a simple raspberry cake as a filling for Bakerella’s cake pops, and having browsed your blog before I knew that anything you post would turn out amazing.
Had a bit of a disaster using packet cake mix, and I cannot be happier that I threw that in the bin and found this recipe to make from scratch. it was so delicious it almost broke my heart to crumble it up and coat it in chocolate – but thankfully it is so easy that I will definitely be baking it again!
You are so right about it being an ‘everyday cake’ but I think I will double the recipe so that it doesn’t get all eaten up so fast!!!
By the way, it worked perfectly with frozen raspberries (fresh berries are so expensive and out of season in Australia). Thanks again!
oh goodness when i first started making this i felt like i was going down memory lane and doing a recipe I had already done before. The ingredients were the same, and even the techniques, but the tastes? entirely different. I am beyooond amazed. The other cake was great but this cake was so light as air and had a unique sweetness to it.
AWESOME recipe might I add. Though i lacked your precision when ‘scattering’ the bluberries, it was more like someone had just dumped a pile on top and just flicked them to the sides xP
Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!
oh YUMMY! This was goooooooooood. I must say that I am not to have sugar and I was too lazy to put parchment into the bottom of my pan. uhmm Some of the cake stuck when i was turning it out… and so of course I had to eat the evidence quickly, yeah that’s it, before the children caught me. lol! Have you ever tried this one, cutting the sugar in half? Do you think it would affect spread of cake like it can in cookies? This would be good with chocolate and raspberry swirl with a mint added into it on the plate under the cake. Had I taken the course on spun sugar, some of that over the top of a fresh raspberry perched on the slice like a cage with a sprig of mint would make it look like you worked for HOURS..ha!
This is really good moist cake!! awesome recipe. I just made some last week and posted here. Added some almonds also to it for some variation..it was great!
http://www.mirchmasala.me/2010/06/raspberry-almond-buttermilk-cake.html
This was great! I think it was my boyfriend’s favorite breakfast pastry that I have made so far. I also used frozen raspberries instead of fresh ones, but I let them thaw a bit first. I also didn’t use the parchment paper- like one of the previous posters I was just plain to lazy, but I greased the pan well and it slide out fairly easily. The best part about this cake was the tartness that the lemon added.
I made this cake tonight, using orange zest and blackberries. yum. Mine stuck to the pan, too, but man, it was delicious. I do think next time I’ll use some wax paper or something….
I made this yesterday for a July 3rd barbeque with some berries fresh from the farmers market. (Because, why wait another day to celebrate?) I put alternating circles of raspberries and blueberries to be festive, but all my fruit ended up getting gobbled up by the cake. So I improvised aesthetically and smushed up blueberries in whipping cream for blueberry whipped cream – put a dab of that on top of the cake with some fresh berries surrounding it and the festiveness of the cake was saved. Its deliciousness never needed saving though – this cake was so moist and tasty. Thanks for another great recipe.
It’s baking in my oven now, and my entire apartment smells heavenly. Third time I’ve made the recipe. So excited to share it with my friends tonight! Happy Fourth!
I just recently started baking and had discovered the 101 cookbooks site and was prepared to make her version of this cake (with ww pastry flour). But yesterday i made one of her cakes and was disappointed. I think she aims for “healthy over tasty”. That works sometimes, but i needed a great fruity cake for a bbq today. I already bought my buttermilk and blackberries and then i found your site (and am i thankful!). I made your cake with the blackberries, and i added an equal amount of kosher salt to the sugar which was sprinkled on the top of the cake. YUMMM!!! It was a hit! Everyone enjoyed it and i think the salt added a touch of sophistication. This cake is definitely on my “go to” list!
Thanks so much.
I love this cake! I have made it as written (yummy), with mixed berries(yummy), and with fresh cherries (pitted and halved, yummy). For convenience, I used self rising flour on the cherry one and couldn’t tell a difference. Very user friendly recipe!
The high altitude S____ed me. :( Does anyone have a high altitude version of this? I know less sugar and more flower is the idea, but I’ll have to experiment to find out exactly the right proportions. I’m at 5280 ft.
Deb– I confess to being a longtime lurker and I just adore your site and recipes :) I’ve made this cake three times now exactly as written and I love it! Do you think it would also work doubled, in cupcake form with blueberries gently folded into the batter and some lemon icing drizzled on top? The girls at work are dying to try it, too!
Made this last night – DELICIOUS! I made it with blueberrries, the optional lemon zest, and cooked it for 22 minutes – next time I’d do 20.
Had raspberries; had buttermilk. Needed cake. Think I first did this using Gourmet’s recipe but this time around it’s all you! I actually use the powdered buttermilk but I do add it to milk, not water and it’s always worked fine for me.
Today I’ve added a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips and sprinkled with raw sugar; love raspberry and chocolate together so worth the risk. In the oven and smells divine!
Thank you for the lovely recipe. I made a two cakes. One was impossible to get out of the pan, but the other that was cooked in the back of the oven was perfect. the one in the pan came out slice by slice and was the one we kept in the house while the other was brought to an event.
Deb, pretty much any time I have a get-together (which I always always want to bake for) I come to your blog to see what yumminess you’ve created lately. Right now I’m far from friends, but I’ve bookmarked this for the next time we’re all together again. The guy friends will love it (your recipes never fail at that!) … And I love that you’re publishing a cookbook! Best wishes.
I posted about this cake a year ago and how much I loved it. I just posted my version on my blog, but I wanted to mention here what I mentioned there which is that this cake is very inexpensive to make. I have an eagle eye for inexpensive and delicious food and this, with it’s mere 1/2 stick butter and other modest quantities means that making a bunch of these cakes doesn’t break the bank!
Made this last night for friends and wish I’d made two!!! It was the perfect end to a BBQ with friends. Fortunately the parents ate dessert before the kids spied the cake. Yummmm!
I am somewhat new to this blog and this was the first recipe I made from it. Wow. This cake was so easy and so delicious. We are down to the last few cups of berries from our bushes so I was verry happy they weren’t wasted! They are treated like little jewels around here.
This was one of the first recipes I made from the site as well, and I just have to say how much I love it. I made it a couple times last summer and once this past spring. That time it turned out a little grainy, like cornbread almost and I wasn’t sure I’d try it again.
But this week I was house sitting and they asked me to use whatever food I could so it didn’t spoil. Faced with a few pints of blueberries, some blackberries and some raspberries that were almost round the bend, I made it again. 4 times. And it’s been awesome each time. First was just plain blueberry straight from the recipe. 2nd and 3rd were blue/black berry mix with 1/3 C brown sugar substituted for white just to see what would happen. One of those had cinnamon in as well. The brown sugar made it just a tiny bit moister and delicious. The cinnamon was just ok. 4th time tonight was blueberry with a mix of almond and lemon extracts instead of vanilla, with the 1/3 C. brown sugar, then topped with a spiced vanilla sugar instead of white. It was ok, but I don’t think I care for the almond flavor, it ended up being too sweet.
So, point of that whole thing was to say thank you for such a versatile recipe and to encourage others to play around with it a bit til you find one you like. I’m going to try a peach raspberry one as soon as I can. This fall, I’m planning an apple one with allspice in it. (But first, the dimply plum cakes and the cherry clafloutis.)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My four year old daughter and I made it this morning and it turned out perfect. I had to make some substitutions b/c of food allergies. I used Coconut Kefir in place of the buttermilk and instead of butter I used shortening. It’s so good! we’ve eaten cake for breakfast and lunch. only cake. I feel a little weird about that but what can I say? It is really good cake:)
SOOOOO good… I just had two pieces and its 11pm…:(
A simple quick cake that I have made for company twice ’cause its so low drama. Everybody appreciates it.
Ah, Deb, I am a huge fan. I’m a 15 year old aspiring photographer, and am OBSESSED with your website. Seriously. It’s embarrassing. Anyway, I was wondering if buttermilk could be substituted with something else. (I’m staying in a very quaint town, and unfortunately, there is no buttermilk at the market.) Thanks for providing such amazing recipes, beautiful photos, and entertaining narrative. :)
YUM! I was so excited to find this I overlooked the fact the only ingredient I really had was the buttermilk. So I made with brown sugar, rye flour, dried fruits soaked in honey liqueur and used a 8 inch tin. Was totally delicious but more of a winter cake. Today after grocery shopping I made it exactly according to recipe and it was a delicious summer cake. Awesome recipe!
I made this yesterday, and was thrilled. However, I had to substitute some brown sugar (I ran out of sugar! I must be baking a lot) and I don’t know if that was why, but the cake is incredibly moist. Almost too much so. I’d say it was undercooked, but it’s a gorgeous golden brown on top, darker than the photo. Also, all my raspberries–no matter what direction they fell–sunk to the bottom and are not visible from the top. Delicious none the less!
Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I have made it several times, for family and for company. It is soooooooooooooooo good with a big old glop of homemade whipped cream on top. One thing I do is hold back a few raspberries and push them into the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven so you have a couple on top, as mine always sink no matter which way I orient them before baking.
Deb – I made this cake this past Wednesday and it was a hit with people – you are totally awesome for posting this recipe.
This recipe is so simple and great. My boyfriend’s sister made it and it was delicious. I normally don’t really like berries but this cake was good. Thank you!
This is my go-to cake for brunches and impromtu dinners etc. It’s such a great cake for all kinds of fresh fruits.
Third time this summer I’ve just whipped it up.
Hello Deb,
This is the second recipe I tried on your website and both are gorgeous! The first one I tried was the grapefruit yoghurt cake and it simply turned into a family favorite.
I made a few chances on this recipe. Like using sour cherries instead of raspberries and yogurt instead of buttermilk. Also used a couple of almond extract as well. To all readers: Have you ever heard an angelic cake? Well this is it!
It’s been fresh from oven for the last 20 min.s and almost half is gone :)
I tell you, I’m in love with this cake :)
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Cheers from Istanbul!
edit: a couple drops of almond extract :)
yum! my mom makes a version of this, the recipe she got from her grandmother, but its made with sour cherries.
Hi Deb,
I shared your recipe with a Turkish translation in my Turkish blog, and also added your link for whom may want to read the original recipe.
Thanks for this great recipe again!
Cheers!
Thanks as always for a nice recipe. I made this yesterday with chopped fresh peaches. I added a little over a cup of them (maybe even 1.5cups) and the cake had a lovely fresh peachy flavor. These weren’t overly ripe peaches, so I didn’t have any issues with extra liquid peaches often have when super ripe. It easily and perfectly came out of my pan which is always great. Thanks again.
I have made this cake twice- first with blueberries, second with raspberries, and tonight Im going to make it with peaches and use sour cream instead of buttermilk. Im excited to see how it turns out! What a great recipe. I just wish I could make the berries stay on top more instead of sinking. I floured the raspberries at a friend’s suggestion but it didnt help much. Love this site!
Just made this cake with fresh picked raspberries. It is sooo delicious. I love its little size that makes a great dessert for my family of 6, with no leftovers. I cannot be home alone with any cake so I’m glad it’s all consumed! But, I have “dessert” as my required contribution to our Labor Day picnic. Do you think I could multiply the recipe by 3 or 4 and use a jelly roll pan? It would cook faster, too, I know. Otherwise, I might just make three or four this size. I just found your blog yesterday. Looking forward to reading/cooking/baking more of your recipes. Thanks for your wit, too. Can never laugh too much, right?!
Forgot to mention that I wanted to reduce the sugar in the recipe as I’m not suppose to eat too many carbs. I used half xylitol and half sugar. It was still light and delicious!
First time I found this site and LOVE it. I am about to walk out the door to get the buttermilk. I’ve been reading the thread about the buttermilk issue and wanted to add my 2 cents. I’d go with waiting to get the buttermilk. You can’t beat the guarantee of moistness. The issue is then what to do with the leftovers. My sister gave me a great peach soup recipe a few years ago – 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk,2/3 cup of apple juice, 11/2 tsp grated ginger (more or less to taste, but the ginger makes it) and 6 peeled peaches. It goes into the blender and is just delicious on a hot summer night for desert. Uses up your buttermilk too.
I just made a vegan version by replacing buttermilk with curdled soymilk, butter with vegan magarine and just leaving out the egg. Used two extra tablespoons soymilk to add moisture. I put the batter in muffin tins to make litle friand-type things instead of one big cake. Delicious!
Just made this Saturday, and thanks to yesterday’s hangover it made it to work with me this morning intact. It’s still DELICIOUS – one of my coworkers pointed out it tastes like a pancake with butter and fruit on it. Like one of the commenters above though, it’s almost too moist – certainly fluffier than your picture shows. I’m not complaining, because as I said, it turned out delicious, but just wondering what the difference might be.
Hi Deb,
I would love to make this cake. As I live in Denver at 5280 ft elevation, can you tell me if this recipe needs adjustment for altitude? Where could I find the adjustments?
Thanks so much,
Nancy
Yum! I made this several times over the summer with blackberries and I love it! It’s so simple yet so perfect!
Thanks for the recipe! I made it this evening with blackberries, husband and I both loved it. So fluffy, light, moist and delicious. This will definitely have a spot in my regular dessert rotation!
I just baked this as a treat for some friends tmr, and I am so tempted to eat the entire cake myself, tonight! Thank you for the recipe!!!
I tried this cake with pomegranate sprinkled across the top, and I doubled the batter for a larger pan. I’d have to say that since the pomegranate bits were so small the cake ended up a bit drier, and also the pomegranate seeds didn’t soften they way raspberry seeds do. If I had a do-over, I’d have used the raspberries instead.
I made this once with raspberries this summer – awesome! Tonight I think I am going to try it with cranberries. Thoughts? Concerns? Hopefully it turns out well!
I’ve made many of the cakes from your blog. Most were unbelievable & the lime yogurt cake being the only exception, it simply HAD to be me. This cake, however, steals the show. The ease in making, the flexibility of additions (I did raspberries & amaretto), the light & airy texture and then, there’s the TASTE. Can’t. Stay. Away… Not to mention, it easily adapts to the altitude I live at. Incredible. Thank you, Deb.
I made this just yesterday, and you’re right: It may serve a lot more people than the two who steal it XD
I used frozen raspberries and they sunk to the bottom of my cake…. still delicious but not as pretty as yours
This cake was perfect, I mean really perfect!! Made this with the the buttermilk recipe that you gave and my whole block is begging for more! Much thanxs!!
I made this for my boyfriend and I… it was incredible! We could not stop eating it!!! I am amazed that something so easy to make can be THAT delicious!!
I’m starting to bake my Thanksgiving desserts and freezing them (I’ve already made your mom’s apple cake and rugelach cookies) and was wondering is this cake freezes well? Are there any tweaks that need to be done once the cake is ready to thaw? Your blog always seems to put me in a baking mood!
Made this last night. I think I didn’t butter my pan good enough, or perhaps I didn’t cool it long enough (I was in a hurry), as some of the cake stuck to the bottom of the stoneware pan I used. But, nothing was lost, it tasted fantastic and everyone loved it. A quick and easy recipe!
tried this recipe tonite… quick and easy as i had all the ingredients.. but wonder if my oven was too hot, the top seems to have lots of crack lines, and my raspberries all went into ‘hiding’ thou i scatter it like ur above pic…
I have just spent the day at some orchards in Melbourne Australia and picked about 4kg of raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries and cherries. Yes, i am in berry heaven. After stumbling across your recipe i decided to get to baking. While my cake in no way looks like your beautiful picture (more cake than berries), it tastes absolutely wonderful. So much so that i have just made a second one to take along to a training course i will be running tomorrow. I look forward to cruising through some of your other recipes. Thanks so much!
Oh great! I’ve been looking into this for a while. Tonight I think I am going to try it with cranberries. Love your blog recipe.
I make this cake all the time and LOVE it! I have made it with strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, and pretty much any other type of berry. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
Deb, do you think this one could be made in a loaf pan? Thanks!
I made this several times last summer and am just chiming in late. I made it once with raspberries, once with a mixture of raspberries and blueberries (which made a beautiful 4th of July cake!) and once with chopped nectarines. I made the nectarine batch into cupcakes and cooked them 12-15 minutes. Every time it’s been delicious! A truly wonderful and versatile recipe!
I doubled the recipe to make two since it looks so divine. Now they are baking and I just realized that I did not double the amount of eggs! I hope it isn’t ruined!
I made two of these over the weekend. Well, I didn’t intend to make two, but the first one I did not successfully turn out from the pan, but even in clumps it was delicious! It really is easy to make, surprisingly so, and hardly any kitchen clean up. I’m going to make a double layer version this weekend with lemon icing. Thanks for the post! – Gary
So I made this at 6pm it’s now 8.30pm, as my husband eats his third slice I say ‘there’s not going to be any of this left tomorrow is there?, mouth full of cake he shakes his head. I say its delicious isn’t it, mouthful of more cake he nods his head vigorously. Thanks for the great recipe! If anyone actually reads through the hundreds of comments, i thought i’d share that you can totally make this cake by replacing the flour with a gluten free flour blend! I used White Wings and it worked perfectly. In fact someone may have already said it but I didn’t quite get through all 579 comments :)
hi deb, just as the above commenter, i made this cake last night, mostly to fulfill a pregnancy craving but also since i haven’t baked in over a month due to not feeling well during said pregnancy… i, my husband and son all loved it — thanks for such a tasty, moist and quick recipe… i servec it with some sweetened whipped cream, which made it divine… looking forward to making it again for guests sometime…
I followed omnominom’s guide on How To Make Butter (http://www.omnomicon.com/how-to-make-butter) so I could have fresh butter for this recipe, and it left me with enough buttermilk to use as well! My only worry is, my buttermilk isn’t cultured or sour in any way, and I don’t know how that will affect the flavor of the cake!
That’s not going to stop me from trying it though.
Holy Moly…look at all these comments about what is basically a coffee cake! I know why, too..cuz I make a coffee cake (almost) identical to this one except it uses regular milk, 2 tsp baking powder and no baking soda. It, like this one, doesn’t read like it’s worthy of all that, but it is so delicious and actually gets better (more moist and the flavor develops) over the next couple of days. I often vary it with fruits and different streusals and make it the night before we need it, which is unusual for a coffee cake as they are usually best fresh when warm from the oven. Cakes like this are so versatile and such a great find, aren’t they?
Nice “adapted”. This is a recipe I developed for Gourmet and it’s been copied verbatim with the exception of the lemon zest which I suppose moves it into the “adapted” category.
Hi Melissa — Welcome. I was a big fan of your work for Gourmet. I use the term “adapted” to denote that no, this is not the recipe exactly as you would have seen it on Gourmet. I do this to take responsibility for the minor changes I’ve made so, for example, if a) the weights I added were wrong or b) the suggestion of homemade buttermilk or c) the reduced baking time did not work out for people, they blame me, not Gourmet.
I had leftover buttermilk, so I made this fantastic recipe except I put dark chocolate chips on top. It came out perfect! And was gone within 10 minutes by 3 people…..I would say the outcome was Superbly Scrumptious. Thanks a bunch! :))
I just made this with chopped up chocolate as I have no berries. The closest thing is frozen peas with pearl onions, which perhaps would not have been such a great idea. As with all your other recipes, I enjoyed it enormously. Thank you so much for your great blog!
My oven is notoriously cold and slow, and this cake burned at the 24 minute mark. It was salvaged, (what cake isn’t?) and the house smelled glorious until the 23.5 minute mark. I’m guessing it would have been perfect, had I set the timer for 20 minutes.
Hi Deb. I love the site and am super excited for the cookbook. Please be sure to let the NYers know where the readings (and hopefully tastings) will be.
I was reviewing your site in preparation for an upcoming dinner party and this seems like a great cake and the end of a spring meal. The question is: how do you think this cake would do as a bundt? I have a bundt pan but not one of the round ones like you used. I am happy to buy one, but only if I have to.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Hi, long time fan here. I’ve made a bunch of your recipes. I’ve flown the coup of my parent’s house where I knew the oven well. My new place has a hot-running oven, so the top of my cake is currently a caramel color, but the inside is still jiggle-fest. I’ve lowered the heat and will check ever few min to see that it doesn’t burn. It’s already been in there 25 min. I’m nervous!
i love this base recipe! It is so simple to put together and as long as i keep the egg/oil/flour/liquide ratio intact anything seems to work fine. It is also great in a 9×5 loaf pan; you get a slightly thicker cake which makes you appreciate the soft/light inside all the more.. variations so far:
– swap butter to grapeseed oil
– swap buttermilk to almond milk, or coconut milk (for the coconut+chocolate ver)
– instead of vanilla/lemon/raspberries,
— 1/4C toasted coconuts + blueberries + 1/4t almond extract
— 1/4C toasted coconuts + 1/2C chocolate chips + 1/2t vanilla extract
— 1/4C walnuts + 2T green tea powder
— lemon zest / lemon / 1/4C poppyseeds
Sheesh, lighten up Melissa!
If it wasn’t for Deb, 95% of us here wouldn’t have even tried your recipe at all!
I for one, think the lemon zest is what makes the cake:)
Tried for 1st time but not able to succesed.!!
temperature and time is not accurate.>!!
okz any way i will try again.
thanks for this cake
I love your easy everyday desserts! This one was delicious and it impressed the whole family. And I always have extra buttermilk around the house (thanks, pancake addiction) so I love recipes that help me use it up. Thanks!
I’m making this for brunch this morning. It’s in the oven, almost done…cannot wait to eat it! Thanks, Deb!
Melissa,
I also find myself puzzled at your snark. Deb CLEARLY credited Gourmet just under the recipe’s title, so what’s your problem? Food professional that you are (though, from the tone of your comment, I’d never have guessed), you should be accustomed to people adapting each other’s recipes with credit; I’m sure you’ve done it yourself, since few culinary ideas are every truly unique. Nothing wrong with it.
Anyway. (eyeroll.)
I just made this myself; I increased it by half and used blackberries. And I agree that the lemon makes this cake… plays nicely off the berries. Vanilla ice cream + this cake warm = perfection. I read earlier that someone attempted with strawberries and I’m wondering how that would work; it sounds delicious, but I’d worry about the berries giving off a lot of juice and affecting the texture. Gonna have to try it!
*ever truly unique.
and I had to post back anyway to add that I ended up making a blackberry sauce with the leftover berries that didn’t fit into the cake – cooked 1 cup blackberries with 2 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp. sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice.. pureed and strained and drizzled it over the ice cream on top of the cake. MOAN.
I love the raspberry buttermilk recipe is, it seems eager to create dishes for my family on holidays. But I have not experienced to make it. thanks for giving this a very special recipe
Had no raspberries so picked some rhubarb from my garden and used that and it was delicious with vanilla ice-cream. Can use it with many things. Will make is again.
Anyone tried this with frozen raspberries? Deb, any thoughts? Defrost or toss in frozen?
I decided to double the recipe and to cover the top with raspberries since I have a lot of them that are quickly going bad. I reduced the temperature to 375. I just looked in the oven, and it seems that he middle of the cake is all raspberries while the side is kind of rising around them. We shall see what happens in the end…
Hi!
I JUST baked this cake! (It’s cooling in my kitchen)
In Friends’ Janice’s voice tone: OH MY GOD.
It’s amazing! so delicious.
Thanks a lot for sharing your recipes!
For anyone that was on the fence about the lemon zest, use it. It provides a nice contrast to any berries and made the cake batter so delicious I was tempted to just eat it straight out of the bowl. I made it with small strawberries, since they looked better at the grocery store, and it turned out beautifully.
@Sharon (600) – I use frozen berries from my raspberry bush, but let them mostly thaw first. And almost extract…YUM. YUM. YUM.
@Abby (603) – um… we’re NOT supposed to eat it straight out of the bowl? I think I just discovered why my cakes were always quite a bit smaller than expected ;)
Absolutely scrumptious!
I made this cake this afternoon after a batch of red-velvet-gone-wrong last night. I needed to use up my leftover buttermilk and wanted something simple that would deliver satisfying results and I found it with this cake.
I added a small handful-ish of raw sliced almonds to the top of the cake and just a teeny, tiniest pinch of almond extract to the batter. Looking forward to making this again during my trip to Portland where there will be berries galore! Perhaps some marionberries, blackberries or even some Oregon blueberries? Mmmm!
I made this cake today…it was so yummy even though I messed it up…I forgot to add the egg and sprinkle the raspberries with sugar..but that’s what I love about your recipes…I mess up and it still comes out great!!! Thx for sharing such fantastic recipes :)
Made it and ate it. Wowzer.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it was the first recipe I tried from your site as I was looking for a way to use up some buttermilk. This is now my favourite cake – I LOVE IT! It’s so easy to make and keeps for 3 or 4 days. I use frozen raspberries and/or blueberries. There’s enough mixture for a cake and a few muffins. Excellent recipe. Thanks!
I made this with strawberries today and while my husband has not yet tasted it, I have and it is hard to stay away.
My husband just came in from the garden with 2 pints of raspberries. I am making this cake NOW!
omg this is the definition of an everyday cake. as in, easy enough to make everyday, and so good that you want to eat it everyday. and the fruit makes it completely breakfast-worthy too, i think. thanks for another winner.
I cannot stop making this cake…with raspberries, blueberries (frozen, and another time, fresh), strawberries, and strawberries + rhubarb (cut in chunks, sprinkled with sugar, pre-roasted in a 400-degree oven for 9 minutes). While I have loved them all, the strawberry-rhubarb version was our favorite. I liked the lemon zest with the blueberries the most, although it was subtle. It works fine with the lemon zest too. Originally, I was trying to use up extra buttermilk, but now I’m buying buttermilk just to make the cake. It’s that good and works with all kinds of fruits. Next up will be apricots once they are in season here in Seattle.
I tried making this with Earth Balance instead of butter and a flax egg instead of a regular egg…it tastes reaaalllyy delicious, but I think I needed to bake it longer or use less flax egg because what was beautiful when it came out of the oven totally fell apart like a mushy mess after I tried to remove it from the pan. I thought I had let it cool down enough…maybe not. Either way, it’s going to be turned into a trifle if it doesn’t get eaten up in the pieces it’s in first. Definitely making this again, just going to bake it longer, use a little less flax egg, and also let it cool much longer and not get impatient. *doh* I also used half blueberries, half raspberries (yum)…and I added an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla just incase the flax was too overpowering of a taste (which it wasn’t).
Just made this cake with blueberries, it smells delicious. We’ll be enjoying it at brunch later to celebrate my father in law’s 76th birthday
Thanks again for a great recipe!
I’ve made this cake twice, once with raspberries and once with wineberries, and it’s always fantastic. Note that I also only bake with whole-wheat flour (pastry flour, in this case) and everyone loves it.
Though in my experience, it would only serve eight people if they were very, very disciplined. The last time I made it was for a group of four people, and we polished off every crumb. This recipe is a keeper.
Also! I veganized it with Earth Balance, egg replacer, and soymilk, and it was amazing. All the non-vegans had seconds.
Just picked a bunch of raspberries and this cake looks delicious? Quick question, since this cake looks very similar to the strawberry summer cake, do you think I could sub in some barley flour as well (since I have some now :))?
Judy — I might use less than 50% barley flour in this. In the summer cake, the proportion of fruit to batter is much higher, so it can handle a more robust batter. The summer cake batter is a bit heavier too, almost a pound cake/short cake cross. This one is lighter and more airy.
I can see I’m not the first one to compare it to the strawberry cake! I can’t tell which one I like better. I guess I’ll have to make it again. Bummer (only on the sense that I’ll have to share it)
I just took this out of the oven and it smells fantastic!!! The batter was really good too ;-)
I used a combination of red, white, and pink raspberries from the farmer’s market…so beautiful!
After success with the strawberry cake, I followed the link and made this one as well. I used blend of wheat flour and all-purpose flour, and used 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (loosely packed) instead of 3/4 cup sugar (we like things a little less sweet.)
It was excellent! A little dry, probably from the wheat? Next time I might use a little more buttermilk (or, actually, milk+vinegar.) I loved it, but I might make accommodations if I serve it to guests. If it lasts long enough! The raspberries were tart, and delicious. In fact, maybe I’ll mix some additional raspberries into the batter to give it some moisture.
My cake wasn’t nearly as pretty as Deb’s, but my baking never is! Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to take it to a party and show it off. It is absolutely superb.
I made this today using a combination of raspberries (from the bushes in my backyard) and blueberries. I misread the recipe and added 1/2 tbsp instead of 1/2 tsp lemon zest, and the slight lemon flavor was fantastic with the berries. It’s been out of the oven for barely 15 minutes and is already a quarter of the way gone ;)
When I took it out of the oven, it was a little underdone in the center, though the edges were quite browned. Next time maybe I’ll try covering the outer edges with foil for the last 5 minutes or so so that middle can full cook. Either way, something I would definitely make again! The light, fresh taste is perfect for summer.
I made this true to the recipe several weeks ago… and used shortening to oil the pain… for some reason the whole thing got stuck to the bottom of the pan. I didn’t parchment paper the bottom (which I usually do) so maybe that was my mistake. Maybe I will give it another go at some point!
I love everyday cakes. Made this one with raspberries I froze last week. My pan is 8″ so the cake is a bit taller. Silly me, I read that as 1/2 cup butter rather than 1/2 stick. Did this earlier this year with another recipe (banana bread maybe?) and it came out just delicious, so I am hoping this one will fine too! Taking a little more than 25 minutes…impatiently waiting. Won’t get to try it until later this afternoon. Smells great and the cake batter tasted very good (with lemon zest.)
Thank you kookie in london for posting a fan oven temp and time!!! I recently moved to London and have been having difficulty adjusting to fan ovens. I love this cake so much and will now feel more confident that it will come out right in the fan oven.
I baked this today. I’m new to your blog, and this is the first Smitten Kitchen recipe I’ve tried. It certainly won’t be the last. I LOVED the cake (notice I’m speaking in the past tense, since our family of 4 devoured the whole pan in a matter of seconds)! The ingredients seemed pretty normal for a cake, so I was expecting something run-of-the-mill, but I was shocked at how superior the taste and texture were to other coffee cakes I’ve made. I used some tangy blueberries from the farmer’s market, but I plan to try it once with raspberries, once with blackberries, and once with a combination of the 3 because I want an excuse to eat this cake as often as possible. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
I’ve made this one three times now. once with Rasperries, once with Blueberries and again last night with Strawberries. all turned out perfectly.
I brought the Strawberry one into work today, and it was gone in seconds.
Your site is fantastic. Thank you!
I go back to this cake recipe every year I see cranberries pop up in the grocery store. This is the perfect, everyday cake!
I just made this cake (it’s cooling in my kitchen) and smells delicious. I cannot wait to try it. Had to use homemade buttermilk because I couldn’t find any at the store, so let’s hope it turns out alright… :)
Hi Deb,
I have spent the afternoon reading your recipe blog. I started out looking for a roasted tomato recipe–then, the roasted tomato soup, then, someone in the comment section wrote about your potato soup–then, someone mentioned raspberry buttermilk cake–then, some kind of chocolate cake–then some kind of strawberry cake, and I could probably spend many more hours reading these recipes. But alas, I have run out of time to read the latter two. It’s 5:30 and I haven’t started dinner yet! Yikes!!
Anyway, I have printed the tomato recipe, the tomato and potato soup recipes and now, this wonderful raspberry cake recipe. It seems to be a really big hit–everyone seems to really like it. In fact, to the point, I will have to be guarded as to making it and eating it; as I sure don’t want to gain the 10 pounds I have lost!! It seems there are two basic complaints: the fruit falling to the bottom and the cake doesn’t get quite baked completely or the outside bakes but the inside doesn’t. Someone asked about preventing the left over cake from becoming too moist. Do you have a suggestion for this moisture prevention. There’s no way my family will all of this all at once. We just can’t afford the luxury if that many calories per one day.
We may have to go “out” this evening for dinner!
Funny, I’ve never had someone ask me before about moisture prevention! Usually the concern is cakes that will dry out. You could try to store the cake at room temperature loosely covered or not covered at all, but be careful if the latter because it will dry out quickly.
I made the cake today using the weight measurements and adapting the ingredients for the vegan in the house. it turned out great! I would second Beth in that i found it to be quite moist around the berries and i am also a little concerned about it getting too moist. Will try your suggestions. Thanks for the recipe!
A huge hit at my Australia Day BBQ – I used wholemeal flour and raw sugar and added an extra 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries and it was fantastic. It took a little longer for me to bake, it was more like 30-35 minutes to get it golden on top. Thanks for another fantastic, simple recipe.
Made this a few times now, with raspberries, then with blueberries. Delicious and so easy! I use a spingform pan to avoid all the flipping and such.
I just made a strawberry version, but I added orange zest and milk chocolate chunks. It’s good, but I think that perhaps I added too much chocolate because it’s overpowering the strawberry flavor. Oh well, at least I’ll know that for next time! Great recipe!
although i’ve made this several times with all types of berries, i just made a version with chocolate chips dusted w/ flour instead. i had some buttermilk to use up and was craving chocolate. since the head notes state this is a basic recipe, i figured why not. just want to report that chocolate chips are a great alternative to fruit here.
Adding a couple of tablespoons of melted jam also makes its even yummier!
I know this is an old post but I just made this cake yesterday and holy yum! I added a bit more raspberries and used frozen ones which I thawed. My cake had to bake for 30-35 minutes but I’m guessing that’s because the raspberries were more of a mush than individual berries after thawing. It was so incredibly soft in the middle with the crispy top and today it is just as good – love it!
I love this recipe, I keep coming back to it again and again, anytime I have leftover buttermilk in the fridge. Part of it’s charm (besides being ridiculous delicious) is that it’s so adaptable! I’ve used whole wheat, buckwheat and plain flour. Frozen or fresh berries. Last night was part buckwheat and part all-purpose, with some strawberries. Between my boyfriend and me, it barely lasted till morning… when we finished it for breakfast!
This cake was so easy to make and it tastes very good. Its like Deb said, an everyday cake, but for sure is a good one.
Love this recipe! It was the perfect hostess gift when I stayed with a friend in DC this past weekend. I loved how simple it was to make and that I had all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for this recipe!
Just tasted this after cooling! So so so so yummy! My 9-year-old son declares it “epically awesome”!
So delicious! I have made twice now: First following the recipe exactly, then again with strawberries and chocolate chips. Served with homemade vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. My husband devoured it and he does not like cake usually.
I felt I had to comment because I’ve made this cake so many time since I first found the recipe about 6 months ago. My daughter who was 12 (now 13) has made it by herself several times. I’ve made it with raspberries just once. Most of the time we just love it as a simple vanilla cake. I sprinkle turbinado sugar on it for a lovely sweet crunch. I’ve made it with chocolate chips, I’ve used the recipe to make 30 vanilla mini cupcakes and it also used it to yield 6 jumbo vanilla cupcakes. It’s delicious with buttercream frosting. My latest version was with orange zest, 1/4 tsp orange oil (reduced vanilla to 1/4 tsp) and then poured an orange glaze on it. Put it is the perfect “everyday” cake as I always have all the ingredients on hand and can whip it up when either the mood strikes or the need arises. Thank you!!
Hi Deb, I just had a bite of this cake fresh from the oven – I love it. It’s wonderfully moist & light, not too sweet either. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be making this again & again.
hey Deb,
I also have a soft spot for everyday cakes (especially involving buttermilk). I just made this cake substituting 2 cups of rhubarb for the raspberries and HOO BOY was it ever good. It’s just sweet enough to take on the rhubarb tang, which is lovely, since most rhubarb desserts are so cloying. I also added a smidgen of nutmeg, which made it taste a little bit like a cake donut. This and your strawberry cake are two of my absolute favourites. ooooh and your buckeyes.
There’s this fantastic Canadian Mennonite cookbook called “Food that Really Schmecks” that I think you’d like. It’s an interesting read in its own way, but has the most amazing baking section that I draw most of my everyday cake recipes from.
Can’t wait for your cookbook!!
Hi Deb! I really enjoy your website and recipes. I looked through the comments and did word search and couldn’t find an answer to my question.
Do you know if this recipe freezes well?
Thank you……Martha
Hi Martha — I haven’t frozen it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well.
I think I’m going to make this tomorrow. I’ve got some buttermilk left and lots of frozen blueberries. Mmm getting hungry.
Love this website thank you so much
Great website! Just made raspberry buttermilk cake. Looks good. Have to wait until it cools to try it.
Oh my goodness, I made this cake last night with blueberries and it is delicious. The blueberries sank, but that was fine. The lemon zest added such an amazing flavor. I know this will be one of my go-to recipes this summer! Thank you so much!
I am living in Beijing, China right now, and I am seriously craving some Raspberries! This cake looks fantastic! I’ll be in the states for a few weeks this summer, and this has just gone on my “To Cook” list!
Even though it was forever ago, I couldn’t help but notice Melissa’s comment about the adaptation of this recipe, which was done correctly. I wonder if she fancies herself the very first person to drop fruit into a buttermilk cake. I’m sure our grandmothers could set her straight on that one!
Anyway…raspberries are my favorite fruit so I can’t wait to try this. I think I might sprinkle mine with coarse sugar when it comes out. Love that crunch.
This was delicious! I did mine with a1/cup of raspberries and a 1/2 cup of blueberries, and needless to say, it rocked. Also, I ended up using an 8″ pan instead, so the cake was a tad thicker.
Definitely making this again!
This was delicious! I did mine with a1/2 cup of raspberries and a 1/2 cup of blueberries, and needless to say, it rocked. Also, I ended up using an 8″ pan instead, so the cake was a tad thicker.
Definitely making this again!
You know I’ve made these a few times and people love them so… I have to triple the quality. I love the cup measurement by the way, I hate having to pull out my grandmothers huge weight scale :). I also love that I can make all the recipes on your blog with a handheld mixer, no need for fancy mixers if you can’t afford one. Thanks again!
Can’t believe I first made this cake 3 years ago. Coming back again to print the recipe and bake this cake for a Father’s Day treat. Thanks for the great recipe.
Wow, I just made this cake and it is so delicious! I love how light it is, how easy it was to make and how adaptable it is. (I used blueberries). I will definitely make it again. Thanks!
GORGEOUS!
Good cake…for some reason it taste like corn bread to me. I know this sounds strange, but I’m seriously thinking spreading some butter on this cake.
This cake is going to be the death of me! It brings the concept of ‘everyday cake’ to a whole new level – as in ‘I want to bake it everyday’ because it doesn’t survive more than 24h in my 2 person household. It’s so easy and so good (and so adaptable), I’ll be making it for years, I’m sure!
Perfect recipe. I made it with small chunks of unpeeled plums– delicious.
I just made this cake and substituted strawberries. Delicious. I loved the crusty sugary top as I barely let it cook before shoveling it in…with whipped cream. I can’t wait to make it again with a different berry. Just perfect.
I added a few slices of strawberry for the 4th of July and it came out well enough that my adolescent daughter complimented it!
Margie
I made this cake today and it was a total hit! Thanks Deb. Absolutely delicious. I left the remains at my friend’s house and am now wishing I didn’t! I think I added a tad more lemon, and it was quite lemony, which perfectly complimented the raspberries. Another great recipe. THANKS!
Deb – I love this cake. I make it all the time with different fruits (fresh and frozen) as well as different flours. (My favorite has been a whole wheat/buckwheat/all-purpose mix. It was born out of necessity, but was SO DELICIOUS). It’s my go to every day cake. I want to make it for a work BBQ, but wanted to make 2. I only have 1 round pan. Would a bundt pan work? Can you advise on how to adjust the cooking time?
THANK YOU!
Hi Liz — I can never say for sure whether a cake will work in a bundt that isn’t written specifically for one because they’ve got those very tall sides and can be tricky. Have you seen the latest summer berry cake? It’s intended for a bundt. The crumb is a bit tighter (almost pudding-y in the middle) but it’s all very summery. Hope you like.
Deb – We love this cake, I usually make it (2) so we can have it the same day, it really won’t last in my house anyway… I need to make a birthday cake, and I want this recipe, I know everyone will love it, but this cake needs frosting, I do not know much about baking/decorating cakes, I was planning to have a 3-4 layer cake, Can I make this recipe for my cake one day, cool it a room temp and decorate it the next day… will the moisture from the frosting/raspberry (buttercream) be too much? any suggestion will be appreciated!! THANKS!!
sue — What a fun idea! I love layer cakes with fruit baked in. I think this would be an excellent layer cake, don’t worry at all about the moisture (unless you dislike moist birthday cakes, but I’ve never met anyone like that!). If a 3-layer cake, just triple the recipe. For a 4-layer cake, I might make a triple batch of the batter and divide it between four pans so it doesn’t get too thick. (Of course, reducing the baking time if you do.) Would love to hear how it turns out! Good luck.
This was a huge hit with my family! I now stock up when I see a great deal on raspberries, just so I can make this cake. And it comes together so quickly, which is good when you have little ones underfoot! Thank you for yet another inspiring yet simple recipe. This and your spring hash with asparagus are on regular rotation at our house.
I kid you not I have made this cake 3 times in the last 4 days. It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds though, I had excuses! (e.g. a picnic, a baby shower and.. well a Tuesday afternoon) but I haven’t actually done it with raspberries yet, I’ve made 2 with blueberries and 1 with strawberries. All were absolutely delicious! Everyone comments on how moist and light it is, and I love how thin it is and how it doesn’t make you feel too bad after going for a second slice. So thank you for a lovely recipe oh and also for putting the measurements in grams!
I’m the former senior articles editor at Gourmet, and it’s such a delight to realize that the magazine is gone but not forgotten! That raspberry buttermilk cake, developed by food editor Melissa Roberts, was a cherished staff favorite–and still is. Tonight, I’m making it with the sweet, small, winey blackberries I bought earlier today at the Greenmarket. Can’t wait.
Hi Jane — I love your site.
Everyone else — Read Jane’s site! It’s a font of wonderful cooking information.
This cake has become a regular for us when we need something quick for company. Today I ramped it up by making 2 of these as layers. Used your swiss buttercream recipe for icing, subtracting the vanilla and adding flavor (seedless raspberry preserves for the filling, lemon for the outside). Definitely a crowd pleaser! Thanks for the great recipes!
This is my new “go to” cake when I’m short of time. I’ve now made it about a half dozen times, and it’s fool proof.
I’ve been substituting the 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar sprinkled on the fruit just before putting it into the oven with cinnamon sugar. It’s easy to switch the raspberries for most any other fruit (or add to them), making it a “different” cake each time (I have one cooling currently with sliced nectarines and apricots). It can be simple, or festively decorative by merely putting a stencil on top of the cooled cake and sprinkling with confectioner’s or sparkle sugar. So versatile. So delicious. Thanks.
This cake is so delicious. My raspberries were very ripe and were falling apart, which made for delicoiusly even coverage throughout the cake after it baked. Added the optional lemon zest and was so pleased with the results. I’m going to try this with the next few peaches we get off the trees, and with our first crop of blackberries as soon as they are ripe. I love fruit in cakes, it makes them completely acceptable breakfast food ;)
Made it last night with the last handful of wild blueberries from a friend. These blueberries are teeny but so flavourful that it was still enough. The cake is easy to put together and puffs up prettily. It does need a watchful eye because the cooking time varies. The buttermilk gives it a rich flavour, so only a small slice is needed. In this case the blueberries were so small they did not sink at all so next time I’d push a few down. Still fabulous though. Thanks!
I think it might be better to stipulate to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. I’ve made this twice now, and though delicious, it always sticks because the raspberries go through to the bottom, no matter how well I butter it.
I tried this cake after having good, but not fabulous success with the strawberry summer cake. It was great the day I made it; but I found that it to not hold up well the next day (I had leftovers both times I made it), it got dry and the strawberries looked tired and llifeless; very unappealing at a work potluck!
I wanted an easy cake that I could make ahead and still look and taste good the next day (for work potlucks and such). Well this cake ‘takes the cake’! It was awesome the day we made it (my 4 year old ‘helped me’) and still awesome the next day, and the day after that! I used an 8 inch round cake pan since I did not have a 9 inch and it did not overflow in the least, it seemed like the perfect size, but then again it did take more like 35+ minutes to bake. I will be making this again, but probably not the strawberry summer cake.
I made this yesterday for easy dessert with friends, with blackberries, it was wonderful and there was not a single piece left. im making it again tomorrow to take for coffee at a friend’s. thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I adore this buttermilk cake I am making it for the third time this week! ( it’s also very healthy)
I can’t wait to make this for my mom for her birthday. Raspberry’s are her favorite fruit so I’m sure she’ll be in heaven when she eats this.
lovely cake. also with plums, peaches and grapes.
I just made this tonight, and it is delicious with a light texture. I already ate a huge chunk while it was cooling haha. I have a handheld mixer, but I didn’t use it because my Dad was sleeping. Also, I had to eyeball the baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, lemon zest measurements because I didn’t have my measuring spoons.
I kept one half of the cake topped with frozen blueberries. For the other half, I added pecans, butterscotch chips, chocolate chunks, toffee bits, topped with honey roasted almond slivers. It took about 25 mins. I’d definitely make this again, but without the pecans.
Love your site and I’m already eyeing the buttermilk roast chicken recipe for a weekday meal :)
Made this last night…delicious! Only change I made was used yogurt instead of buttermilk.
Decided to make this last night thinking I could substitute strawberries for raspberries to avoid a trip to the store but discovered I was out of milk too, sooooo, since the cake was for a mexican lunch … I substituted the liquid for a nice tequilla, some triple sec and margarita mix and voila! I had a strawberry margarita cake. Everyone loved it and not a single piece left for me to take home from the office.
I am not supposed to eat anything that metabolizes quickly. So, usually, I just don’t have anything sweet. Christmas is nearly here and I was reading recipes for fun. This struck my fancy and I am adjusting it to use some agave, multigrain flour, dark sweet cherries, almond extract and sliced toasted almonds. Thank you for the inspiration! It still isn’t perfect for me, but I will enjoy a small piece and my husband will enjoy the rest.
TOTALLY Loved this recipe! I had no buttermilk so added yogurt which worked great and added coco powder,cinnamon and cayenne because my ADD/HD does not allow me to not embellish. Really fantastic!
Hi..
the cake is baking as we speak. I have used sliced fresh strawberries! Also I bake with whole wheat flour and brown sugar so I have substituted those wit your ingredients and now I await. m sure it’s as yumm as all have written about it.. It looked totally awesome and tempting while baking..
Hi,
Could I halve this recipe for a 6″ cake?
ki. — Yes. 9-inch round cakes can almost always halve nicely in 6-inch pans.
Hi Deb,
Can’t wait to try this out (going to buy berries now). I will make the buttermilk but do I still measure out 1/2c. as stated in the recipe, or do I use the 1c. of do-it-yourself in your note?
Hi Deb,
I solved the problem – used 1/2c. homemade buttermilk. I could barely wait the 10 mins. of cooling time before plunging in! The cake is so light, moist and fruity (I used blueberries, which, btw, did not sink!) I absolutely had to wrap and freeze before finishing it all. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
This worked great with fresh strawberries.
Now I want to midify it to make chocolate cake. Should I replace cocoa powder for some of the flour or simply add cocoa to the ingredients?
I have made this cake twice and it was a huge success with both set of diners. My kids love it and it couldn’t be easier to make. We have served it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and whipped cream infused with raspberry juice and vanilla.
Hi Deb. I was looking for recipe to use my left over buttermilk when I stumbled upon your raspberry buttermilk cake and boy am I glad I did. I made it today and it is absolutely divine with the crisp chewy exterior and light and fluffy inside. The lemon works so well with the raspberries. I tweaked it a little by adding some white chocolate chips in it which added to the inner gooeyness. I loved it, thanks for sharing. I have posted it on my blog and credited you as well. Thanks
Made this the other day – yummy!!! I served it with a fresh strawberry sauce that I had cooked down with some sugar and rum then strained. Really great : )
Writing from Italy, here. I made this and it came out of the oven 15 minutes ago. It’s cooling now, but I had to try it. It’s amazing and I didn’t even make it according to the recipe. I made a mistake with the measurements and added a whole cup of buttermilk. When I realized my error, it was too late. SO…it is too moist due to my mistake BUT DELICIOUS and I can’t wait to try making it again. So easy, so good and fast. My boyfriend is going to come home from work today and marvel. I can’t wait to share it with his family.
Thank you!
Natasha
Oops..this is Natasha again. I also used FROZEN raspberries and they stayed up on the top of the cake as well. Just don’t push them into the batter. Don’t mix the raspberries in.
Natasha AGAIN! AND I used the homeade buttermilk option! No storebought stuff on hand here. Good luck everyone!
Holy cow this is good. I made it with blackberries (I used all the raspberries
last night in the raspberry brown sugar gratin!) and fat free buttermilk– the result was thinner batter and heavier berries so that the berries sank as they cooked, but who cares? Nummy.
I’ve been making this cake for years and just this weekend I totally bastardized it with berries and it was such a hit that I was asked for the recipe, I just wanted to let you know I credited you with inspiration, thanks!. http://nounsacredplaces.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/a-spring-meal
Yep, I went thru all 701 comments (mehn, Deb, ur gud!) and am glad d question I had was answered. Hubs has been asking for a cake with mangoes and I think this is it! So excited to try it out. Will get back on how I fared. Your cakes av tried so far have been huge successes, bt my absolute fave is d chocolate cake cos each time I make and adapt it, it NEVER fails me! Other choc cake recipes sink in d middle wen I add any kind of fruit or nut bt yours is my to-go chocolate cake recipe! Thanks, Deb!!! Blessings from ur fav fan!
I had such high hopes for this cake, but alas, my dollar store cake pan was not actually 9 in like the label said, but closer to 8in. That’s what I get for trusting the dollar store. I will have to scrub the oven now. I will try again when I obtain a 9in pan that is actually 9 in. However, what managed not to go everywhere does taste delicious if a little smokey. ;)
Georgina — I’m so sorry it overflowed — and surprised because the cake is so thin, I presumed it wouldn’t be a problem with a slightly smaller pan. Was it short, too? Most cake pans are 2-inch (for a standard pan) or 3-inch (for a springform) tall.
I make this cake all the time, and can I just say, it pretty much serves just one– that’d be me. (I am pregnant, but still.)
i made this over the weekend and it was amazing. served it with fresh whipped cream and it is the perfect summer cake.
Just made this again a few minutes ago for a surprise for my mum, she loves it.. especially the raspberries. I’m considering an attempt with cherries, since they’re her favourite. Hmmm.
I have made this cake several times with superb results. This is such a versatile cake, I must say. This time around, I made this with cherries and substituted 1/4th cup of the floor with almond flour and used almond extract instead of vanilla. And the cake was yet again moist and delish. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi there! I baked this cake yesterday. Instead of using raspberries, I used fresh blueberries and added walnuts. When I baked it and inserted a toothpick it came out clean. But when I sliced it I noticed that middle often cake was a bit gooey? It tasted like cake batter and that it was a pale yellow not a bright golden colour cake. I wondered what did i do wrong? I baked it for 25 mins and I followed your recipe. Nonetheless it was still very good to eat! :)
Hi Ying — It may have been baked where you inserted your toothpick but not fully baked in the center; not all ovens bake as evenly as they should. It can help to rotate the cake during the baking time and maybe next time to insert the toothpick in a couple places, knowing that uneven baking has been a problem before.
I think I’ve already commented on here 100 times but just wanted to say, I made this (probably for the 100th time) tonight and it’s truly the perfect dinner party dessert. I always make fresh whipped cream to dollop on top and every one says this cake is the best thing ever. Thank you so much!
I made this this morning and it was scrumptious. I picked the last of our raspberries so they weren’t as big and plump as the earlier ones but still delicious. I added 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the batter and a couple of TBLs of sliced almonds to the top with the sugar. The almond/lemon/raspberry combination was perfect. I can’t wait to mess with it again!
UK residents – I have found buttermilk in Waitrose, Sainsburys and Morrisons.
I just made this and it is fantastic! I have never had any trouble with any SK recipe and this was no different. Super easy and super delicious!
I ate about half of this in one sitting. Fabulous recipe.
I love this cake as-is, but I am interested in baking it in a baby bundt pan. It’s maybe 6″ across and pretty deep. Any tips?
This is STILL my go-to recipe for something simple at home, or to take to family.
This is one of my favourite cakes, I have made it many times and everyone always comments on how great it is. I mostly use frozen berries which work fine. Im from South Africa and buttermilk is sold at all our grocery stores, I love baking with buttermilk. Love eating it with creme fraiche or ice cream. yum
Delicious, turned this into a coffee cake at the last minute–threw on a mix of brown sugar/cinnamon and chocolate chips. Cake was so moist and easy, not that I don’t love your recipe for sour cream coffeecake, but it is work. I didn’t have buttermilk and used the watered down sour cream mixture suggested by: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757
Can you tell yet that I’m obsessed with your blog and love everything I’ve ever made from it? This was also really tasty.
Made it for a brunch and it was great. I thought it would be too flat-looking, but it puffed up around the raspberries beautifully. Was light, moist, sweet with a beautifully brown crackly top that showed hints of berries peeking through. And soo easy to make–thank you Deb for introducing me to this cake! Total awesomeness.
O.M.G. This cake is fabulous!! And it literally takes minutes to make! I used a disposable 8″ square pan, and it puffed so much that it came nearly to the top. My “cheat” for buttermilk is to throw a spoonful of sour cream into the measuring cup and top it off with milk to the required amount (maybe even a TBS more). Perfect results every time, and the cake is extra moist. Thank you for posting a new go-to recipe!
I made this cake last night and it was fabulous!!!! And I even forgot to beat the egg in until the last minute (actually after I had already poured it into the pan!), and I didn’t properly measure out the buttermilk (I took a few frozen cubes of it out of the freezer to what I thought was close to 1/2 cup!). I also used self-rising cake flour. But it worked great! The berries didn’t sink, it perfectly browned, it is so moist, and I LOVE it!
I also love how versatile it is – you can make it with any berry. Woot!
I made this tonight using frozen berries (a mix of raspberries and blueberries). Came out very yummy, if a little wet around the berries. It also took about 30-35 minutes to bake.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! :D Made it in a loaf and changed the temperature to 160 C and kept for about an hour. Also substituted lemon zest with orange zest and put blueberries instead. YUM!
I’ve made this a few times. The first time, it was amazing! Funnily enough, I made some mistakes along the way – I forgot the egg and had to add it at the end, and I added in too much buttermilk. But I loved it.
Then I made it again and followed the directions exactly and I found it too dry. I think this recipe can benefit from a bit more buttermilk than stated…?
I made this for a brunch tomorrow in an 8×8 glass pan, it took about 35 min. It’s a lovely texture and the lemon/raspberry combo is so nice. Normally I love your recipes because you don’t like your “everyday cakes”, muffins, etc to be too sweet, but this one I would actually cut back the sugar to at 1/2 cup or even less, especially since sugar gets sprinkled on the top. Otherwise it ‘s great!
Just coming back sooo excited to have been able to make one of my favorite cakes, gluten free AND TO HAVE IT TASTE LIKE IT SHOULD!!
I had to convert a sorghum based gf flour mix so that it was free of corn, soy, potato, nut and pnut whew!
yum!
Like everyone else, I just can’t believe how tasty and easy this cake is! Thank you so much, Deb.
For the gluten-free bakers out there, I used cup-for -up gluten-free flour, as well as half coconut sugar / half baker’s sugar. Using some coconut sugar and some regular sugar lowers the glycemic index a little bit but keeps the cake light and well integrated. Also, the baking time increased by about 10 minutes, which I find is typical when I use cup-for-cup to make cakes.
This was a fabulous recipe and I am going to try and replicate it with blueberries next week. The only problem was that I think I did not either butter or flour the cake tin well enough or go through the cooling process because the cake did not invert out easily.
I’ve just made this twice in 4 days to rave reviews both times! This is a really easy and versatile cake. I made it with frozen berries and although the fruit sank, it all turned out well anway. The only change I made was to cut the amount of sugar used as I found it a bit too sweet the first time round. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes
I was looking for a recipe for some fresh picked blueberries my mother gave me and came across this. I made the recipe gluten free…just swapping out the all purpose flour with all purpose gluten free flour. (The good kind with the xanthum gum in it) It came out great and is the perfect size for a dinner party. I can’t wait to try different variations of it. Thanks for the great recipe!
I have made this wonderful cake many times… raspberries, blackberries or blueberries… all came out great!
Today I ran out of flour so added half a cup of almond meal, skipped the lemon, replaced almond extract for vanilla! GREAT outcome!!
Thank you so much
So, a question regarding frozen berries. To thaw and drain or to use frozen? I looked through the comments and saw people recommending both, and various internet sources seem mixed. I used frozenand did not thaw. My cake is currently cooling, but I am worried. When the top was golden, the center was still soupy. I let it bake until the tester came back clean. By that time, the top was over brown and the lovely poufiness of the cake had collapsed. I am not sure if it was wet because of the frozen berries or if I made another misstep. Do you thaw berries before you use them in baking?
I didn’t read all the comments, so sorry if I’m repeating…
THANKS for measurements by weight—the only way to go. However, our scale rounds off grams to five, so 118G became 120, etc.
I’m going to try this with (cut up) plums. My German wife is nostalgic for Pflaumenkuchen.
Hi deb. This cake looks amazing!! I want to make it tomorrow but after I bake it, can I freeze it and eat it at a later date? Or would that not work with the fresh raspberries? Thanks so much in advance!!!
melissa — No, I think this cake freezes just fine.
This is my favorite summer berry cake and for some reason it took me years to realize I can winter it up. Today’s version of orange zest, cranberries and apples with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top was perfect. Thanks for this recipe :)
I have now made this cake four times in as many weeks. I started the binge when I realized I could use thawed frozen raspberries. This is so good! so dainty! so sweet and pretty for giving away, for eating up all through the day, and it’s even sort of healthy-seeming. love it!
To Kara (comment #735) I use thawed (previously frozen) raspberries and the cake turned out fine (4 times!). :) Hope that helps…
Made it 2x with entirely whole wheat pastry flour, and fat-free buttermilk.
Delicious both times, and tasty on the second day.
Did not come out of the pan, though.
Such a little bit of batter rises to such a thick cake. YEAH! I made mine with one diced apple (because it’s sadly still winter here, boo!), added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and ginger each, and omitted the lemon zest. YUM! This is a really good base for putting spins on different fruit, extract, zests combinations. I really want to try blueberry and lemon zest — come soon, summer! Thanks, Deb. :)
Thank you for this! I always come here first when I need a new dessert recipe. This time, I wanted to make a peanut butter and jelly cake—peanut butter frosting on a “jelly” flavored cake. This recipe provided the perfect starting point. We were planning to eat this cake for breakfast (I like to make half a layer cake for my kids on their half birthdays…when I remember), so I subbed half the flour for whole wheat flour, decreased the sugar just a bit, and added raspberry puree (probably half a cup) to color the cake. I scattered frozen whole raspberries on top. I frosted it with my normal peanut butter frosting—equal parts butter and peanut butter with enough powdered sugar to make it taste like frosting.
It baked perfectly and it tasted exactly like I imagined a pb&j cake would. It was delicious!
I have seriously made this over a dozen times with every imaginable berry/ citrus combo. Doesn’t get any better than this!
No raspberries on hand, but I do have frozen blueberries. This is just the kind of dessert my husband loves—and then he knows he’ll get another piece packed in his lunch the next day.
Fresh Berries vs Frozen Berries
Will I be able to substitute fresh raspberries for frozen raspberries instead? If so, it is better to defrost and then remove the excess water or add the frozen berries straight from the freezer?
Thank you
This is our new fave
Ive made couple times each time a little different
but we have settled on the last version
I double the recipe and make in my large spring form pan
I layer 1/2 of the batter and couple cups of raspberries on top of that
then the rest of the batter and another batch of raspberries and sprinkle sugar then bake
I want to make this cake for my birthday tomorrow, only double the size? It shouldn’t affect the raspberries should it?
I’m also going to add white chocolate… <3
white chocolate sounds great how did it turn out??
Loved this recipe. I doubled it and gently mixed in lemon zest and put fresh raspberries on top for one 9″ pan; gently mixed in chocolate chips and put cut up fresh strawberries on top of the other 9″ pan. Both kinds were delicious. A big hit for book club.
I made this with dark chocolate chunks and fresh strawberries. Definitely a new go to for summer dessert.
Im making this again tonight but with cherries and white chocolate
This was delicious and the smell while baking was making my ten year old son crazy. I made it with mostly raspberries plus a few blackberries and blueberries. I also used thinned Greek yogurt because that’s what I had.
Deb thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I had a huge bag of cherries from the farmers market so tried this recipe.My cake was done in less than 18 mins.Loved the texture…thanks once again.Added a pinch of cardamom instead of vanilla.
I have made this marvelous cake 3 times now. Absolutely amazing flavor and 2 thumbs up rating always! I am making it once again for company tonight, cake is in the oven as I write this, and am knowing without a shadow of a doubt that I will get the same responses. I plan on serving it with a dollop of lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. Such a quick and delicious small dessert cake that I will make again and again. Though I must confess it is a fabulous treat with my morning coffee too…just sayin’ :)
Raspberries in the form of a sorbet sound absolutely delicious -I can’t wait to make it!
Thanks for sharing Deb
This continues to be a go-to cake for us. It is easy to vary depending on what you have on hand — today was apples softened with a bit of butter and cinnamon. The best part is that it is a very forgiving recipe. I make it with my preschoolers (2.5 and 4), so our measurements are often a bit off, sometimes all the flour mixture or the buttermilk goes in at once, and over-mixing has been known to happen. But it always tastes lovely just the same.
Deb, This cake is perfect–and perfectly delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except for cramming in a few more raspberries. When I made it the first time, I did measure everything and weigh it–and I got the same weights you have (I use the OXO scale). I serve it plain, so that nothing detracts from the delicate cake with the luscious hits of raspberry.
Just made 2 of these with 2 kids ages 3&5 for their mum’s bday. Measurements were definitely not accurate, nor were directions followed exactly, but they turned out great! Won’t be cut into till tomorrow, but was so fast and simple I decided to make one more, though no more berries in the house, so now there’s a banana-chocolate chip one in the oven for eating now :-)
Thank you for another great recipe!
Hello, would this cake do well gussied up with vanilla buttercream frosting and 3 layers for our school’s Teacher Appreciation luncheon? I’m not sure if the frosting would be too rich — I was planning on making it a naked cake so there isn’t too much frosting. Thank you!
Could I make this in individual tart pans or ramekins?
What about in an 8″ round for a less thin cake? Longer cook time, yes? Or will it brown too fast and the inside be too gooey?
I make this cake in an 8″ round pan all the time. In my oven it takes exactly thirty minutes. Also I find that using unbleached flour results in a fallen middle. Bleached flour is the way to go I’m afraid.
This was all right. A 1970s Betty Crocker cookbook called these sorts of 8- or -9-in. one-layer cakes “dinette cakes,” which I found charming and have used ever since. My fave recipe for a dinette cake is the 8-in. carrot cake from “Joy of Cooking.”
Hi Deb! Thank you for all your amazing recipes (almost all of my other cookbooks are now gathering dust in a dark and abandoned corned of my house).
My daughter does not like fruit in her cakes (very much to my dismay because I love fruit cakes). However, I’m craving this cake. Do you think it would be possible to leave out the fruit entirely, or would the recipe have to be adapted (by adding chocolate chips, for example)? Thank you for any pointers! Hope you are having a good summer!
Based on some of the reviews, I gave it a try and made it without adding any fruit; instead I used 2/3 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/3 buckwheat, upped the vanilla, cut the sugar to 1/2 cup. The cake is phenomenal: texture is soft and moist, flavor (buckwheat, vanilla and lemon zest) is very delicate. Great recipe!
I love this cake so much! I had leftover buttermilk about the expire and then you tweeted this recipe- so I made it immediately! So so easy and delicious- a summer must. :)
Just made this today with raspberries and blueberries. Came out amazing. Great recipe. Will be sharing this with family and friends.
I just found this on my FB feed, and I made it for a friend’s BBQ. It was a huge hit! I used raspberries for the cake, and then I made a blueberry syrup that worked very well. I had wanted to get vanilla ice cream for it but my friend lives about 45 minutes away, and it was a 90+ degree day and I feared the ice cream would melt all over my car. And I am no kitchen goddess – this recipe was perfect for me. Thanks!
I just tried this from my fb feed. I read all 700+ comments while it was cooking and unfortunately did experience a couple of the same problems. I am in the UK and used the weight measurements. My batter was much runnier than what was in the images above. I did not have buttermilk so added vinegar to 1/2 cup reconstituted dry skim milk. I put raspberries in. The edges became dark at the 35 minute mark but the center is still really moist. The raspberries all sunk to the bottom. I baked in an 8-inch square Pyrex dish with nonstick spray. I ended up having to cut the cake in quarters to lift it out by spatula to flip it. Regardless, delicious. Next time I will use cup measures and put parchment paper underneath. And I think I’ll add chocolate chips.
Surprise company, but I had all the ingredients in stock. This quick and easy cake made everyone drool before it even got to their plates. It is luscious. Add another one to the success list (there have been no Smitten Kitchen failures).
Just made this tonight – had blueberries on hand so I used those and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top – so good!! Seems like a very versatile batter.
Made this for the third time this morning. So easy and tasty! Anyone know the secret to keep the berries from sinking out of sight?
I can’t say for this recipe, but I have had great success keeping chocolate chips “afloat” throughout a cake by lightly tossing them in flour first. If anyone does this, pls report!
New question: anyone experiment yet with frozen berries?
Just made this with some fresh yellow garden raspberries; used the optional lemon zest. Fantastic! Not too sweet, lovely afternoon tea cake.
Very nice cake and so simple to make. Everyone love it. I used white whole-wheat flour, slightly less sugar, and coarse Demerara Turbinado sugar sprinkled on top. I placed all the raspberries with the opening face down and they all sunk totally into the cake. Next time I would place the raspberries with opening face up. The recipe note spoke to this but I didn’t read it until after the fact.
You think blueberries would work? That’s what I have in my fridge!
Absolutely.
Hi Deb! Inspired by your recent update of blueberry muffins I one bowled this cake. It turned out perfect. (I’ve made it several times using the original recipe.) I melted the butter, added sugar and whisked then added egg, vanilla, and whisked again. Then added salt, baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk and whisked then folded in the flour.
Mine burned at 400 and the center was still all liquid :(
I substituted half sour cream-half milk with a small squeeze of lemon juice for the buttermilk. Very delicious. I made it a point to position the raspberries so that the pointed end is downwards and the ‘belly button’ is upwards. No sinking. I would also say that this is perfect for two people like myself and my husband. It’s not a big cake. I was afraid it was too thin but it came out ok. For a crowd, you may want to double the recipe.
I just made this. I usually use parchment paper for lining cake pans but this time I didn’t and followed the directions about buttering and flouring. After baking for 25 minutes, the top was golden bordering on brown, but the insides were still liquid. After baking for another 7 minutes, the outside was fairly crispy and brown but the tester was finally coming out clean. I ended up waiting for 20 minutes to upend it because the cake wouldn’t come out of the pan. Finally it came out after some beating on the bottom; unfortunately the entire bottom half of the cake remained stuck to the pan. I’m not sure why it didn’t work for me as it did for other people. I suppose the upside is now I know I should trust my intuition and use parchment paper always. Also, my partner really likes all the raspberry goop stuck to the bottom of the pan, so it doesn’t look like the cake is going to waste, at least.
Did you make the buttermilk recipe that was listed? It calls for 1 cup of milk but the cake recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of buttermilk. I missed that and used the whole cup. My cake came out just like yours.
This cake is fab! So easy and so tasty (despite the rather disappointing raspberries I used). I love the hint of lemon the zest adds to the cake and I love the slightly crunchy top from the sugar. 20 minutes was enough in my oven. All my raspberries sunk, regardless of how they were oriented.
Delicious. As pretty much always, the recipe above was a framework. Used 1/2c sugar, 3/4 c flour + 1/2c almond meal (because almond + raspberry + lemon= mom’s favorite). I used frozen raspberries because we have so many from our crazy summer crop. I also added 1/4 tsp almond extract. I made a double batch (one for my mom’s for brunch, one for my partner’s mom’s for dinner). For brunch I sprinkled slivered almonds on top before the sugar. The other wouldn’t come out of the pan (forgot the parchment!), so we scooped it into bowls and served with unsweetened whipped cream. So lovely! This will be in frequent rotation. Looking forward to trying it with thinly rhubarb that has been tossed with orange sugar.
I’ve made this cake many times before and absolutely love it. I’d like to make it a decorative layer cake with the berries in icing between the cakes. Any thoughts on making this cake without the berries? Would that make it too dry?
I didn’t have some of the ingredients, but it still came out delicious! Had a craving but was too lazy to run to the store…
Subbed in a 50/50 mix of white whole wheat flour and bread flour instead of all purpose flour. And I ran out of butter so I used 1/2c of olive oil. Also used a bunch of sliced up semi-defrosted frozen strawberries. The strawberries all sunk to the bottom, and I had to bake it for 45minutes because the batter was very runny :-)
I’ve made this every which way, and it’s always delicious. Strawberry-lemon version in the oven right now, with a drop of lemon oil in the batter and turbinado sugar on top for crunch. Thanks for another winning recipe – this one has been a favorite for years.
We live out here in the desert, so I used what I have. Including fresh raspberries from the berry patch! I made it with yogurt (with the whey, for liquid) and used half the sugar because that’s what we do at our house. I’m eating it now and it is marvelous, the cake a soft beautiful yellow from the fresh egg …
I made this last night because it’s cake, and I had everything (with one exception). I cannot have raspberries, and used frozen cherries instead. Even with the cherries all sinking to the bottom, the cake was just lovely, and a perfect afternoon treat. I loved the soft crumb and slightly crackly top from the sugar. Not bad from about 10 minutes work!
Thank you! I am increasingly asked to “whip up a cake” for just about every occasion where there’s me and one other person attending. This should adapt easily for GF baking, and I will try it in a 9-inch spring form pan. I’ll post when I’ve made it.
Oh boy! Picked my first raspberries this morning!
Deb, would I ruin the recipe by doubling it?
Not at all. Use a 9×13 (and see the next comment too, timely!).
For anyone curious, I doubled this and baked in a 9×13, and it turned out beautifully (did not flip, obviously). I used soured milk instead of buttermilk, and apricots instead of raspberries. Absolutely delicious, tender crumb, and so quick (only 16 minutes in my convection oven)!
Everybody loved it! Served it with scoops of Haagen Daz vanilla. I’ve been following and cooking recipes from your blog for about 5 years. The best recipes, stories and pics! Thank you!!!
I LOVED this recipe! The cake came out surprisingly very light and the fruit was moist and delicious! I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, a bit more than the 1 cup. Easy to bake too. I used parchment paper to help lift it out of the pan. A 5-star keeper!
I made this yesterday and it’s delicious and all my co-workers agree! I place my raspberries in a pattern and I wish I’d have used more berries. I put all my berries hole side up and all but two of them were swallowed. I was using fresh, local raspberries and not those monsters from the grocery store so maybe that’s why. Since I was transporting it to work and didn’t want to have to carry around a loose cake, I made mine in a springform pan, took the sides off while it cooled, then put the sides back on for transport. It worked great.
I made this for friends this weekend. Incredibly simple and perfect for farmer’s market raspberries. The lemon zest is key! And we made our own buttermilk with the trick of vinegar.
I made this and my husband and I decided this can be a “breakfast cake” because it isn’t terribly sweet and all the fruit makes us feel that it’s healthy! I did have trouble getting the cake out of the pan (even with butter and flour), so next time I will use parchment paper. And there will so be a next time.
This is so great! Super easy, pretty, and tasty! I ended up using only 1/3 cup of sugar (instead of 2/3), and it still has a good level of sweetness.
Just wondering, what does the alternating flour & buttermilk achieve? I’m just being a geek here and trying to understand what this does to the batter and the eventual cake. :)
Alternative dry and wet ingredients is the traditional way to make a cake like this because the idea is that it creates the fluffiest cake. Or, so that’s the theory. These days I do all wet then all dry. It’s not the “correct” method and it looks messed up as you make it but the end result is a-ok.
Thanks, Deb. That makes sense, and it’s good to know the unconventional way works just as well. Love your blog!
I have this in the oven right now, adapted to be Gluten-free. I lowered the baking temp as my new oven browns things way too soon, and I tossed the raspberries with a heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar and a good pinch of flour. I’m interested to see if some of the berries might stay near the top. Yes, it’s 89 humid degrees here, but I’m having a group over this evening and have the AC on. I just couldn’t resist!
I have to report that this cake was a big success last night. I am going to post the GF version on my blog.
Finally got to make this today and it was delicious! I’d read a tip a while ago about dusting the pan with sugar instead of flour, and I gave it try on this cake. It added perhaps a tad more sweetness than necessary, but I liked the tiny bit of crunch it added. I will make this cake over and over again and look forward to trying it with other berries. Thanks for yet another winner!!
So delicious! I made this subbing some prolific blackberries from our yard. As other commenters noted, it bakes so fast. I had success starting at 400 for the first 15 minutes for a good rise, then turning it down to 350 for the last 10 minutes, until the toothpick came out clean.
Love this cake!! It’s quick to make and everyone loves it!! Picking this raspberries takes the longest😜
Do you have high altitude adjustments for this recipe? What altitude are you baking at? Either or both answers would be helpful to me as I am living at almost 6000 ft above sea level. Thanks for you help.
I’m not great with altitude adjustments because NYC is basically at sea level. King Arthur has some good tips here.
So lovely. Made this with some freshly picked blackberries and it was wonderful. Made it again with coconut oil for half of the butter and still good! I never have buttermilk so I always make my own with milk (sometimes almond milk) and lemon juice and it works just fine.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Love this recipe. So light and delicious. I decided to use a mini muffin pan for the third try, and the recipe yielded about 30. I dialed down the baking time to 10-minutes, and they came out great. I love the bite size mini-cakes, but the only negative is that they don’t have the light and crumbly texture that the full-size cake does.
I made this for my 2 year old daughter’s birthday, but I added a whipped cream frosting on top (1/3 cup cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla). It was absolutely delicious! Very light and fresh.
“The “o” ones stayed empty, like cups. ”
Sorry if I’m being dumb but what does that mean?
Also wondering why the cake has to have such a hot temp? 400f is around 200c which seems a very hot temp to bake a cake… but I’m no baker so I’m sure it’s correct. I’m going to try in my Philips Airfryer (if you don’t have one, buy one!) so might do it at 350f/180c due to it’s being more like a fryer than an oven.
And yes, you heard me right – the Airfryer makes the most amazing cakes ever.
Do you think this cake would hold up to some frosting, like a white chocolate buttercream?
I think it would be great.
I just made this and it is delicious. I was just craving a cake and happened to have leftover buttermilk on hand. I didn’t have any raspberries, so I used frozen blackberries, thawed and drained and it turned out great.
I veganized this recipe. I used flax egg for the egg and made vegan buttermilk by adding 1/2 tbsp vinegar to 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or any plant based milk) I used frozen strawberries that I bought from the farmer next door about a month ago. I didn’t thaw them but kinda crumbled them in little pieces. I used olive oil first time I made it. My husband couldn’t believe that I ate the whole cake and just left him one slice. It was in the middle of the night and I baked the cake again for him and used coconut oil this time. There wasn’t much difference with the results. Olive oil cake was a bit more tender and soft. Coconut oil held its shape better. Anyhow, it’s a yum fest!
I love this cake! It was a big hit! I’ve made it twice. The first time I made it according to the recipe but forgot to sprinkle sugar on top. It was good.
Second time I made it but forgot to add an egg. But I did add extra raspberries and sprinkled sugar on top. It was really good!
I will be making it again this weekend. I think I’ll make it without the egg.
We like it was just a little plain yogurt on top.
I made this with blueberries and my own buttermilk (with lemon juice) and omg. I may have to have a second piece!
I made a clafouti that looks very similar to this and it came out not so great. I will have to try again using your recipe as it looks so delicious. Fresh berries from the garden are coming out now too.
The cake looks great, but how do I get it out of the pan? It seems pretty firmly stuck, with the berries on the bottom.
If it’s stuck, it’s stuck, just serve it in the pan. :) You might make it next time with some parchment paper in the bottom for extra security next time.
This cake is super easy and so delicious!! I made it using the buttermilk tweak of milk combined with lemon juice and some lovely fresh raspberries. Served with a little whipped cream. Every bite gone in a flash. I wish I had taken a picture, but by the time I thought about it….well, the cake was gone!
Yet another keeper Deb! I now have this recipe in my go-to rotation.
Thanks again.
Perfect base cake for any fruit. Thanks so much for sharing. I have made this cake three times now. Once with raspberries, once with blueberry and lemon flavor, and the third time mixed all the berries. So perfect! Next time I will try peaches and a little cinnamon. It freezes well also! Thanks again.
Has anyone tried doubling this? What size pan/how long to bake? Thank you!
Two 9” pans will be fine in a 13”x9” pan. Go for 25-30 minutes to start.
This is fabulous! I had just arrived home so no lemons but had Boyajian lemon oil and used 1/4 teaspoon in the batter. Delicious!
I just made this cake, using blueberries instead of raspberries, and it is amazing! Truly one of the best cakes I’ve made. The crumb is light and fluffy and flavorful and the berries are soft and slightly jammy, but still holding together. I will be making this often! It’s a great light cake for summer. I also think this could be adapted slightly into a light coffee cake with some cinnamon and nuts maybe instead of the berries.
Can I use frozen raspberries? Any trick to using them?
Thank you.
Loved this recipe and I am not a talented baker who will be appearing any time soon on a baking show but, hey, I could with your recipe 🤪. Would this work for cupcakes too? I repeat, I am not very good at this, thanks for the great recipe 😘
Absolutely.
I have made this many times and love it. Now I am wondering whether it could be made as a thicker cake, or thinness one of its crucial characteristics? For instance, could the ingredients be doubled and put into a 10-inch springform pan? I see someone has double the recipe an baked in a 9×13 pan. In the 10-inch pan, if my math is correct, it would be 1.6 ties thicker. I wonder if that would bake through ok.
It should work but I also want to point you to this slightly denser cake designed for lots of berries; it might be closer to what you’re looking for.
Hi Deb,
Sorry this is a silly question! you say: Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Can you explain what you mean by turning out onto a rack and cool to warm?
Thanks!
Same question here! Not sure what “turn out” refers to. Thank you!
“Turn out” = take cake out of pan
Made this tonight, but with blueberries and strawberries. So very good. Served it with homemade whipped cream.
You want to remove the cake from the pan. To do so, you put a rack or plate over it, hold it tightly to the cake pan, and invert the cake onto it. Now it’s upside-down and probably still has parchment paper stuck to it. You remove any paper, use a second rack on top, hold them tightly together, and flip the cake back over right-side-up. It’s much more logical in person (i.e. you wouldn’t do it any other way, anyway) than it reads here.
I love this cake and have made it several times. I’m thinking to make 2 cakes and stack them for my grandmother’s 85th, but not sure what frosting to put between the layers. Any suggestions?
Did you end up doing this? What kind of frosting did you use?
Can frozen strawberry puree be used? If so does anything need to be omitted or added?
Loved this one! I made it with strawberries.
I made it using 100 grams of sugar because I tripled the raspberries. It came out fantastic. I baked it a little longer (35 minutes) lowering the temperature for the last ten minutes to 150 celsius and keeping an aluminum foil on top of the cake to avoid excessive browning. The raspberries turned into this beautiful, jam-like filling that made my day. As always, great recipe, even with some added twists!
Thank you Deb! Ciao from Italy.
Deb, how do you think this would turn out with matzoh meal instead of flour? I’m thinking of making for Passover.
I’m not positive. It’s not something I like baking with, less for the texture but more because I find the flavor distracting. I might instead use a mixture of Passover-acceptable starches and meals, like almond or coconut or potato starch, or rice flour if you eat rice.
Can this cake be made ahead? And if so, how long?
Relatedly, could you assemble the cake a few days in advance, keep it in the fridge, and then pop it in the oven the day of a dinner party?
Thank you for this recipe. I have now been making it for nearly 10 years and it’s still one of my favourites.
Deb, just wondering if you think that Rhubarb and Strawberry would do OK in this cake? It looks delicious and I’m dying to try.
Love your site and your photos and that you go back and update stuff and bring it out again like a fav pair of jeans.
Thank you — and yes!
Can I sub sour cream for the buttermilk?
Yes, but thin it with 1T milk or water.
Hi! What if I realize that i don’t have a baking soda?
Fantastic !
Made it with peaches and turned out great! Thank you :)
Love the sound of this recipe!
Want to make it for a dinner party for about 12-14 people.
Can I double the recipe and still make it in the 9inch round pan? Anything else that I should keep in mind or just double up all the ingredients mentioned?
I’d double it and put it in a 9×13-inch so the texture remains similar.
I’ve been making this cake for years. Such a crowd pleaser. People ask for the recipe all the time.
Made this today for a party. One of our guests has a gluten sensitivity so we swapped the AP flour for GF (we used Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1). Turned out great! Can’t wait to make it again.
Took this, doubled it, reduced the sugar to 1 cup, swapped the raspberries for strawberries, put it in muffin tins. I don’t doubt the as is recipe is amazing as these slightly less sweet mini versions are fluffy and delicious.
Made this cake last weekend, substituted sour cream for the buttermilk ( saw that an option on another SK recipe). The cake was absolutely delicious, and gone in a day!
I have made this cake 5 times in the last couple of weeks, starting with Mothers Day. First with raspberries, then raspberries and strawberries, then raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, then only blueberries, and back to raspberries by themselves. Everyone loves it in every incarnation. Tomorrow I intend to try it with some form of rhubarb. Love it.
I made this cake right before dinner and it was so good, my daughter asked for it as her birthday cake! A week later, I made a triple batch of the cake to make 3 layers. I used the Cooks Illustrated Vanilla Buttercream recipe for frosting the middle layers and adding more fresh raspberries. I then frosted the outside with a basic butter and powdered sugar frosting with a little pink color added and little colorful sprinkles just on the bottom of the cake for that full birthday cake effect. It was so delicious, moist, tender crumb, decadent buttercream, and bomb raspberry flavor!!
This is such an easy pretty cake that we make in batches to fill the freezer for St Peter’s priests to take for home visitations. Since we know it will go into the freezer,we brush the top with warmed orange or peach marmalade/jam to seal it and protect it . It is a keeper recipe already,but this makes sure it is pretty after freezing. We use raspberries,blueberries or strawberries all successfully!
How does this batter turn out with milk that has not been turned into buttermilk? My milk is usually “raw”.
I would add some acidity to it so the flavor and balance of the cake are correct — use this as a guide.
I love this cake! I returned from the farmers market and have a ton of strawberries – would love to make several cakes and freeze them. Curious to know if you have frozen the cake and if so, how did it fare?
Hey Deb
I have made this cake a million times – it’s my fav. But just checked the original recipe on epicurious… and just curious why you dont use the extra sugar sprinkled on top? Now that i see it, i remember i used to make it that way.
I do — it’s in the recipe.
I made this as written, except using cake flour instead of all-purpose, and it was excellent. For fruit I used small halved ripe plums, and I topped the cake once cooled with your butterscotch sauce. So good.
Can you give an alternate measurement for the butter? I don’t have sticks just pounds! Also no scales! Is it 1/4 cup equivalent? Or 1/4 lb for instance?
thanks
It’s 4 tablespoons (2 ounces or 55 grams) unsalted butter, softened — now fixed.
I make this ALL the time and have made one small change. I replace 1/4 cup of the flour with either fine or medium grind cornmeal. And since blueberries are currently in season, I’ve been mixing both blueberries and raspberries and rather than “sprinkling”, just mixing them into the batter. I bake it in an 8-inch square pan and put it on the counter at breakfast. By mid-afternoon it’s been devoured. Thank you Deb for once again making me look good!!
Love this recipe! I always used fresh berries before, but just made it with frozen wild blueberries and it turned out great. Just thought I’d post in case anyone else was wondering (like I was!). I thawed them a bit but it did add a minute or two to the cooking time because they were still pretty cold.
This was exxcellent and I only had a few minutes to put it together before I sat down to eat our curry. I used blueberries. Didn’t anyone else have the blueberries sink to the bottom of the cake? Hmmmm…will whip this up again but will flour the berries a bit before “scattering” them on top 😁❤ I whipped some cream to dollop on it.
I made this with frozen raspberries and frozen peaches. So Good! My coworkers will thank me tomorrow.
I just made this cake for… I don’t know, the 30th time? It’s my go-to cake for casual dinner parties, for pot-lucks, for impromptu house guests. Usually I use frozen raspberries, sometimes I add a bit of chopped dark chocolate. This cake comes out perfect every time. I bakes to a gorgeous golden shade, stays moist with a light, fluffy crumb, and tastes of butter, vanilla, and just a hint of lemon, which complements the raspberries beautifully. Make this cake!
Oh, and I always use plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, just because that’s what I have on hand. If it’s a thick yogurt, I thin it with a bit of milk. Coconut yogurt works too!
Another easy, adaptable, delicious cake (that only got moister and more delicious with time)! Thanks!
I thought this was a great cake with coffee or tea, really anytime you don’t want something too sweet. I’ve made it twice and it came out perfectly both things. My family loves it. I’ll definitely make it again.
Can i swap out all purpose flour with Almond flour? Have a ton of almond flour in the house and the stores are out of all purpose flour!
Not sure if you tried this, but I used a GF flour blend at the same weight and I had no problems! It’s pretty tasty 😋
I used King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour and i came out perfectly. The GF M4M flour was the only thing I changed. It tastes and bakes exactly the same for me.
And it was just as wonderful as the regular KAF AP flour!
I have made this more than once now during COVID, and it’s the perfect everyday cake that I can start last-minute and still have it come out before someone’s bedtime. My 19-month-old son LOVES it, including its batter, which he thinks is called “taste.” His name for the cake itself is “pot treat” (all pans=”pots”)…can’t wait to see how this name plays out in his future… ;) Thank you so much for this recipe.
This is an AWESOME cake! I used frozen yellow raspberries I had picked last summer, doubled the recipe(so glad I did!) and added cinnamon to make it more of a coffee cake. The texture of the cake is incredible, it’s gonna be my go to whenever I have berries!
So yummy! I used frozen strawberries, greek yogurt/water mix, and a GF flour mix and it turned out great! The berries sank, but it didn’t bother me. Now it’s sitting on the stove top with a spoon for drive by bites 😁
This is so delicious and was perfect for my light cake craving – I didn’t have buttermilk so used your alternative milk tip, and it’s awesome! I even used some cherries as I didn’t have enough raspberries – perfect recipe, thank you! Like one jillion people out there, your site is a constant source of inspiration!
I love this cake and make it often, especially in summer when fruit is plentiful. After one disastrous cake baked at 400 degrees (burnt around edges, middle was not done), I switched to 375 for 30 minutes with perfect results. FYI, my oven is accurate as to temperature.
Help. I accidentally doubled the butter. Should I just dump it and start over?
Thanks,
Leigh
Double everything else too; then you get two cakes! :)
I just want to add my voice to the chorus suggesting a lower oven temperature for baking. At 400 degrees the bottom and sides of my cake were quite brown when I checked it at 18 minutes, while the middle was still wet. I reduced the temperature to 350 and cooked for another 10 or so. Next time I’ll bake it at 350 the whole time to avoid the overly brown bottom. And I will be making it again! The cake was delicious and the four adults and two kids it was serving polished it off in minutes. I used strawberries instead of raspberries and parchment for the pan, and it turned out easily.
I just moved, and don’t currently have any round cake pans. Could I bake this in a 8×8 square pan?
I just baked this in an 8×8 square pan and it came out great! Baked as the recipe states, 400F for 25 mins and it was perfect! :)
Made this today with raspberries and blueberries! I added extra lemon zest for fun. It’s delish. Unfortunately it didn’t come out of the pan in one piece…a few of the berries dropped to the bottom and stuck a little. So I’d recommend using parchment paper so you don’t get a three piece cake!
I made this cake last night. I am not much of a baker (other than pizza crust). This recipe was super easy and SOOOOOO delicious. I tried to find fresh raspberries and came up empty so I used frozen and worked out fine. The other change I made was only using one tablespoon of sugar on top at the end (instead of 1.5).
This was a prefect recipe: simple, staple/pantry ingredients (and not a ton of butter!), not a long time in oven which is nice on a hot day, and a nice use for our raspberries. We all loved it! This will become our go to cake recipe for berries. Thanks!
This is my go to “cake”! Raspberry or blackberry perfect outcome! Thank you much Deb!!!
This looks delicious and I would like to make it. Can you explain the cool to warm instruction?
Hello, can I make it with fresh peach chunks?
Yes
I saw this recipe on Instagram (glad you brought it to attention from the archives.) I recently bought a small box of buttermilk (wasn’t then aware that you can make your own!!!) to make another smitten kitchen cake (funfetti cake) and I had a lot leftover AND two half pints of raspberry. ANYWAY this cake is perfect. So perfect I’ve made two :-) the second I made my own buttermilk and it was very easy and just as tasty. Thanks for the recipe!!!!!
I made this today, and it was delicious! No nice to be able to pop out into the yard to pick fresh raspberries for it. The only change I made was to sprinkle Turbinado sugar on the top which gave it a nice crunch.
I made this buttermilk cake and substituted blueberries. This recipe is an absolute keeper. I will be using this as the base for many other fruit substitutes. I used a good quality buttermilk and I think this makes a huge difference in the finished product. Also I used a 9″ springform pan with a sheet of parchment on the bottom. I baked it for the full 25 minutes (I have a very good oven so temp wise it is quite exact).
I love buttermilk cake!!! i love your site and recipies.
I don’t bake often because it challenges my organizational skills and because I tend to go too far cutting back in sugar. Anyway, after following the recipe to a tee, and putting it in to bake, I found an egg (the egg) on the counter. Good news! The cake works very nicely even without any eggs😊
I just made this and it might already be half-eaten between me and my six year old. It didn’t puff up like the picture, however. It was a little sunken in the middle. What did I do wrong?
My 9-y-o and I made this with blueberries for a picnic last night. Used raw sugar on top to give it a bit of extra texture. A tasty and simple recipe. It was done after 20 mins.
This was SO delicious! I will definitely make it again soon.
I made this cake, just delicious . The second time I used blackberries, not a success. I’ll stick with raspberries and blueberries !
Deb! Thanks for reviving this recipe! I saw it recently on your FB feed, and it was just what I was looking for. I love making your mixed berry bundt in summer, but it feeds a crowd, and in this year of isolation, we needed a berry cake that was a bit smaller and simpler, and this totally hit the spot. Made it with a mix of raspberries and blackberries but cut the blackberries in half to make them more equivalent in size. The kids are already asking for a reprise!
So good! Do yourself (and your family) a favor and double the recipe so you can bake two cakes. Trust me. One cake will be gone in a matter of minutes and you’ll wish you had another. Also, don’t skip the the lemon zest. It makes the cake amazing.
No matter how many times I make this cake, it is just as fabulous as always. Every single time. I have even made it with King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour (for certain friends) , and it comes out tasting and looking exactly the same. I can not tell the difference!
I think I’ve made three of these in the past week. One with the KAF GF M4M flour and two with regular KAF AP flout.
It is delightful! I can’t wait to make another couple cakes as raspberries are showing up in our stores right now.
Hi! I’m wondering if this would work well with strawberries– they’re my little one’s favorite!
Yes, although this is my favorite fresh strawberry cake.
Thank you so much! Although now I want both haha
Can I use this recipe for muffins? How many would it make?
Hi! My cake tasted metallic/had some chemical aftertaste :–( I weighed the measurements and I want to redo this cake but I’m not sure what to fix. please help!
Are you at a higher altitude?
Nope! I live in the Philippines. Only thing I did different was making my own buttermilk (using milk and lemon juice. although i made half a cup instead of the whole cup of buttermilk). I did the strawberry summer cake but I really want to get this buttermilk cake right.
AND THANK U FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION! I’ve been following your site since I was in high school!!!!!
I made this cake today and my whole family loved it! It was the perfect balance of sweetness and the fresh tang from the raspberries! For me 22 minutes was the perfect amount of time for a perfectly moist cake. Thanks!!!
Could I use plain yogurt instead of buttermilk? I always have full-fat (homemade) yogurt in the house.
Made this this past weekend and it was really great. My husband and son gobbled it right up. My kind of cake. Easy and delicious!
Wonderful recipe, (any recipe that lists ‘…. serves 8 if you can pry it out of the first 2 pairs of hands..’ has to be good.)
I tried a chocolate variation, and while it tastes[ed] very good it seemed to bake unevenly. I added 2 1/2 Tblsp of cocoa and 1 Tblsp of coffee. It baked very quickly, 18-19 min the cake tester came out clean, the top was crispy (not carbonized ) and the bottom was VERY moist.
Any advise as how to balance wet’s – dries – baking time/temp would be appreciated.
Have made this multiple times and each time is easier and better than the last. Less than ten minutes of work for a simple and elegant cake!
Just commenting to say that I’ve made this cake three times this week—one for teacher appreciation (a week late), two for us bc the first one went so fast. Perfect use for our black raspberries from the yard. I’ve already memorized the recipe. Thanks, deb!
Depending on who you ask, 1 cup of granulated sugar is 198-200g, so 2/3 should be ~133g – i.e. this is about 10% different. Should this be made with 133g or 146g of granulated sugar? Or is it a different sugar?
I’d use 130 grams. I need to fix the weight here.
Thanks, Deb!
Adding everything into the the mixing bowl and mixing well gives a better result than the painstaking creaming the sugar and butter etc. The latter method curdles the fats (butter and egg) and then adding the flour and buttermilk in thirds knocks the air out. Sifting or whisking the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate first adds more air too. Free range egg and caster sugar all make a difference to the lightness and end result. When out if the oven I drizzled with melted white chocolate from a fork. It’s a ‘to die for cake’
We picked 4 quarts of black raspberries yesterday and I made this last night. I had to sub in whole wheat flour for about half of the amount bc I ran out of AP, but now we are eating it for breakfast! All of my raspberries sank tk the bottom making a purple, juicy layer and it’s perfect.
If you accidentally add a whole cup of buttermilk substitute because your kids are distracting you and it’s still a gd pandemic, I am happy to report that you can double the rest of the ingredients in a panic and throw it all in a single 9” cake pan and it is still delightful. Thanks, Deb!
(Forgot to mention that I babysat this in the oven due to its loftiness in the pan and adjusted the temp and time as necessary until it was a golden berry-filled dream.)
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s never failed! I’ve used peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and each time its been delicious. Thanks for such a nice summer cake to spice up a meal! I’ve added some 10-20g almond meal too to give it a bit of nuttiness and the recipe still turned out beautiful!
I made two, skipped the sugar on top and served this mascarpone frosting on Christmas to rave reviews! Will definitely make it again soon.
Yum! I made this last night, with only 100 grams of sugar, frozen raspberries, and just a light dusting of brown coconut sugar on top, and it was SO good. Too good maybe, as my hubby and I ate all but one slice. Great way to use buttermilk–or even go buy it special for this cake. I used a food processor, as my butter was straight from the fridge, and it came together very quickly. I will for sure make this again. Thanks, as always, Deb, for a great recipe
Hello, I have made this cake several times & everyone asks for the recipe! I would like to know however if I can freeze this cake.
Lina
Absolutely!
Needed a quick/easy dessert recipe for a family dinner and this did not disappoint! It was perfect after a heavy meal of lasagna as it does not feel overly rich and no frosting! Keeping this one in the regular rotation!
This is one of the most delicious cakes that I have ever baked. It is light, fluffy and delicate. My sister had given me your first book as a gift many years ago. Thanks Deb, love your recipes!
I had a dinner party last night and somehow politics, uninvited, I assure you, showed up. One of the guests, to help ease rising temperatures, asked “so-what’s for dessert? Is it CHOCOLATE?!” Well, no…but this cake, made with blueberries, was just what was needed to save the evening! Subject was forgotten; we instead focused on our upcoming trips, children, etc. It’s a Miracle Cake! Even the vegan decided to try a small slice, since it looked so tempting.
Hi. How long can it sit all together before you bake it?
Thanks,
Leigh
I usually bake it right away but I’m sure no harm will come if you wait and hour or two.
This is a lovely easy cake. It baked perfectly with frozen berries for me, so long as they were individually frozen and not a block of ice. Cook time is on the 25 min side if using frozen fruit.
This cake is such a winner. I always have all the ingredients on hand, it’s quick and easy to whip up, and it’s so delicious warm or cool! I’ve made this cake multiple times with fresh and frozen fruit. Give kiwi a try! Two peeled and sliced up did the job for me. I use a springform pan with baking paper on the bottom, so it always comes out. I love how golden and delicious the crust gets, so I tried baking it as ‘muffins’ today. Total win! So much golden delicious crust.
Mini muffins! I made this cake countless times over the years. But today I tried it as mini muffins for the first time. It worked beautifully! I used parchment liners. The dough makes exactly 24 mini muffins. top each muffin with one raspberry. sprinkle just a pinch of sugar on top. Bake to 400 for 5 minutes. Lower temperature to 375 and bake for 10 – 13 minutes more. Do not overbake or they will dry out.
I now have 24 perfectly delectable little treats: great for school lunch and snacking.
With only two of us, buttermilk goes bad before I can use it. Have you made this cake with that Buttermilk Powder?
I have. I always find it needs more powder than it says to get the right flavor. Instructions for a homemade buttermilk swap at the end of the recipe, and here.
Has anyone made this in an 8″ round (or square) to make it a little taller?
I have and it looks great.
Just to say…. No lemon? One can also use white vinegar to to a milk to a “buttermilk”
Yes, I simply suggest lemon since you’re zesting one half here, might as well use what’s in it.
More buttermilk instructions here.
Hi, this looks great. Do you think I could sub in some whole wheat white flour? Thx!
Yes, I’d do a half swap, not full.
Great, easy cake. I didn’t have buttermilk, but used half n half that I did have with 1/2 tbsps lemon juice (and I like lemon, so I added the juice of the rest of the lemon to the batter). I didn’t have any fresh or frozen fruit so I used canned cherries (pie filling) and grouped them in small bunches around the cake…it still turned out delicious. I will be making this again. Looking forward to trying different fruits (and I won’t be afraid to used canned – like peaches)!
Just finished baking. Looked amazing. 10 minutes later it fell. I so wanted this cake to look good. It would be a great cake for new parents. Any ideas of why it sunk? Your help appreciated
Made this today and it is DELICIOUS and SO EASY!! Believe it or not, didn’t have enough AP flour so decided to use self-rising flour and eliminated the baking powder and soda as well as the salt. Came out beautifully and delicious. NOT too sweet and used a mix of raspberries and blueberries that I have on hand. Also didn’t use granulated sugar on the top but tried a dark brown sugar sprinkled around. I think it added to the look and taste! We like brown sugar in our family. Definitely will use this again as fresh berries come into season.
I made this with 1C fresh blueberries in an 8″ pan & they did not sink. Baked 35 minutes, turned heat off, & left in the oven with door ajar 10 minutes — good texture. I subbed 1/3C light brown sugar for half of the sugar & sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar (1 Tbsp was enough to cover the 8″ surface). I had a large Eureka lemon & it yielded approx 1 Tbsp of zest, so I used 2 tsp of that. Instead of buttermilk, I thinned plain Greek yogurt a bit with just a little lemon juice.
One of these comments said that melting the butter worked fine, so I tried that & was glad I did. No mixer needed, just cooled the melted butter a little & stirred it together with the sugars, then proceeded per the recipe. Easier, quicker, no utensils to wash.
Excellent, versatile, dependable recipe — I know I’ll be making it again & recommending it around. Many thanks to Deb & all the helpful comments!
Under “a few notes, refreshed in 2023”, in the last bullet point describing your one bowl method, the listed baking soda is omitted. Was that intentional with this method? I believe would go in with the baking powder and salt, but I wanted to be certain.
No, it should include the baking soda too. Will edit.
This cake is easy and delicious. The hardest part was getting it out of the pan for the first flip. I ended up using a small knife to loosed the sides. So good!
I hope you find humor in this. I affectionately call this “Oh shit there’s a party” cake. Total make time, 1 hour? Perfect for those of us who struggle with the realities of time! One bowl, minimal ingredients? Yes please! I keep a quart of blackberries in my freezer for this exact cake (they dont need to be defrosted IMO.) Plus the bake time of 20-25m means we can shower quickly while it’s in the oven. So when spouse reminds us of a party 2 hours before it starts, I never have to show up empty handed. Or worse, with something from the grocery.
Absolutely love this cake!! Have made several times and most recently in a desperate– no-oven in corporate housing– situation made it perfectly in my instant pot! A half recipe worked great in a 6″ cake pan (wrapped it in foil/placed on a trivet, cooked 35 min on cake + 10 min natural release). Unconventional but noting in case anyone else finds themself in a similar pinch (or just doesn’t want to turn on their oven in the summer!)
I have made this delicious cake many, many times, with just raspberries and with mixed berries. It’s great. But I have found the best results when I use a 9 in tube cake pan. Using just the regular 9 inch cake pan leaves the middle a bit underdone. Otherwise, this recipe is brilliant!
I made this today with frozen raspberries cup-up in the batter and it turned out beautifully! The whole family loved it. Thank you for such an easy, quick, and delicious recipe!
Holy moly. Delicious and genuinely quick and easy (from someone who does not love to bake but likes baked goods!) I doubled the recipe (because it’s cake!) and used the zest of one orange (because I had no lemons), frozen raspberries (because it’s winter here), and whole milk + bottled lemon juice (because I never have buttermilk on hand). I didn’t sprinkle sugar on top because I was aiming for something less sweet. Great texture, well-distributed raspberries, lovely golden brown top. A good fit for dessert after dinner…or during breakfast!