I came across this recipe for Raspberry Buttermilk Cake in Gourmet Magazine, and not having any 9″ round pans I decided to see if I could use another pan and get good results, so off to the Google I went, where I found the ever helpful Old Farmer’s Almanac and their handy Pan Sizes and Equivilents, and found that a 9x13x2″ cake pan was equal to two 9″ round cake pans, so all I needed to do was double the recipe. I made only a minor addition to the recipe using some almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
Here’s how the first one looked pre and post baking.
I served it with freshly made vanilla whipped cream, and more fresh raspberries, alas, the picture seems to have gone missing.
The next time I made it I swapped out the raspberries for strawberries and banana.
So here’s my larger versions of the Gourmet Magazine recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (no more)
2 large eggs
1 cup of buttermilk – shake well
1 pint fresh raspberries (half for the cake, half for topping the whipped cream)
Directions:
Butter and flour a 9x13x2″ cake pan
Preheat oven to 400F
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or large bowl and hand mixer) beat the butter with 1 1/3 cups sugar at med-high speed until fluffy and pale, then add the vanilla and almond extracts, once they are incorporated add the eggs and beat well.
Lower the speed of the mixer to slow (or 2) add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat, add 1/2 of the buttermilk, beat, repeat flour/beat/milk/beat/flour, mix until just combined (DO NOT OVER MIX)
Spread batter into the cake pan, place 1/2 the raspberries over the top of the batter and press in slightly, take the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake 25-30 minutes, cake should be golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
When you remove the cake from the oven place the pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool uncovered. Serve with fresh whipped cream, and additional berries or fruit. My good friends over at the Culinary Media Network also make a version of this cake, and they serve it with a Blueberry Lavender Syrup, you should try this cake in all of its forms, the next time I make it I’ll be skipping the fruit and using a traditional cinnamon coffee cake crumb topping.
Enjoy!
