Raspberry Buttermilk Cake!

Baking - not my forte. I've just never really been that into it. Well let's face it, I just got into cooking in general about a year ago. (Full disclosure - when I lived alone I didn't even own silverware. I picked up take-out every single night. Embarrassing, I know.) Our wedding registry goods helped my cause (All-Clad + Le Creuset = motivated to cook!).

Smitten Kitchen has jumpstarted my love (that's overstating it a little, more "my like") of baking. With buttermilk in my fridge that was about to go bad, I read a recipe on my favorite food blog for Raspberry Buttermilk Cake. Yum! The photo looked too pretty to pass up, so I gave it a go. Hooked. I've tried it a few times since and it's good every time - and easy. And you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. Well, you may need to make a trip to the store for raspberries, but it's worth it.

After you make this, check out every single recipe on Smitten Kitchen. Seriously you will probably end up trolling the site for hours.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
copied verbatim from Smitten Kitchen (who adapted from Gourmet, June 2009)

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

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

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

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 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.

Voila!

PS. Again, I need photos. Next time. I promise!