Summer / No. 10 / Creaming butter and sugar
Blueberry Buttermilk Snacking Cake
A tender, single-layer buttermilk cake studded with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, finished with a crackly sugar top. Easy and keeps well.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 9 servings
Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
This is the cake to make when blueberries are cheap and plentiful: one layer, no frosting, baked in a square pan and cut into squares straight from the dish. Buttermilk keeps the crumb soft and gives a pleasant tang that plays well with the berries and a bit of lemon zest.
It is also a good way to practice the creaming method, which is the foundation of countless butter cakes. Beating softened butter with sugar until pale and fluffy whips tiny air bubbles into the fat. Those bubbles expand in the oven and give the cake its light, even texture.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with a parchment sling.
- 2
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- 3
In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant. Add the butter and beat with a mixer on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- 4
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each, then beat in the vanilla.
- 5
With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with the flour, mixing just until combined.
- 6
Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour and fold two thirds of them into the batter with a spatula. Spread the batter in the pan and scatter the remaining berries on top. Sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar.
- 7
Bake for 38 to 45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (aside from berry juice).
- 8
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and cool completely, or serve slightly warm.
Cook's notes
- No buttermilk? Stir 2 teaspoons lemon juice into 3/4 cup milk and let it stand 5 minutes.
- Frozen blueberries work; keep them frozen and toss with flour just before folding in.
- Raspberries, chopped peaches or blackberries are good swaps.
Keeping
Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze individually wrapped squares for up to 2 months.
Cooking times and temperatures are guides; ovens, stoves and ingredients vary. This recipe is for home cooking and is not dietary or medical advice. Check labels for allergens.
