Blueberry Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream

Posted by - Joanne

On Saturday morning I told Sophie. That's it. I am getting my beach body back.

(It's amazing what not running 40 miles a week while still going to the gym the other three days a week will do to your beach body.)
So I made a plan for myself. (In my head. If I had written it down, I might have had proof that any of this had happened. And then I might have had to stick to it. And that might have been a shame.)

Which included adopting Mark Bittman's vegan-before-dinner diet. And a whole lot of Greek yogurt.

That virtuosity lasted all of about three hours before she found me in the kitchen knee-deep in a buttermilk-infused cake batter.

It has blueberries! I replied indignantly to her arched eyebrows.

Mmhmmm.
Maybe I'll just forget the bathing suit. Go with a really nice (loose) sundress instead.

This month's pick for Have the Cake was Gourmet's infamous buttermilk cake that has made the rounds on just about every blog imaginable since it was published in June 2009. And with good reason. One. It is easy. And delicious. Two things I look for in a cake. Two. It pairs well with just about any berry. So no matter what you have sitting in that bowl on your counter. Throw it in. Mix. Match. Experiment. This cake is a survivor. It will prevail. Three. It goes really well with strawberry whipped cream. Which is my new obsession. And my own little twist to the cake. An attempt to kick all of the living virtuosity out of it. If you will. Totally worth it.

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
Makes 1 9-inch cake, adapted from Gourmet

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Add egg and beat well.

3. In three batches, add the flour, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Scatter the blueberries on top. Then scatter the 1 1/2 tbsp sugar on top.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Strawberry Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup pureed strawberries

1. In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until it has the consistency of whipped cream. Add in the sugar. Add in the strawberry puree. Whip until it again reaches desired consistency.

Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Posted by - Jen Pieces of me


Raisin Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Ingredients

* 1 cup packed brown sugar

* 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

* 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

BATTER:

* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

* 1 1/2 cups sugar

* 2 eggs

* 3 cups all-purpose flour

* 4 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 cups buttermilk

* 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in raisins. Spread half of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with half of the crumb mixture. Carefully spread with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

I will be honest, it wasn't the coffee cake we were expecting or what we are used to. This was moist, not crumbly and we kind of wanted crumbly. It was good, looks great, but not crumb cake really. Maybe it is the buttermilk part? It was cakey, not crumby. I thought maybe I did something wrong but looking at all of yours I see that it looks as it should. Not sure I like this one. Perhaps, I would try strawberries next time!

And I should have cut this in half, because I have tons of it! I have two pans!

Caramel-Date Upside-Down Buttermilk Cake

Posted by - Jess

I stumbled across this recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/03/caramel_date_upside_down_cake and I love dates so I had to try it.

The recipe calls for making the caramel right in the pan it is going to bake in which was interesting to do. Butter and sugar caramelized is so good!

After the caramel is all ready the sliced dates get arranged in the pan.

Ready to go into the oven.

Fresh out of the oven!

I think the cake needed a little more caramel on the top but other than that I am happy with how it came out.

A fun choice with a lot of possibilities! Thank you for posting how to make buttermilk as it was very useful.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Buttermilk Cakelets

Posted by - Marthe

I've done it again.... I've joined another group: Have the Cake. Every month one of the members picks a recipe for a cake, cookie, cracker, pie, bar, biscuit or brownie. Everyone can make it as is or put their own spin on it. You have the whole month to complete it and when you are done, you post your baking experience on your blog and on Have the Cake's blog! Each participant gets to pick a recipe for an assigned month and it should be something they've never made before. This month it was Gerri's turn to pick a recipe, she choose Buttermilk Cake for our May Challenge.

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• Last Saturday I went to the market and bought 2 kilos of rhubarb, with the intention to use part of it for this challenge. I happened upon this wonderful Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake and decided to adapt it by subbing the milk with buttermilk, however I forgot to buy buttermilk. So I used the advice Gerrie gave us and made my own buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes until it clabbers. I used my non-stick 6 hole-baking pan for buns, fairy cakes, muffins & yorkshire puddings. Doesn't that cake look nice and fluffy?
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• Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakelets
• makes 12 3-inch cakelets
• recipe adapted from Taste of Home
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• Ingredients
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2-1/4 cups diced fresh orfrozen rhubarb
• 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
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• Batter:
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Whipped cream, optional
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• Directions
• Butter the baking pan and line the bottom of each individual hole with parchment, butter the parchment. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and butter. Spread into the baking pan. Layer with rhubarb; sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.
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• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
• In a small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into creamed mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time. Gently spoon over rhubarb (pan will be full, about 1/4 in. from the top of pan).
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• Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream if desired.
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Strawberry Lime Buttermilk Cakes and ShortCupCakes

Posted by -Amber

I was so excited when Gerri posted this challenge for May! I had been wanting to make a buttermilk cake ever since tasting one recently. It seems I was so excited about how amazing it tastes and the different ways that I could accessorize the recipe that I made it three times! Here is the link to my blog about the variations that I made.

The changes that I made to the original recipe posted by Gerri were that I used fresh strawberries and lime zest. This recipe reminded me of a moist strawberry shortcake which is why I decided to make the other two recipes with whipped cream cheese frosting. If interested that recipe can be found here at Allrecipes. This frosting is amazing and holds up well overnight. I followed the recipe exactly and just added a teaspoon of creme de cassis. Yummy!

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

A fresh-strawberry version of the Raspberry Buttermilk Cake recipe from Gourmet June 2009, chosen by Gerri  for this month's Cake Challenge. Followed the recipe but the only 'mistake' moi made here was to use 1 stick of butter instead of the half given in the recipe!

This recipe is a keeper and the Cake did not survive long for more pictures!

Notes:

'Then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate', instructions got those cooling rack imprints on the cake!! The bottom of the cake had the moist layer of strawberries, so should I have put it that way onto the rack?

Thanks! :-)

Posted by: Shri

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake

Posted by - Chaya

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake - I got this from the delightful blog, Pinch My Salt.

Adapted from Gourmet

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon  (I used one teaspoon cinnamon)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature (I used oil)

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup peeled and chopped baking apple

heaping tablespoon of raw sugar (demerara, turbinado or Sugar in the Raw) (Brown sugar)

extra cinnamon for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about two minutes.

Add vanilla and egg and beat well.

With the mixer set to low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture.

Add half the buttermilk and continue beating on low speed until incorporated. Scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, beat in another 1/3 of flour mixture then remaining buttermilk. Finally beat in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined.

3. Scrape batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Scatter apple pieces evenly over the top of the cake batter then sprinkle evenly with raw sugar. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

4. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool until warm. Invert onto a plate. Serve plain, or with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce

This is such a good choice.  I want to make this cake with different fruit.  I would love blueberry or maybe peach or apricot.  I also want to make muffins.  This is a good basic recipe to use in many different ways.

Strawberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Posted by - Rena

I borrowed Colleen's recipe for Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins and made a cake instead of muffins. If I make it again, I would make muffins.

I have never used lemon curd but I walk by it all the time in the store, pick it up and then put it right back down. I'm sort of a lemon curd stalker with commitment issues. Once Colleen mentioned that she put lemon curd in her muffins (oh god I can't help but laugh after watching Betty White's "muffin" skit on Saturday Night Live last weekend) I decided to take the plunge and buy a jar. I used Colleen's recipe exactly and I put a spoonful of curd in the batter as well. I should have put another container of strawberries in because can you really ever have enough? No.


The cake was super duper moist and fluffy. The only thing that didn't work perfectly was the topping but I think it's because I used lemon curd instead of butter. I can see how it would work better on muffins but it was still delicious. I also smear a little bit of lemon curd on the top before I eat a slice. Clearly, I'm now in a relationship with lemon curd. We are in love!

Here is the link to Colleen's post.

Strawberry (and lemon) Buttermilk Muffins

There are a million buttermilk cake recipes out there that I wanted to make (Cinnamon, Lemon, Very Berry, Brown Sugar, etc.) but since it is late-spring I decided I must take advantage of the fresh berries available and strawberries are one of my favorites. The recipe I chose was strictly Strawberry Muffins but I decided that I wanted a little lemon in there, too.


I chopped up two cups of fresh berries then folded them into a flour, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and egg mixture.

I filled the muffin cups half-way, put in a dollop of lemon curd then filled the cups to the top. For the crumble mixture I used Splenda brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and substituted the butter with more lemon curd. After sprinkling a bunch on each one, I baked them at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. These muffins baked up with HUGE tops (the best part).

So good! The berries were perfectly sweet in the mix and the lemon made for a perfect bit of tangy-ness.

• Adapted from www.bakespace.com
• Cooking Time: 20
• Servings: 12
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• Streusel Topping:
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar)
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tblsp butter (I used lemon curd)
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter muffin tins (unless you're using non-stick).

Whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Gently fold in berries.

Fold wet ingredients into dry.

Fill each cup to the top.

In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients.

Blend until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle over tops of muffins (don't be stingy!).

Bake about 20 minutes.

Posted by - colleen

May Challenge!

Posted by - Gerri (via Rena)

BUTTERMILK CAKE
(with Raspberries)

According to the poster on the Smitten Kitchen website, this is a good, basic go-to buttermilk cake moist and ever-so-light — a great jumping off point for whatever you can dream up. It's so simple you may want to experiment with other fruits or zests. Enjoy!

Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

Makes one thin 9-inch cake

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) 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 (146 grams) 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. Put raspberries evenly on top of cake, pressing them (gently) halfway into the batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) 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.

Make your own buttermilk: No need to buy buttermilk especially for this or any recipe. Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit until it clabbers, about 10 minutes. Voila, buttermilk!