I’ve just finished reading Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden, which contains fairy tales interspersed with the story, an epic of family and secrets and generational connections. I can’t remember the last time I read a fairy tale before this. When I got to the first one, I almost skipped over it since it was an interruption to the main narrative and I wanted that to continue. But I honored the author's intentions and read it after all. I've been in a weird philosophical mood ever since.
Fairy tales are a genre that don’t often present themselves as adult fare but, honestly, they should be. Some of them are really scary. But they also open our minds to the possibility of magic and mystery in the world around us.
For instance, have you ever seen a magnified photo of a raspberry? The tiny “hairs” and round globes filled with juice and seeds are otherworldly; like little bunches of bright red grapes just the right size for fairies to eat. I think they’d be fans of my raspberry vanilla cake as well.
Buttermilk Raspberry Vanilla Bundt
If fresh raspberries aren’t available where you live, you can use frozen ones or feel free to substitute your own favorite summer berry.Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup or 180ml whole fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups or about 180g fresh or frozen raspberries
For the easy raspberry glaze:
5-6 fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup or 41g icing sugar
water or lemon juice, as needed
Optional for serving (instead of the glaze): icing sugar
Method
Sprinkle two tablespoons of the sugar on the raspberries in small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and generously butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.
In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the butter and the balance of the sugar with electric beaters or in stand mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time and beat well with each addition.
Have a quick look at your raspberries and sugar and give them a stir. If they look really juicy, put one tablespoon of the flour mixture into the bowl and fold it into the berries. This will help them stay in the batter rather than falling to the bottom of the cake.
Add half of the remaining flour mixture and half of the buttermilk into the big mixing bowl. Beat on low until combined. Add in the other half of both and beat until just combined.
Spoon the sugary raspberries onto the batter along with any syrup they've created. Raspberries do tend to break down rather nicely. Gently fold them into the batter.
Spoon the batter into your prepared Bundt pan, smoothing out the top, if necessary.
Bake until the cake is golden and well-risen, about 40-45 minutes. A wooden toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.
To make the raspberry glaze, add the raspberries and powdered sugar to a small bowl. Mash the raspberries with the back of a spoon until they've completely dissolved into the sugar. Add a few drops of water or lemon juice till you get a pouring consistency, if needed. Warm the glaze over a low heat in a small pot, until it turns clear. Set aside to cool.
Cool the Bundt cake in the pan for about 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with your testing toothpick, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack.
Enjoy!
My favorite part of summer is the plethora of seasonal fruit in farm shops and supermarkets so I was delighted when this month’s Bundt Baker host, Kelley of Simply Inspired Meals chose that as our theme. Check out all the other lovely summer fruit Bundts we’ve baked for you today.
- Amaretto Glazed Berry Bundt by Sweet Sensations
- Buttermilk Raspberry Vanilla Bundt by Food Lust People Love
- Cherries with Cherry Cheese Bundt Cake by PatycoCandyBar
- Eggless Orange Bundt with Orange Glaze by Sneha's Recipe
- Fresh Strawberry Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Mango Bundt Cake and Frosting by Merce's Cake
- Mini Strawberry Bundt Cake by Simply Inspired Meals
- Peaches and Cream Bundt Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
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