Nature's bounty, episode II

It's that time of year again, when the wild blackberries sprout ever so briefly along the roadsides in MCS.

I've previously made a pair of wild blackberry crumbles, but this year I opted for a wild blackberry cake, converting a recipe that was originally written for raspberries (you can also use blueberries or cut up strawberries). This was a huge hit with everyone, and we polished the whole thing off in one sitting, which isn't that unusual, unfortunately. It's not only tasty, it's quick, too, as you can be munching on warm cake in about 50 minutes from when you start the recipe.

You scatter the blackberries over the top of the batter, instead of mixing them in.

The batter swallows up most of the blackberries as it rises around them.

It's a thin little cake.

Wild Blackberry Cake

Adapted from Deb Perelman via Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Gourmet (June 2009)

Time: 20 minutes to get the cake into the oven, 40 minutes total to when you pull the cake out of the oven

Instead of wild blackberries, you can use raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries cut into small chunks.

130 grams (~1 cup) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
57 grams (½ stick/4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
133 grams (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
1 large egg (~57 grams in the shell)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest, from half a lemon
120 grams (½ cup) buttermilk, well-shaken
1 cup (~100 grams) wild blackberries (see note)
20 grams (1½ tablespoons) turbinado sugar (you can substitute granulated sugar, but you won't get the same crunch)

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 400 degrees. Spray a nonstick 9-inch round cake pan or 8-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; or grease and flour one of those pans if it's not nonstick.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the butter and 133 grams granulated sugar at medium-high speed (6 on our KitchenAid) until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
    4. Scrape the bowl down, then add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed (4 on our KitchenAid) until well combined. If the mixture looks curdled, scrape the bowl down and mix again.
    5. At low speed (2 on our KitchenAid), mix in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, until just combined. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading it out evenly and smoothing the top. Scatter the blackberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
    6. Bake until the cake is golden brown and delicious and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes in the gold nonstick pan I used to make the cake (it'll probably take up to 5 minutes more in a lighter colored pan). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto another wire rack to cool further. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes one thin cake, which you can cut into 8 slices serving 4 to 8 people.