Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

I think I may have been a little too generous with the powdered sugar, but it's just so fun to watch it snow down over the cake. The bon appétit recipe called for blackberries, I used blueberries. Oh, and I replaced the orange zest with lemon zest, to make the cake Gabes-friendly. Delicious, even a few days later. I imagine a slice would be a delicious mid-afternoon accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee. Maybe tomorrow...

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake (courtesy of bon appétit, July 2011)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan & parchment

2 1/3 cups cake flour (sifted, then measured) plus more for pan

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

1/4 cup plus 1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3 lg eggs, room temp

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter pan; line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Butter parchment. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Arrange berries in a single layer in bottom of pan; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup sugar.

Sift 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl; set aside. Using electric mixer, beat 3/4 cups butter and remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar in a large bowl at med-high speed, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and zest. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until incorporated. Pour batter over berries in pan; smooth top.

Bake until cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Let cool in pan set on wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a thin, sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Invert cake onto rack and remove pan bottom; peel off parchment. Dust top generously with powdered sugar and let cool completely.