Simple buttermilk cake with berries

This is one of those sort of cakes that I remember from my childhood, and I hope that everyone has something similar to look back upon as well. Simple, unfrosted, potentially eaten anytime from breakfast to snacktime to after dinner. My young palate was happy enough with box mix cake, but my adult palate is savoring this not-much-harder-to-make cake.

The base is a super moist, slightly tangy, barely sweet buttermilk cake, and the juicy berries studded throughout just scream summer picnic and a need to be paired with some ice cream.

I've made this with blackberries and strawberries, and both were delicious. Whatever variation you make, it is just simply yummy.

Berry Buttermilk Cake (adapted from Gourmet via Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 finely grated lemon zest (optional)

1 large egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk (substitute 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice and milk up to 1/2 cup volume if you don't have buttermilk)

1 cup fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries...)

1/2 teaspoon sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside. 

With a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest (if using). Add egg and mix well. 

At low speed, add flour mixture a third at a time, alternating with buttermilk in between. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into a pan and sprinkle berries evenly over the top. Sprinkle the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over the top of the berries and batter. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cake is golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool to slightly warm. Invert again onto a plate and serve.