Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Orange Cake (with or without Ground Almonds)


Now that spring is here and the weather has been so divine, it was about time to post something lovely and inspiring. And that's just what I find this old-fashioned orange-blackberry cake to be.

Thought I'd post some shots I took so far that have made us welcome spring:













There's something about this weather that makes a person want to be outside. So take this cake outside with your loved ones after dinner and enjoy the feel of warmer breezes, the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of new grass growing. And yeah, don't forget to bring the allergy medicine.



I have made this cake several times over the last few months and love it. It's particularly good in the morning too with a hot cup of coffee if you can stare out your window in silence for a few moments before the day's activities overwhelm you. This cake makes me nostalgic. It is a simple recipe that, again, reminds me of the kind of dessert my mother or grandmother would make that highlights the season's best fruits.

If you prefer lemon extract instead of orange, you could easily substitute that. Or replace the blackberries with raspberries. Or you could skip the raw sugar topping and make a glaze of powdered sugar and fresh orange or lemon juice to drizzle on top of the cooled cake--there are several possibilities.


OLD-FASHIONED BLACKBERRY ORANGE CAKE (WITH OPTIONAL GROUND ALMONDS)


Serves 6-8

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. fresh orange zest (zest of about 1 orange)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 cup ground almonds (optional-but oh so good!)
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries (or slightly more)
  • 2 Tbsp. raw sugar, for sprinkling on top



Preheat oven to 350°F.


Combine sugar and butter, then beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed with paddle. Add in the flour, baking powder, eggs and zest. Scrape bottom of mixing bowl, then continue to mix for 2 minutes at medium speed.

 
Pour this batter into greased and floured tart pan with removable bottom or cake pan with removable sides. Drop berries over the top of the cake as evenly as possible. Then, sprinkle the raw sugar over the berries.
 
Bake cake until it tests done in center or until the cake pulls from the side of the pan, about 50 to 60 minutes depending on oven.
 
Let cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then gently loosen edges of removable tart pan. When cooled, lift from the bottom on the tart pan or simply un-mold the cake pan sides.
 
Dust with powdered sugar or brush with a light glaze of your choice. (totally optional!)
 
This is a delicious cake served with vanilla or blackberry ice-cream. Enjoy!


2 comments:

  1. Oh this looks delicious! And such lovely photos, as always!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much, Jenn! That's sweet of you.

    ReplyDelete