Cake is good. This Berry Butter Cake, loaded with fruit, is very good.
This cake features a tender, moist crumb that provides a delicious cushion for things like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. It’s not fancy.
I modified this a lot from Bake from Scratch Magazine, adjusting some ingredients and other directions. The bake time was way too long, for starters. I was also perturbed that they call for vanilla extract in the glaze, but obviously used clear vanilla extract for their picture, because using regular extract muddies the glaze.
This cake is great to freeze and thaw later, even weeks later. It stores beautifully sealed up in the fridge or at room temperature.
This buttery-fresh is a single layer loaded with berries of your choice, fresh or frozen! Greatly modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
9-inch springform pan
parchment paper
nonstick spray
Ingredients
Cake:
3/4cupunsalted buttersoftened
1cupwhite sugar
1/2cupbrown sugar packed
2large eggs room temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
2cupsall-purpose flour
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
3/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoonbaking soda
3/4cupbuttermilk or soured milk, see note
Fruit:
1 3/4cupsfresh or frozen berries such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries (210 grams)
2Tablespoonsall-purpose flour
Vanilla Glaze:
3/4cupconfectioners' sugar plus more if needed
1Tablespoonmilk or half & half, plus more if needed
1/2teaspoonclear vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare springform pan by cutting a piece of parchment paper to fit inside. Use nonstick spray on interior of pan, then place cut parchment inside and spray again.
Beat together butter and both sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter bowl alternatively with the buttermilk/soured milk. Scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times.
In another bowl, stir the flour into the fruit to coat it. Reserving 1/4 cup of fruit, fold most of it into the batter. Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved fruit over the top.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake looks golden brown and the middle passes the toothpick test. Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then pop open the springform ring to remove it. Let cake cool completely on rack.
Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl until they are smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar or milk, if necessary, to achieve a thick but good consistency for drizzling. Immediately drizzle across the top of the cake. Let set at least 20 minutes before slicing in.
Cake keeps well in sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen in individual slices for weeks or kept in fridge.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Make soured milk by pouring about a Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, then add milk or half & half to reach the 3/4 cup line required by this recipe. Let it sit about 10 minutes. It should start to thicken and curdle. Add all of that acidic goodness to the batter.
Pardon me, have you heard that air fryers are awesome? Yeah, yeah, I won’t go for the hard sell, but I do love my air fryer, and it sure makes these Maple Roasted Nuts quick and convenient.
This is a good recipe if you want to prepare nuts for a sports game or any kind of gathering–or if, like me, you enjoy having some lightly-sweet nuts along with cheese.
If you’d like, substitute honey for the maple syrup. I imagine something like agave syrup might work, too, but I haven’t tried that. I know maple sugar can be expensive or hard to find offline, but fortunately brown sugar makes for a good substitute for that, too.
Bready or Not Original: Air Fryer Maple Roasted Nuts
These roasted nuts are easy to make in the air fryer. They are lightly sweet and perfect. Use any kind of whole nuts you want, just make the amount equal 2 cups.
Course: Appetizer
Keyword: cashews, maple, pecans
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
air fryer
parchment paper
Ingredients
1cupwhole pecans
1cupwhole cashews
1Tablespoonbutter melted
1Tablespoonmaple syrup
1/2teaspoonsalt
1Tablespoonmaple sugar or brown sugar
Instructions
Line the air fryer tray with parchment paper cut to fit, then place tray on top.
Place the nuts in a large bowl. Pour the butter over the top, followed by the maple syrup and salt. Stir the nuts to coat. Place them spread out on the mesh tray.
Air fry at 325-degrees for about 5 to 6 minutes or until they begin to smell toasted, stirring one halfway through. They should look browned at the end.
While they are cooking, pull out another small cookie sheet or plate, putting more parchment on it if desired; this will be a surface on which the nuts will cool.
When the nuts are done, pull them from the air fryer and carefully transfer them to the fresh cookie sheet. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle maple sugar on top, stirring to coat. Enjoy immediately, or place in a sealed container at room temperature to eat over the next month.
These Berry Scones are a delicious way to use fresh or frozen fruit to create a batch of baked goods for breakfast.
I love scones but I hadn’t made this recipe in over 10 years. Arizona is not a good place to get locally grown fresh fruit like strawberries and raspberries. Soon after we moved to Minnesota, fresh strawberries came into season AND I won a gallon-sized bag of frozen raspberries in my first horticultural club meeting.
I needed ways to utilize my new bounty. I reworked this old recipe, reducing the fruit amount and adding white chocolate chips. That extra sweet kick really elevates the fruit!
These Berry Scones are a perfect breakfast, delicious at room temperature or warmed in the microwave. They can be frozen after baking, making this is a convenient make-ahead recipe. Don’t thaw the fruit if it’s frozen or it’ll be mushy and juicy. Use only fresh or frozen fruit.
1/2cupstrawberries or raspberries (fresh or frozen) about 3oz
3Tablespoonswhite sugar separated
2cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/4teaspoonsalt
6Tablespoonsunsalted butter
2/3cupmilk or almond milk
1/2cupwhite chocolate chips
Topping:
1Tablespooncoarse or white sugar optional
Instructions
Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper, or use a scone pan.
Use kitchen shears or a knife to cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside to macerate.
Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter or a fork to cut it in. Don’t completely mix in butter, but leave some pea-sized pieces throughout. Stir in milk. Fold in the white chocolate chips followed by the berries.
Flour hands to coat. Gently knead and turn the dough to incorporate the dry bits from the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle dough with extra flour if it’s too sticky to work with.
If using a cookie sheet for baking, pat the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges (or smaller), then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them; they will spread. Alternatively, press handfuls of dough into a scone pan, filling each empty space to the end to create even pieces. Sprinkle the tops with coarse or white sugar, if desired.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown. Remove them from pan. Scones can be eaten immediately, or will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze them to enjoy later.
If you’re in need of a small-scale dessert for just a couple of people (hey, it is Valentine’s Day as I post this), this Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie is perfect.
You’ll need a 6-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan for this recipe. I have the former.
This is a treat best enjoyed while it’s warm. Therefore, let the big cookie cool enough so you won’t get burned, and then dig in. If you want to make this even more luxurious, add some scoops of ice cream in the middle and eat everything with spoons!
This small-scale treat is perfect as a sweet treat for a small family or as a date night dessert for two adults. This is the kind of dish where you don’t expect to have leftovers–but if you do, they are best served warmed. Modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, cookies
Servings: 2
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
6-inch cast iron skillet or 6-inch cake pan
nonstick spray
small saucepan
Ingredients
1/4cupunsalted butter
2Tablespoonswhite sugar
2Tablespoonsbrown sugar packed
1large egg yolk
1Tablespoonmilk or half& half
1/2teaspoonvanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/2cupall-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/2cupchocolate chips whatever kind you want
flaked sea salt and coarse sugar for optional topping
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare the pan by using nonstick spray or some extra butter to coat.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat, stirring often. The butter will foam and then turn brown after 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine browned butter, both sugars, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt and coarse sugar on top.
Bake until the edges are brown and the middle is no longer gooey, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before digging in, but it is ideally eaten while it's still warm.
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