Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 200 g cake flour
- 6 g baking powder
- 3 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 120 ml whole milk, room temperature
Fruit & Topping
- 250 g fresh blackberries
- 15 g granulated sugar
Serving
- 120 ml heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
- vanilla ice cream
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 377 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 24 g
- Sodium
- 256 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 12 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 73 mg
- Potassium
- 151 mg
- Calcium
- 110 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Phosphorus
- 97 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 182 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 8 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.25 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 1.9 mg
- Folate
- 60 mcg
- Water
- 65 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 0 mg
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease the 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt until thoroughly combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened unsalted butter and 150g of granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale, light, and fluffy.
Add the room-temperature egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredient mixture in three additions, alternating with the whole milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until the flour disappears.
Transfer the thick batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top into an even layer with your spatula. Scatter the fresh blackberries evenly over the surface, pressing them very lightly into the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 15g of granulated sugar evenly across the top of the cake and berries.
Bake in the preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Chef's Notes
- Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour provides a lower protein content, ensuring a remarkably tender crumb that perfectly complements the juicy berries.
- Ensuring your butter, egg, and milk are at room temperature is crucial. It allows them to form a stable emulsion, trapping air during the creaming process for maximum lift.
- The final sprinkle of granulated sugar on top of the raw batter and berries creates a gorgeous, faintly caramelized, crisp crust as the cake bakes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 2 months — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil.
Reheating: Microwave slices for 10-15 seconds to warm before serving.
Troubleshooting
Cake crumb is tough or dense
Cause: Overmixing the batter after the cake flour was added, causing gluten development.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Serve warm with extra ice cream to mask the density.
Prevention: Mix wet and dry ingredients on the lowest speed until just combined, finishing the last streaks of flour by folding gently with a spatula by hand.
Berries sank completely to the bottom of the pan
Cause: The batter was too warm and thin, or the berries were overly wet.
Fix: Cosmetic issue only; invert the cake when serving to show off the fruit layer.
Prevention: Ensure the batter remains thick by properly measuring flour. Dry washed berries thoroughly and toss them in a pinch of flour before scattering.
Cultural Context
Often referred to as a buckle in traditional American baking, this style of single-layer fruit cake gets its name from the way the rich batter rises up and buckles around the heavy, scattered fruit during baking, creating a beautifully rustic, dimpled surface.
