This recipe is from a local Girl Scout troop's collection of "Grandmothers' Recipes." It makes a moist one-layer cake that is topped with fresh raspberries and cloaked with a light dusting of granulated sugar. The cake makes a stunning presentation since the raspberries keep their shape as the cake bakes. Raspberries are an important crop in the Pacific Northwest, but Pennsylvania often has its own wonderful berries available through September.
4 tablespoons butter ( 1/4 cup)
1 cup sugar, divided
1 egg
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh raspberries or 12-ounce package frozen raspberries
Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur or 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch-square pan. (We used an 8-inch, and it almost overflowed.)
Cream the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together and add alternately to the creamed mixture with the buttermilk. Pour into the greased pan and cover with the raspberries. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until done.
Whip the cream, powdered sugar and liqueur or vanilla together until the cream is thick. Serve the cake from the pan with a dollop of whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.
When using frozen raspberries: Thaw raspberries on paper towels for three hours before putting them on top of the cake batter.
"Dungeness Crab and Black Berry Cobbler" by Janie Hibler
Thursday, September 23, 1999
