Saffron and Honey

Upside down berry almond cake

January 4, 2013 — Almond, Almond meal, baking, Berries, blackberry, blueberry, cake, Cakes, Dessert, lemon zest, New Year, Raspberry, sugar, upside down, vanilla, Vanilla extract, Zest (ingredient)

We spent New Year’s weekend in Woodstock, enjoying the hush of the snow in a cabin with a crackling fire and food and drink aplenty.

I ended up adapting this recipe to taste – I like less sugar in everything, especially fruit desserts – and to cabin equipment – old-school hand-crank mixer, anyone? – and it was a delightful, light treat after the holiday dinner and for next day’s luxurious New Year’s Day brunch.

Upside down berry almond cake

(adapted from Donna Hay magazine)

You’ll need:

For the upside down topping:

• 24 oz frozen berries, unsweetened (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
• 1/3 cup fine (caster) sugar

For the batter:

• 1 cup fine (caster) sugar
• 1 1/6 stick (about 190 g) of butter, melted
• 2 t finely grated lemon zest
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups AP flour,
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Defrost the berries – I placed them in a colander in a sunny spot close to the stove (which was barely off all weekend!) for about half an hour.

2. Line a 9 inch pie pan with parchment paper (I also lined the outside with foil in case of the berry juices bubbling over) and preheat oven to 355F. Pour berries into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat (or whisk vigorously, if you have a good forearm) together sugar, butter, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until pale and creamy, about 6-8 minutes.

4. Add eggs in one at a time, incorporating well.

5. Gradually add in – with mixer on low speed – the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing well. Lastly add the almond meal and the buttermilk and mix to combine. You want a pale, creamy, and fluffy mixture.

6. Pour the batter over the berries and smooth the top. Bake for an hour until just set in the middle. Tent loosely with foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool before flipping over onto a large platter.

ps. Thanks to Valerie for photo-documenting while I was baking even though she was busy baking herself!