Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake is delicious. I mean it people. Pay attention.

It isn't your local grocer's typical, icing-covered sugar bomb, which don't get me wrong, I can fully appreciate from time to time - at a party, maybe after a long day of work, for breakfast (not that I know anyone who would ever eat cake for breakfast), or even for a laugh. Until now my personal interpretation of cake can't have been much different than an eight year old's. Cake layer. Icing. Cake layer. Icing. Sprinkles. What more do you need?

But my cake arsenal was lacking. I need cakes for different occasions, cakes that don't require me to wash 19 dirty dishes in the aftermath, cakes that don't certainly induce sugar comas, cakes with more subtlety. And then I discovered this cake. This beautifully unassuming cake, with it's sweet dimply crust and bursts of raspberry flavor. There's just something so nostalgic about it. Is it just me or do recipes with 'Buttermilk' in the title seem more wholesome? I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, but just roll with me here!

Anyway, this cake is a cinch to make, so make it now. No special occasion necessary.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 stick butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk*

3/4 cup raspberries

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Once it has reached the desired consistency, beat in the vanilla, lemon zest, and egg.

Slowly beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between the two, until just combined. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and smooth it out. Drop the raspberries into the batter evenly and sprinkle the entire cake with an additional tablespoon or two of sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown.

*Did you know you can make your own buttermilk?! Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit 10 minutes. I'm not going to lie. I haven't actually tried this myself, but I've seen the tip on a bunch of cooking sites!

Recipe adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com