Black and Blue Oatmeal Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox loves oatmeal cake. Actually, he loves its sweetness. I rarely make one for him because I'm anti anything that has the potential to send you into sugar shock. A couple of years ago, I came across a recipe for an oatmeal bundt cake that gets much of its sweetness from berries. He loved the cake. So now, I try to make the cake for him whenever local berries are plentiful and inexpensive. The blackberries have been especially delicious this year. The original recipe used a full compliment of blueberries, but I've altered it and use both blue and black berries. Of course, the blackberries are a soft fruit, so while they add great flavor, they often give this cake a bruised appearance. Freezing the berries helps prevent them from bleeding into the batter, but I'm always in such a hurry that I usually skip that step. I mention freezing only for those of you who need a cake with a more finished appearance. You'll find this moist cake is a great keeper if it is well-wrapped and refrigerated. I think you will enjoy its berry richness. Here is how the cake is made.

Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple cake makes a wonderful addition to your summer brunch table. Here in Oregon, we are harvesting blackberries and Marionberries, and this year's crop is abundant and flavorful. Save for raspberries, this year's berry crop has been disappointing, so it's nice to know that blackberries have also managed to escape this summer's cane fruit curse. I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website and it looked so good I had to give it a try. It did not disappoint. I must admit I used fresh berries rather than the frozen ones recommended in the original recipe. I was afraid that thawed blackberries would lose their shape and bleed into the cake batter, so I used still firm, fresh from the field, berries for my coffee cake. I know that those of you who try this recipe will be pleased with your results. The cake stays moist for several days and it freezes beautifully, so it can be made well ahead of serving and free you to enjoy brunch with your family and friends. You'll find the cake is sweet enough to please the most ardent sweet tooth, but it is not cloying. Here is how it is made.

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found the original version of this recipe in Food and Wine magazine last year. I've held on to it because the cake is easy to make and it's a great way to use that last cup of berries I always seem to have in my refrigerator at this time of year. The cake originally caught my eye because I thought it would make a great breakfast coffeecake. That proved not to be the case because it is too sweet to serve so early in the day. It does, however, make a wonderful snack cake, especially when it is served with a dollop of cream and some extra berries on the side. There are no tricks to making this buttermilk gem, but I want to emphasize an instruction that is given in the recipe. Be sure to line the cake pan with parchment or waxed paper. The berries in this cake will sink to the bottom of the pan and cause the cake to stick like glue if you don't. The cake is light and moist but it has a crackly crust thanks to a sprinkling of sugar that goes over the batter just before the cake is baked. If youhave extra berries, why not give this cake a try. Here's how it is made.

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups blackberries, plus more for serving
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
1) Preheat ovento 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Butter e parchment liner.
2) In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat butter with 2/3 cup of sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in buttermilk and dry ingredients in 3 alternating batches, ending with dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Gently fold batter just until blended, then scrape into prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
3) Scatter 1 1/4 cups of blackberries over batter and lightly press them in. Sprinkle remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar over cake. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
4) Transfer cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn cake out of pan and remove paper. Turn cake right side up and let cool completely. Serve the buttermilk cake with whipped cream and more blackberries. Yield: 8 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Two Years Ago Today: Bucket Bread

Three Years Ago Today: Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Four Years Ago Today: Banh Mi

Blackberry Crisp

This is a dessert that is assembled rather than made. I keep a few of these recipes in my file for occasions when I need something sweet that can be put together quickly. Blackberries and hazelnuts are common ingredients in Oregon. I always have them in my freezer, so this dessert is a literal no-brainer for me to execute. I've started to use English muffins to make bread crumbs. I like the coarse texture of the crumbs they produce and I always have them on hand. It took 5 minutes to assemble this dessert. It's a great family or weeknight dessert.

Blackberry Crisp

Ingredients:
6 to 8 cups fresh or frozen marionberries or blackberries
2-1/2 cups coarse fresh English muffin crumbs, divided use
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Heavy cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Combine blackberries, 1 cup crumbs, confectioners' sugar, orange zest and salt in a medium bowl. Place in a greased 8 x 8-inch or 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Set aside.
3) Combine reserved 1-1/2 cups crumbs, hazelnuts, melted butter and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over berries. Bake until the berry juices bubble, about 40 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Yield: 6 to 8 small servings.

Lemon-Scented Ice Milk with Berries and Wine Sauce

This is an absolutely beautiful dessert. It's inexpensive and relatively simple to make, though it must be prepared well in advance of serving. The only special equipment you'll need is a stand mixer. The operative word for this recipe is cold. The milk, chilled icy-cold, will whip like cream and produce a delightful lemon-scented iced milk. If you are watching calories, pureed cottage cheese can be used in place of heavy cream and Splenda can replace the sugar in the wine sauce. A quick aside about sugar substitutes - don't use them in meringue; the end product will lack volume and be sticky. Use pasteurized or reconstituted egg whites if there are very young or very old diners at your table. This is an All-American dessert; you'll love the ice milk and the wine sauce is really delicious.

Lemon-Scented Ice Milk with Berries and Wine Sauce

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream or pureed cottage cheese
1-2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
Zest of 1 large lemon cut into thin strips
1 cinnamon stick
4 large egg whites
1 cup water
2 cups frozen unsweetened mixed berries
1/2 cup port wine or grape juice
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1) Combine milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour into a nonreactive container and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours. Remove lemon strips and cinnamon stick; transfer to freezer for 1 to 2 hours, or until mixture is icy cold and edges begin to freeze.
2) Place egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until frothy; add 3 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
3) Place milk mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk; beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold in meringue. Scrape into a chilled pan and freeze for 2 hours.
4) Meanwhile, bring water and remaining 1 cup sugar to a boil. Add frozen berries and wine or juice; return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Mash and strain berries, reserving juice. Return juice to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup. Chill.
5) About 1/2 to 1 hour before serving, move ice milk from freezer to refrigerator. When ready to serve, place a scoop of ice milk on a dessert plate. Surround with berries and top with wine sauce. Garnish with a mint sprig. Yield: 6 servings.