eat make read

Hot on the trail of last weeks happy hour that contained lemon and basil, I thought I’d continue the flavor love with basil lemon cake. Just as the drink was delicious, this cake hits the spot, whether it’s at a picnic or at the end of a long hot day. Top it with fresh berries and you’ve got yourself a little slice of heaven no matter where you eat it.

This recipe calls for the use of buttermilk, something I happened to have on hand after making homemade butter. *sidenote* Have you ever made homemade butter? The kind where you just shake cream in a jar? That is some crazy awesome stuff!! *end sidenote* Unfortunately I didn’t have enough on hand so I just put some lemon juice in some whole milk and let it sit for a few minutes. Anywho, once I had that whole buttermilk situation worked out, I zested a lemon and chopped some basil, then mixed the other ingredients until I had a lovely batter. I poured it into a springform pan and popped it in the oven.

While the cake was baking I combined some fresh strawberries and black raspberries I purchased on my trip to the union square greenmarket. I’m going to say it for the eighteen millionth time, but man o man there is something so wonderful about fresh berries from the market. They are just so dang lovely. I especially like the color and texture combination of these two berries. After admiring them for a bit I squashed them.

It’s not often that I bake a cake, so when I do, I have high hopes for it. When I pulled this one out of the oven I was immediately happy because nothing looked awry. Oh, and it smelled delicious. Once it had cooled off a while longer, I cut a few slices and topped each with a scoop of the berries. The berry mash soaks into the dense (but not heavy) cake and creates a lush textural extravaganza for the senses. The lemon and basil are there but are nice and subtle, giving the cake a lovely fresh flavor but also working well as a platform to play off of the berries. This really is a perfect summer cake.

basil lemon cake
modified from simply organic

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons buttermilk*
1 1/2 cups mixed berries such as raspberries and strawberries

preheat oven to 375°, lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan

1
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until creamy.
3
Add the eggs, basil, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Beat until blended.
4
Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, alternating with buttermilk and beating on low speed until smooth.
5
Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooded toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6
Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove sides and cool completely.
7
Cut a slice and top with berries.

Cover well, but do not refrigerate unless you need to store it for more than 1-2 days.

*A good way to substitute buttermilk is add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk. For this recipe I think you could cheat at use 1 cup + 1 T milk.