raspberry + lemon cake

Texas lesson #1 : on a hot afternoon in August, barefoot and balmy, it's very important to bake a raspberry cake.

raspberry and lemon cake

I adapted this recipe heavily from Nigel Slater's cake for midsummer, one of my favorite recipes out of Ripe : A Cook in the Orchard. I subbed granulated sugar for golden sugar, added extra raspberries, and replaced the apricots with lemon. Top with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream or quoting Nigel "decorate as the fancy takes you"... I love him.

Freshly squeezed juice from one lemon

1/2 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

2-3 cups raspberries

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups self-rising flour

1 cup ground almonds

2 tablespoons milk

Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, and raspberries in a medium bowl, stir together and set aside. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs lightly, then add to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and the almonds. With the mixer on a low speed, add the flour and almond mixture in three separate batches, to the rest of the batter. Add the milk and once incorporated, carefully fold in the raspberries. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for ten minutes, then run a think spatula around the edge and slide it out onto a plate.