A Simple Berry Filled Cake Which Checks All the Boxes.
This was one of those times when you get a hankering for a particular type of cake, but there’s no recipe to be found which checks all the boxes. So, I put it together myself. I knew I wanted it to contain both blackberries and raspberries, have a moist and tender crumb, and I didn’t want any kind of icing. I wanted it to be a comforting cake. Something I’d like to eat in the afternoon with a cup of tea. Know what I mean?
Thinking back to the texture of my 7Up Cake, I started tinkering. But this time I didn’t want the flavor of 7Up, so I opted to use simple seltzer water. And I liked the idea of some elderflower flavoring in it, so I pulled out my bottle of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur and added a tablespoon to the batter, along with some vanilla. As we were tasting the batter, my son suggested adding a tiny bit of coconut extract. We’ve discovered that a small amount of this extract adds a fullness of flavor. There is no discernible coconut flavor. That’s not what I wanted. It simply rounded out all the other flavors.
Seeing as how I wanted this cake to be simple and planned on only finishing it by dusting it with powdered sugar, I wanted something more than the normal crust. I sprayed the pan heavily with Baker’s Joy, as I always do for all of my bundt cakes, but I then sprinkled it thoroughly with medium grind stone ground white cornmeal, hoping for a crunchy crust.
As with all cakes in which whole berries are added I kept my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t all sink to the bottom. Hoping to avoid that outcome, I held back a few tablespoons of flour, tossed it with the berries and folded them into the batter. After that it was simply a matter of waiting to see how this cake would actually turn out.
As you can see, it baked well and all the berried did not sink. Whew! As to the overall taste? It’s exactly what I had in mind – moist, buttery flavor, aromatic from the elderflower liqueur, and filled with the brightness of the berries. The crust? It’s a game changer for me. I love the texture and will use the same technique again in the future for other cakes that could use a little something extra added to their crusts.
Blackberry, Raspberry, and St. Germain Bundt Cake
10 - 12
servingsThis moist, gorgeous and easy bundt cake is full of blackberries and raspberries, plus a little St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Scrumptious, if I do say so myself.
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Ingredients
Baker’s Joy for spraying the pan
Medium grind cornmeal for coating the pan
180 grams 180 (1 stick, plus 5 tablespoons) salted butter
100 milliliters 100 (1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon) neutral vegetable oil
480 grams 480 (2 1/3 cups) granulated sugar
4 large 4 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoons 1 St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 teaspoon 1 vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 coconut extract
190 milliliters 190 (3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon) plain seltzer or soda water
310 grams 310 (2 1/3 cups) King Arthur All Purpose Flour
6 ounce 6 carton blackberries, plus a few additional for finishing
6 ounce 6 carton raspberries, plus a few additional for finishing
a few little mint leaves for garnish
powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Spray a 10 cup bundt pan with Baker’s Joy. Spray it heavily, being sure to cover every nook and cranny. Coat with cornmeal. Put aside.
- In a stand mixer, using the paddle blade, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes - until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add the liqueur, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Turn the speed to low and add half the seltzer, barely mix and add half the flour. Repeat, but hold back a couple tablespoons of the flour, while taking care to not over mix the batter.
- In a medium bowl, gently toss the berries with the remaining flour. Using a spatula, fold them into the cake batter. Spoon into the prepared pan and level off the batter. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Start checking the cake at 50 minutes. You only want to bake it until a wooden skewer comes out clean when stuck into the center of the cake. Bake longer if necessary, checking it at 5 minute intervals.
- Place the cake on a rack and let cool for 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Let cool completely and if desired, fill the center opening with additional berries, a couple of mint leaves and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Equipment
- 10 Cup Bundt Pan
2 Responses
A stunning cake, Renee! Looking forward to trying your recipe. I’ve been using almond flour to coat the pan. Does the cornmeal leave any crunch or texture?
Hi, Kimberly! I always use almond meal to coat all my Bundt cake pans, too (unless it’s chocolate and then I use cocoa). But I really wanted a crunchy crust for this cake and decided to try cornmeal. Yes, it give the cake a distinct crunchy crust. I loved it and will use it again when I want that kind of crust. I’ll continue to use almond meal when I’m glazing the cake, etc. But when only dusting it with powdered sugar I wanted something more interesting. Please let me know how you like it! Thank you!