This recipe for buttermilk cake comes from Heidi Swanson’s newest cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. I pre-ordered Heidi’s cookbook and received it this past Spring and this is actually my first time cooking from it! This recipe was a super success. Honestly, if you are looking for a simple, light & tasty dessert that you can whip up in the matter of a half of an hour, then this is the recipe that you need. It’s so simple to prepare and absolutely delicious. The thing I like the best about this dessert is that it is not super sweet. I have a ton of recipes for super sweet desserts and sometimes I just need a lighter dessert to round off a meal. Having said that, this cake is very versatile and can be enjoyed with your breakfast or as a snack any time of the day…not just as a dessert. You can also adjust the recipe according to the season. Since peaches are in season and I just received another huge box of free peaches/nectarines/tomatoes, I decided to top my buttermilk cake with peaches. If it’s winter and not much fresh fruit is in season, you can substitute the peaches with Medjool dates and lightly toasted walnuts per Heidi’s suggestion.
As I was enjoying my first slice of this cake, fresh out of the oven, I thought about how good this cake would taste with a dollop of whipped cream. I just so happened to have heavy cream in the fridge, so I made whipped cream which I decided to sweeten with a bit of honey and vanilla extract. I then cut myself another piece of cake and topped it with my freshly made whipped cream and I had a perfect match. So while this cake is great on its own, adding a dollop of honey-vanilla whipped cream puts it over the top.
Buttermilk Cake
serves 10-12 people
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 cup fine-grain natural cane sugar (I used granulated sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little
- Grated zest of 3 lemons (I used 2)
- 2 peaches, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons large-grain raw sugar or turbinado sugar (I used 2 T turbinado sugar)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the top third of the oven.
- Butter and flour an 11-inch round tart/quiche pan, or a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking dish (I used a 9×13 baking dish because that is what I had on hand).
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, fine-grain sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Whisk in the melted (but not hot) butter and the lemon zest.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir briefly, until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, pushing it out toward the edges a bit. Scatter the peaches across the top, then sprinkle with the large-grain sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake has set. A toothpick to the center should come out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
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This sounds utterly scrumptious!!