Twice this summer I’ve come across flats of berries that were too cheap and too beautiful to resist buying. We are lucky in this part of the world to have a plentiful supply of affordable berry goodness all summer long, but I’m never sure what to do with them when I have them in large quantities. As a family, we don’t eat a lot of jam and jam is a little labor intensive for me. I needed a quick, tasty recipe so I could enjoy the bounty of berries in my kitchen and thanks to the internet; I think I’ve found it! This cake is easy and uses very basic ingredients and is all mixed by a mixer. What more could you ask for?
Easy Blackberry Cake
Adapted from Sunset Magazine, May 1997
½ cup butter, cut into chunks
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups of fresh blackberries
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan.
2. Using an electric mixer, blend 1 cup sugar and butter, then beat on high speed until well-mixed, about 3 minutes.
3. Add flour, baking powder, eggs and vanilla. Stir to combine, and then beat on high speed until well blended. Batter will be stiff.
4. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top. Scatter berries evenly over and sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until cake just begins to pull away from the rim, about 50 minutes.
5. Run a thin-bladed knife between the cake and pan rim. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove pan rim and dust cake with powdered sugar.
6. Cut into wedges and serve with or without whipped cream.