Red, White, and Blue Berry Buttermilk Cake

So, not to be confusing, but there aren't any white berries in this cake. Sorry to disappoint if you were looking forward to those :) Although, there are white raspberries in this world and if you have access to them and if you want to use them as part of the berries in this cake, well, please feel free. But I don't, so I'm not gonna. I've used both a mix of blueberries and strawberries and a mix of blueberries and raspberries and I really liked both of them! You could do all one kind of berry, or multiple! Mmmm, berry goodness, mmm. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, marionberries, huckleberries, black raspberries and more!! Lots of possibilities.

This cake is awesome and versatile. Not only with the different berry combinations, but in that it works really well with a cup of coffee or tea first thing in the morning. Or as an afternoon snack. And is tastes awesome with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert! So, you can pretty much eat it any time of the day and feel relatively guilt free. That is unless you accidentally eat it all throughout the day...

Red, White, and Blue Berry Buttermilk Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
zest from one lemon
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries (strawberries also work wonderful, but make sure you cut them into a size similar to that of the blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour and buttermilk to the butter and mix until just combined. In another small bowl, combine berries with 2 Tbsp flour and toss until berries are evenly coated in flour. Fold berries into the batter gently. Once berries are folded into the batter, pour batter into prepared 8x8 baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of sugar if desired (this is totally optional, but creates a nice sweet, crunchy crust on top of the cake). Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

Source: Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen