Sunday, May 20, 2012

Raspberry-Orange Summer Tea Cake 
Raspberry dotted buttermilk cake, with a raspberry-orange cream cheese filling!
 
A slice of this delicate tea cake will make any warm sunny day seem even brighter! Some like it warm, some like it completely cooled, I like it both ways myself.  I always serve this light fluffy cake with morning tea or coffee. This cake is moist, and slightly creamy; perfect for a Sunday morning treat!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
1/2 cup butter, softened 
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, frozen
1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
*garnish: a sprinkle of powered sugar and a few extra raspberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment. Grease and lightly flour parchment; set aside. 

For cake, in a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl beat sugar and the butter with a mixer on medium to high until combined. Add the egg and the vanilla. Beat on low to medium for 1 minute. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beating just until combined after each addition; set aside.

For cream cheese filling, freeze cream cheese so it easily crumbles.  Add orange peel and 1/2 cup raspberries to the crumbled cream cheese, in a small bowl. Gently combine.

Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading to edges. Sprinkle filling over batter, spreading to edges. Dollop remaining batter on filling, carefully spreading to edges of pan.  Make sure the inside filling is completely covered.

Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed. Gently press remaining 1 cup raspberries into cake. Bake 25 to 30 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. 

Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cake from pan; remove from pan. Serve warm, or completely cooled. 

Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with additional raspberries.



*Recipe Adapted from BHG with the help of my mum; photo courtesy of atthepicketfence.com