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Blueberry Brown Sugar Cake with Berry Compote

This homey cake recipe takes well to various fruit substitutions, so you can change it according to what’s in season.
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Servings 8

Ingredients
  

THE CAKE

  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ cups light brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon to garnish
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups fresh blueberries
  • ½ cup sliced almond
  • 1 tablespoon sparkling sugar available online from indiatree.com, to garnish (optional)

THE COMPOTE

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup raw or white sugar
  • 4 ounces sweet wine such as Gewurztraminer or Moscato
  • 1 –2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups hulled ripe strawberries quartered or halved (if small)
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries
  • Creme fraiche to serve

Instructions
 

  • THE CAKE: Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper; butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar by hand with a wooden spoon until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and then the buttermilk.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring just until the ingredients come together; do not overmix. Stir in the blueberries and the almonds.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining tablespoon brown sugar, and sparkling sugar, if desired.
  • Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and invert cake onto a plate. Flip cake back over onto a cake stand.
  • THE COMPOTE: Add the strawberries, and simmer 5 minutes or until the strawberries are soft but not mushy. Add the blueberries. Let cool to room temperature. To serve, slice the cake and top each serving with compote and a dollop of creme fraiche.